Just 20 miles inland from Oregon’s South Coast, the city of Coquille maintains a temperate climate shielded from coastal winds, capturing a great many days of sunshine.  Beautiful morning fog lifts by noon and clear night skies light up the way.  Rainbows spread across the valley and colorful sunsets  meet the tall trees on the horizon.  Coquille makes a great stopping point with its historic downtown shops, motel, supermarkets, gas stations, hospital and other businesses. 

Coquille is located along Highway 42, a major east-west route from US 101 and Interstate 5. Highway 42 South, which branches off Highway 42 in Coquille, serves as a direct route to US 101 in  Bandon.  Coos Bay and North Bend are approximately 20 miles north of Bandon on US 101.

The Coquille River flows from the nearby Coast Range to the sea at Bandon. Once an important  waterway for frontier-era commerce and transportation, the river remains a popular fishery for salmon and steelhead.

The town’s colorful past is reflected in the historic downtown district and the many well-kept private  homes dating to the late 19th and early 20th century.   Another connection to the old days is the Sawdust Theater, which features rollicking old-time melodramas every summer weekend. Coquille’s main event is the Gay ‘90s Festival the first weekend in June, which recalls the heady times of the 1890s when Coquille turned into a boomtown in anticipation of the railroad’s arrival. The railroad eventually chose another route inland, but subsequent generations were sustained by the bounty of the forest, as well as in farming, dairying and cattle ranching.  Coquille serves as the County Seat.

Spreading across the high ground above the Coquille River Valley, several sawmills and manufacturers with unique, far-reaching specialty goods work quietly nearby.  Pride in a hard-working  pioneer heritage runs high, and the town’s downtown and heritage neighborhoods continue to preserve the town’s original spirit.

Updated by Laura Rose