Brookings, Oregon: A Case Study of a Professionally Planned Company Town

Author

Kathy L. Marx

Year of Award

2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Geography (Community and Environmental Planning Option)

Other Degree Name/Area of Focus

Rural, Town and Regional Planning

Department or School/College

Department of Geography

Committee Chair

Paul Wilson

Abstract

Industrialization was pressing westward from the eastern United States by the mid-nineteenth century. To provide housing for workers in remote areas, many western industrialists built company-owned towns. This paper reviews company towns in eleven western states in order to proceed with further research. Brookings, Oregon, a lumber manufacturing company town, located on the Southern Oregon coast, was chosen for an in-depth analysis.

In comparing land use and design changes, as built and as they are today, it was found that the initial town design could still be discerned but that many changes had been made without regard to the original design. Those changes have affected the interrelationships of cultural, physical, and built environments in unfavorable ways that were never envisioned by the designer. It was concluded that although unfavorable changes had occurred, the strength of the design had withstood and could be built upon today.

Recommended Citation

Marx, Kathy L., "Brookings, Oregon: A Case Study of a Professionally Planned Company Town" (2001). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12204.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12204