Charleston, Oregon

Charleston is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the ocean entrance to Coos Bay. According to the local chamber of commerce, it is the area's "commercial and sport fishing center", and the community also provides services for the seafood processing and marine support industries. Charleston is the site of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology and the United States Coast Guard Charleston Lifeboat Station.

Estuarine Research Reserve


The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, a 4770 acre reserve along the Coos Bay Estuary, was established in Charleston in 1974. It was the first reserve in the United States created in response to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.