Before Newport was connected to other coastal cities by Highway 101, residents relied heavily on area maritime routes for trade. With exports of lumber and seafood, Yaquina Bay Harbor became a busy place. Gaining a reputation for its excellent seafood, Newport attracted plenty of visitors. Summer tourist arrived from the Willamette Valley by train and hopped aboard a steamboat to complete their journey to Yaquina Bay. Built by Sam Case in 1866, the Ocean House was Newport's first inn and resort. An easterner from Maine, it's no surprise that Case named Newport for his favorite resort town in Rhode Island.
   Placed on an Oregon map with establishment of the first post office in 1868, beach-going guests have enjoyed the Newport area ever since. Taking pride in its seafood and especially its world famous bay oysters, commercial boats comb the Pacific fishing grounds, and scour Yaquina Bay for oysters, crabs and clams. With all these tempting delicacies from the bay and sea, visitors continue to flock to the area, enjoying its bounty as well a string of attractions that dot the coast.
   While lighthouse fans may be attracted to the area's two lighthouses, whale watchers may scan the ocean from the Bureau of Land Management’s Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area or hop a tour boat for closer views. Among the top tourist destinations on the Oregon Coast, visitors flock to Newport's beaches, cool down in the afternoon shade of Bay Boulevard shops, restaurants and art galleries, and just plain relax at area resorts.

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