How Floras Lake almost became the Atlantic City of the Pacific Coast
May 11, 2021 Greg Shine
North end of Floras Lake. BLM photo by Greg Shine.
It’s easy to see how the natural landscape of Floras Lake, just a sand berm away from the Pacific Ocean on Oregon’s rugged southwest coast, inspires desires for recreation.
Today’s recreational visitor, though, experiences the lake much differently than early 20th century businessmen envisioned. In 1908, investors planned – and began building – the community of Pacific City (later changed to Lakeport) on the lakeside’s cliffs, billing it as “the Atlantic City of the Pacific Coast” and “Pacific City, the finest harbor on the coast.”