Bandon is in Coos County, on the south side of the mouth of the Coquille River. The first permanent settlers came in 1853 and established the present town site. It was named by George Bennet, an Irish peer, who settled nearby in 1873 and named the town after Bandon, Ireland, his native home.

Cranberries are an important crop that has been grown in Bandon since 1885, when Charles McFarlin planted vines he brought from Massachusetts. McFarlin had originally come to pan for gold in California. He didn't make his fortune, or even a living, so he turned to what he knew best. He brought vines from Cape Cod and planted them in the state's first cranberry bog near Hauser. This bog produced cranberries for eight decades. His variety adapted to growing conditions on the west coast. The variety was named McFarlin in his honor and is still the principal variety grown on the west coast.

For Bandon events, festivals, live entertainment and happenings go to our Oregon Coast Calendar.