Welcome to Historic Old Town

Welcome to Historic Old Town. . , Originally named First Street then later Front Street, Bay Street was renamed in the mid-1950s by the Florence Garden Club. Historically known as the city center of Florence, Bay Street held much of the government and commerce functions. Once the Bridge opened in 1936, businesses gradually began moving 'uptown' to the Highway 101 corridor and vacating the bay front in the 1950s. When the post office moved from Bay Street in 1970, downtown Florence became primarily the destination for fishermen and crabbers rather than the bustling city center it once was. , Bay Street was transformed in the 1970s and 1980s from a rundown bay front, to what is known today as Old Town. The citizen-driven revitalization of the area has turned Old Town Florence into a tourism destination and breathed new life into downtown. , Siuslaw River Bridge Interpretive Center , A Collaborative Effort , The Siuslaw River Bridge Interpretive Center preserves one of the last open spaces left in Historic Old Town Florence with an unobstructed view of the Siuslaw River Bridge. More than a decade in the making, the Interpretive Center opened on June 28, 2013. Located on what was previously known as the Barnett property, the construction of the Interpretive Center was a collaborative effort combining federal, state, and local funds. Contributions were made by the Federal Highway Administration Scenic Byways Program, Federal and State Surface Transportation Program, Florence Urban Renewal Agency, and the City of Florence.