The town takes its name from George Vancouver's original name for Cape Blanco, which he named for George, Earl of Orford, "a much respected friend."
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 571 households, and 311 families residing in the city. The population density was 719.1 people per square mile (278.2/km²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 412.9/sq mi (159.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.40% White, 0.09% African American, 1.39% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.
There were 571 households out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45% were non-families. 39% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2 people and the average family size was 2.66.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,289, and the median income for a family was $29,653. Males had a median income of $35,221 versus $15,179 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,442. About 16.1% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.