Medford, Oregon

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Medford, Oregon
Seal
Motto: The Center of the Rogue Valley
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 42°19′55″N, 122°51′43″W
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Jackson County
Incorporated	February 24, 1885
Government
- Mayor	Gary Wheeler
Area
- City	21.7 sq mi (56.2 km²)
- Land	21.7 sq mi (56.2 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	1,382 ft (421 m)
Population (2006)
- City	73,960
- Density	2,910.4/sq mi (1,123.7/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
Website: www.ci.medford.or.us

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It was named in the 1880s by David Loring, a civil engineer working for the Oregon and California Railroad for his home town of Medford, Massachusetts. As of 2006, the city had a total population of 73,960.^[1] It is the county seat of Jackson County.^GR6

A popular myth is that Medford was originally named Middleford, the name shortened to Medford shortly after its founding.^{[citation needed]} The story is contradicted by the fact that when the town was platted there were only two houses on the original town site, those of Iradell Phipps and C. W. Broback.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography and climate 3 Demographics 4 Economy 5 Education 6 Points of interest 7 Notable residents 8 Transportation 8.1 Air 9 Sister city 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

Medford was surveyed in 1883 by J. S. Howard, who built Medford's first commercial building in January of the next year. It was incorporated as a city in 1885. Located along the path of the Siskiyou Trail, Medford was founded on the Oregon and California Railroad line in the Bear Creek Valley, which is part of the greater Rogue Valley. The name was given to Medford by a railroad engineer from Medford, Massachusetts named David Loring.

In the 1950s, I-5 was built immediately adjacent to downtown Medford at the request of local merchants who hoped it would bring additional business to the downtown. It only ended up dividing the town. Construction of the Medford Center in the 1960s and the Rogue Valley Mall north of downtown in the 1980s caused many of the remaining major retailers to move out of downtown Medford.^{[citation needed]}

Over the last 10 years, Medford has experienced a significant residential building boom and a resurgence of downtown Medford has accompanied that growth. A restored Ginger Rogers Craterian Theater, new library, dozens of restored buildings, two parking structures, an urban plaza, and residential lofts are now all part of downtown Medford. The Middleford Commons project will include the new 10-story corporate headquarters of Lithia Motors.

[edit] Geography and climate

Medford is located at 42.331998° N 122.861874° W.^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.2 km² (21.7 mi²), all land.

Medford is also situated in the remains of ancient volcanic flow areas as demonstrated by the Upper and Lower Table Rock lava formations and nearby Mount McLoughlin and Crater Lake, the remains of Mount Mazama. In the late spring/early summer the snow formations on the peak of Mount McLoughlin melt away into a formation called the "angel wings," which Native American tribes interpreted as an osprey, an indicator of when the salmon spawn began.

Medford sits in a "weather shadow" between the Cascade Range and Siskiyou Mountains called the Rogue Valley. As such, most of the rain associated with the Pacific Northwest and Oregon in particular skips Medford, making it drier and sunnier than the Willamette Valley. Medford's climate is considerably warmer, both in summer and winter, than its latitude would suggest. Summers are reminiscent of Eastern Oregon, and winters resemble the coast. In Medford, summer often includes as many as ninety days over 90° F, with temperatures over 100° F common in July and August. In August 1980, the temperature stayed over 110° F for over a week, with two days reaching 117° F. Medford also experiences temperature inversions in the winter which during its lumber mill days produced fog so thick that visibility could be reduced to less than five feet. These inversions could last four to six weeks. Medford rarely sees snow—averaging less than an inch every two or three years.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	71	79	86	93	103	111	115	114	110	99	77	72
Norm High °F	47.3	53.8	58.3	64.3	72.2	81.2	90.2	90.1	83.5	70	52.8	45.2
Norm Low °F	30.9	33.1	35.9	39	44	50.1	55.2	54.9	48.3	40.2	35	31
Rec Low °F	-3	6	16	21	28	31	38	39	29	18	10	-6
Precip (in)	2.47	2.1	1.85	1.31	1.21	0.68	0.31	0.52	0.78	1.31	2.93	2.9
Source: USTravelWeather.com [2]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 63,154 people, 25,093 households, and 16,511 families residing in the city. In 2005 the population was estimated at 71,000 people. The population density was 1,123.7/km² (2,910.5/mi²). There were 26,297 housing units at an average density of 467.9/km² (1,211.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.99% White, 0.50% African American, 1.07% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 3.87% from other races, and 3.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.25% of the population.

There were 25,093 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,481, and the median income for a family was $43,972. Males had a median income of $34,533 versus $23,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,170. About 10.3% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economy

Medford's economy is driven primarily by agriculture (pears, peaches, viticulture grapes) and timber products. The largest direct marketer of fruits and food gifts in the United States, Harry and David Operations Corp., is based in Medford. It is the largest employer in Southern Oregon, with 1,700 year-round and about 6,700 seasonal employees in the Medford area. [3] Harry and David was founded in 1910 to market the harvest from the orchards of the Rogue Valley.

As there are no towns of equal or larger size within several hours' drive, Medford is a regional hub for medical services. The two major medical centers in the city employ over 2,000 people. As Medford is also a retirement destination, assisted living and senior services have become an important part of the economy.

Medford and the surrounding area is home to an expanding wine industry that includes a large variety of Bordelaise and Burgundian varietals including merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, pinot noir, gewürztraminer, riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot blanc, early muscat, and gamay noir.

Up until the early 1980s, Medford was home to approximately two dozen lumber mills that produced particle board, plywood and board lumber. Most of these mills operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week with two one-week shutdowns per year for equipment rebuilding and maintenance (Christmas and Independence Day). Within a five-year time period during the late 1980s and early 1990s the majority of these mills shut down as a result of political pressures relating to the Northern Spotted Owl being listed as a Threatened/Endangered species.^{[citation needed]} By 1990, only Medco and Stone Container operated lumber mills with any regularity. The resulting local depression caused an exodus of mill workers from the area and a depressed housing market, which resulted in an influx of retired people from California who sought cheaper costs of living and year-round warm weather, much to the ire of long-term residents who saw them as outsiders who did not appreciate the local culture and way of life^{[citation needed]}.

However, the new residents contributed to the improvement of the local economy by restoring properties in older parts of Medford, thus increasing home values for others. These new residents also invested in community-wide improvements and reinvigorated the economy by starting new small businesses. An unforeseen consequence of rising property values is the exodus of members of Generation X and Generation Y, who cannot afford to buy homes in the area; the loss of younger generations and influx of older, retiring generations is creating a cycle of escalating property values and a deficit of young professionals.

Fishing tourism is also a substantial part of the local economy with guided drift boats and extensive salmon sport fishing on the Rogue River. Other local tourist draws are Lost Creek Dam, Lake of the Woods, Crater Lake, and hunting for black-tailed deer.

[edit] Education

Medford is served by the Medford School District and has two major high schools, South Medford High School and North Medford High School.

In the spring of 2004, South Medford High School and North Medford High School received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust to move the comprehensive high school to smaller learning communities. They state^[2]:

It is our goal to continue our work on being a high achieving, equitable school for all of our students. In the fall of 2007, we plan to enroll our sophomores in small schools that are focused around a common theme. Our school themes are: BACH: Bridging the Arts, Communications and Humanities BACH’s vision is to provide a rigorous arts and humanities-infused education for all students in order to develop well-rounded, creative and joyful learners who are prepared to be successful in any post-high school career pathway – be it college, vocational or professional training – so that they can be engaged and successful members of a democratic society. CHAMPS: Community Health And Medical Professions School CHAMP's vision is the immersion of students in high quality personal health practices, medical science and related health careers and an education strong in critical thinking and analytical skills. The Discovery School The Discovery school's vision is students are independent thinkers and problem solvers who strive to make a difference in our society and environment by engaging with and exploring the region in which we live.

[edit] Points of interest

• Claire Hanley Arboretum

[edit] Notable residents

• Jeff Barry, former Major League Baseball outfielder
• Dick Fosbury, Olympic athlete who introduced the "Fosbury Flop" high jump technique
• Marshall Holman, Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame Bowler (ten-pin).
• Patricia Leines, Miss Oregon 1996 and Miss America second runner-up
• Dave Luetkenhoelter, bassist for the Christian rock band Kutless
• Allison Machado, Miss Oregon USA 2006
• Jason James Richter, actor
• Lisa Rinna, soap opera star and Dancing With The Stars (USA) competitor
• Ginger Rogers, actress
• Kyle Singler, basketball star at South Medford High (2003-2007), and one of the top college prospects of the class of 2007
• Vic Snyder, United States Representative from Arkansas
• Jonathan Stark, former professional tennis player

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Air

• Medford is home to the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport.

[edit] Sister city

Medford has one sister city:

• Alba, Italy

Sources: [4], [5]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• City of Medford
• Oregon Blue Book entry for Medford
• Visitors and Conventions Bureau of Medford
• Medford Urban Renewal Agency
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 42.331998° -122.861874°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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