Roseburg, Oregon
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| Roseburg, Oregon | |
 |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| County | Douglas County |
| Incorporated | 1872 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Larry Rich |
| Area | |
| - City | 24.4 km² (9.4 sq mi) |
| - Land | 23.9 km² (9.2 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.5 km² (0.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 161 m (528 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - City | 21,050 |
| - Density | 838.2/km² (2,171.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| Website: http://ci.roseburg.or.us | |
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon.GR6 It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 20,017 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 21,050 residents.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The city was named for Aaron Rose, who settled within the current city limits September 23, 1851. Rose, who came from German Jewish ancestry, was born in 1813 in Ulster County, New York. In 1851 came to Oregon from Coldwater, Michigan, where he had lived since 1837. His house in Roseburg served as a tavern for many years, and was the first roadside inn in the area. Rose died in 1899.[2]
Roseburg was first known as Deer Creek because it was at the confluence of Deer Creek and the South Umpqua River. In 1854, voters chose Roseburg as the county seat over rival town Winchester, which through the development of both cities, has in the present day become regarded as a part of Roseburg. Rose donated three acres of land and $1,000 for the building of the courthouse, and the important buildings of Winchester were moved to Roseburg before 1860.[2]
Deer Creek post office was established in 1852, and the name changed to "Roseburgh" in 1857. The spelling was changed to "Roseburg" in 1894.[2]
[edit] The Roseburg Blast
On 7 August 1959, at approximately 1:00 am, the Gerretsen Building Supply Company caught fire. Firefighters soon arrived at the building, located near Oak and Pine street, to extinguish the fire. Earlier in the evening, a truck driver for the Pacific Powder Company, George Rutherford, had parked his explosives truck in front of the building, a fact which went unnoticed until shortly before the truck exploded, destroying buildings in an eight-block radius and severely damaging 30 more blocks.
The truck was loaded with two tons of dynamite and 4½ tons of the blasting agent nitro carbo nitrate. Rutherford had parked the truck after arranging his delivery for the following morning, despite warnings given to the Pacific Powder Company two days earlier not to leave such trucks unattended or park them in "congested areas." Fourteen people died in the blast and fire and 125 were injured. Damage was estimated at ten to twelve million dollars; the Powder company was eventually made to pay $1.2 million dollars in civil damages, but was acquitted of criminal wrongdoing.
Roseburg's downtown was rebuilt, primarily by businesses using money collected from insurance claims. The city built a new bridge over the South Umpqua River on parcels affected by the disaster. Since the incident, it is commonly referred to as the "Roseburg Blast" or simply "The Blast." In 2005, SOPTV produced a documentary examining the Blast and the experiences of those who were involved or witnessed it, entitled The Roseburg Blast: A Catastrophe and Its Heroes.[3] [4]
[edit] Geography
Roseburg is located at (43.217964, -123.356047)GR1. Roseburg's elevation is approximately 500 feet. Roseburg is also known for its extremely low wind velocity.
Roseburg is located near the confluence of the north and south forks of the Umpqua River. By car, it is 67 miles (108 kilometers) south on I-5 from Eugene and 123 miles north of the California border.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²). 23.9 km² (9.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.02%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 20,017 people, 8,237 households, and 5,098 families residing in the city. The population density was 838.2/km² (2,171.1/mi²). There were 8,838 housing units at an average density of 370.1/km² (958.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.56% White, 0.30% African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.73% of the population.
There were 8,237 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $40,172. Males had a median income of $32,624 versus $25,707 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,082. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
[edit] Elementary schools
- Eastwood Elementary
- Fir Grove Elementary
- Fullerton Elementary
- Green Elementary
- Hucrest Elementary
- Melrose Elementary
- Rose Elementary
- Sunnyslope Elementary
- Winchester Elementary
[edit] Middle schools
- Joseph Lane Middle School
- Fremont Middle School
[edit] High school
[edit] College
[edit] Climate
Average high temperatures for Roseburg peak in the high 80s (° F) in early August, and the lowest lows are experienced in December and January in the low 30s. During the winter, rainfalls of 5-6 inches are not uncommon. [5]
[edit] Transportation
Oregon Highway 99 runs through downtown Roseburg as the main north-south arterial. Interstate 5 runs along the west side of the city, across the South Umpqua River from downtown.
Oregon Highway 138 runs northwest from Roseburg to Elkton, Oregon, and generally east from Roseburg to its terminus at a junction with U.S. Highway 97, just east of Diamond Lake and Crater Lake.
There is a Greyhound bus station with connecting service to Amtrak passenger rail service. The Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad freight railway runs through Roseburg, and there is a municipal airport, the Marion E. Carl Memorial Field, at the north end of town. Roseburg and surrounding communities are served by Umpqua Transit, a local bus service.
[edit] Media
- The News-Review - daily newspaper
[edit] Notable residents
- Mike Allred - comic book artist
- Josh Bidwell - professional football player
- Marion E. Carl - Marine Corps general and flying ace
- Bobby Henderson - founder of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
- David Hume Kennerly - presidential photographer for Gerald Ford, Pulitzer Prize winner
- John Kitzhaber - former Oregon governor, 1995-2003
- Joseph Lane - general and early governor of Oregon, his home is now a museum in downtown Roseburg
- Matthew Lessner - filmmaker
- Shelley Plimpton - former actress and mother of actress Martha Plimpton
- Troy Polamalu - professional football player
- Barry Serafin - television journalist
- Chris Thompson - swimmer, earned a bronze medal and broke American record in the 1500m freestyle, 2000 Summer Olympics
[edit] Sister cities
Roseburg has two sister cities: [6]
[edit] References
- ^ PSU:Population Research Center
- ^ a b c McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur [1928] (2003). Oregon Geographic Names, Seventh Edition, Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ The Roseburg Blast: A Catastrophe and Its Heroes. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
- ^ Binus, Joseph. 2006. "Roseburg Blast Crater, 1959". In The Oregon History Project. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
- ^ Roseburg, Oregon (OR) Detailed Profile. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
- ^ Oregon Sister Relationships. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
[edit] External links
- City of Roseburg
- Oregon Blue Book entry for Roseburg
- Maps and aerial photos
- 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
