Rogue River is a city in Jackson County,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 2,407.

History

In the early days the gold seekers forded the Rogue River, and during high water they swam across by holding the tails of their horses. Thus the river crossing near the present City of Rogue River, became known as Tailholt. About 1850 or 51, Davis Evans built a ferry and two cabins at the mouth of Evans Creek. From there a trail was made by the mules of the pack trains that freighted supplies to the gold mines. According to John Breeding, who later freight supplies over the trail on mules and in carts made from the front wheels of wagons, the trail led up Evans Creek, then cut across to Ditch Creek where it passed the hewed log house of the old Burkhart ranch, and ran along the field and over the mountain gap to Jump-Off Joe Creek. A few log cabins, widely scattered over the area marked the locations of the early settlers' homesteads and mining claims. In 1868, according to an old newspaper clipping, a covered bridge was built beside the big live oak tree near the ferry, for the stage road crossing of Evans Creek. Samuel A. Steckel furnished timbers to repair the bridge in 1883. When it was dismantled in 1912 some of the timbers, 80 feet in length, were so well preserved they were saved for use in the bridge eight miles up the creek. In 1872, John Woods settled on the East side of Evans Creek, and soon the town of Woodville was built. The lumber for the first frame houses in Evans Valley and in Woodville was sawed by a sash mill located four miles up Evans Creek. Its single blade was powered by the water wheel of the old mill dam. Steckel owned and ran the mill for many years. In 1912, the town was renamed City of Rogue River. The Woodville post office operated from 1876 until 1912, when the name was changed to Rogue River.

Geography and climate

The city of Rogue River is in western Jackson County, on the north side of the Rogue River.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

passes through the south side of the city, running along the north bank of the river. Access is from Exit 48 (Depot Street). I-5 leads west (northbound) to

Grants Pass Grants Pass is a city in and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5 in Oregon, Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, Oregon, Medford, along the Rogue River (Oregon), Rogue River. The populatio ...

and southeast to Medford, the Jackson

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city of Rogue River has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 2,407 people, 1233 households, and 996 families living in the city.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 2,131 people, 1,054 households, and 539 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,160 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.3% of the population. There were 1,054 households, of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.9% were non-families. 43.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 49.3 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 29.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.3% male and 53.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,847 people, 902 households, and 484 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 949 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.72% White, 0.22% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.62% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.09% of the population. There were 902 households, out of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.74. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 33.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,419, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $32,115 versus $20,764 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,789. About 9.9% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

* Palmerton Arboretum

Media

Rogue River is served by the weekly '' Rogue River Press''.

Notable residents

Josine Ianco-Starrels Josine Ianco-Starrels (October 17, 1926 – April 8, 2019) was a Romanian-born American art curator who worked as a museum director in Los Angeles, California. Background Ianco-Starrels was born in Bucharest in 1926 and her family fled to Isra ...

, Romanian-American art curator * Ed Mensor, Major League Baseball player

References

External links

City of Rogue River official websiteEntry for Rogue River
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...

'' {{authority control Cities in Jackson County, Oregon Rogue River (Oregon) 1876 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1876 Cities in Oregon