Roseburg is the most populous city in and the county seat of
Douglas County, Oregon
Douglas County is one of the List of counties in Oregon, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 111,201. The county seat is Roseburg, Oregon, Roseburg. Oregon Geographic ...
.
It is located in the
Umpqua River Valley in
southern Oregon. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 at the
2020 census, making it the principal city of the Roseburg, Oregon Micropolitan Statistical Area. The community developed along both sides of the
South Umpqua River and is traversed by
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 ...
. Traditionally a
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
industry town, Roseburg was the original home of
Roseburg Forest Products, which is now based in nearby
Springfield.
Natural resources
Waterfalls near Roseburg include Susan Creek Falls and
Fall Creek Falls. Roseburg's primary industries include timber and tourism, and the region is home to many vineyards and more than 30 wineries.
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife lists more than 50 areas for fishing for salmon, steelhead, bass, bluegill and trout in the Roseburg area.
History
Modern-day Roseburg is located on the lands of numerous Indian tribes, including the
Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe, whose Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation is located in Roseburg. Roseburg was the site of the 1855
Battle of Hungry Hill, part of the
Rogue River Wars
The Rogue River Wars were an armed conflict in 1855–1856 between the U.S. Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue Valley area of wha ...
of 1855–56, fought between several southern Oregon Indian groups and the US Army.
The city was named for settler
Aaron Rose, who established a homestead within the current city limits on September 23, 1851.
Rose was born in 1813 in
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...
. In 1851, he came to Oregon from
Coldwater, Michigan
Coldwater is a city in and county seat of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 13,822 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Coldwater Township, but the two are administered autonomously.
H ...
, where he had lived since 1837.
Rose constructed the first building in what would become Roseburg, a rough structure made of poles and
clapboards with a front room about 16 or 18 feet square; it was used as a grocery store, backed by a dining room and kitchen.
Originally, guests could use the floor of the front room to spread their beds or were able to sleep out of doors under nearby oak trees.
His first structure served as a roadside inn and tavern for many years. Rose built a proper hotel in 1853. He died in 1899.
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
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 ...
over rival town
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
. Rose donated of land and $1,000 for the building of the county courthouse, and the important buildings of Winchester were moved to Roseburg before 1860.
Deer Creek post office was established in 1852, and the name changed to "Roseburgh" in 1857. The spelling was changed to "Roseburg" in 1894.
Roseburg was incorporated by the
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...
on October 3, 1872.
Timber Capital of the Nation
The fortunes of Roseburg grew with the lumber industry. In 1937, Roseburg Lumber opened. Founded by Kenneth Ford, the company became the major employer in the community. Other major employers, including Weyerhaeuser, Champion and Sun Studs also developed and grew during this time. By the 1970s Roseburg branded itself as the Timber Capital of the Nation.
Country singer
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
mythologized Roseburg loggers in the 1960 song "Lumberjack”:
"Ride this train to Roseburg, Oregon. Now there's a town for you!
You talk about rough...
You know a lot of places in the country claim Paul Bunyon lived there.
But you should have seen Roseburg when me and my daddy come there.
Every one of them loggers looked like Paul Bunyon to me.”
Roseburg Blast
On August 7, 1959, at approximately 1:00 a.m., the Gerretsen Building Supply Company caught fire. Firefighters soon arrived at the building, near Oak and Pine Streets, 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, which was not noticed. The truck exploded at around 1:14 a.m., destroying buildings in an eight-block radius and severely damaging 30 more blocks.
The truck was loaded with two tons of
dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
and four-and-a-half tons of the
blasting agent nitrocarbonitrate. 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". A police officer named Donald De Sues and the Chief of Police were on site and managed to evacuate citizens from the area of the truck before the explosion. Donald De Sues and the town Assistant Fire Chief were recognized as heroes that day and were both killed in the blast.
[Roseburg Newspaper and Police Department] A total of fourteen people died in the blast and fire, and 125 were injured. Damage was estimated at 10 to 12 million dollars; the powder company was eventually made to pay $1.2 million 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''.
Mass shooting
On October 1, 2015, students at
Umpqua Community College near Roseburg were attacked by a 26-year-old gunman that had recently moved to the area from Southern California, who killed nine people (eight students and an assistant professor) and injured nine others. The gunman, a student at the school, committed suicide following a gun battle with police. This was the second school shooting in the Roseburg area, the other being a 2006 shooting at
Roseburg High School. On October 9, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
privately visited families of victims of the shooting. During his visit Obama stayed in multiple places, including an Inn and the Roseburg High School band teacher's room, because it was the safest place in the high school while he was giving speeches in the school's theater. Hundreds of local residents protested the visit due to Obama's support of gun control legislation. In 1968,
Bobby Kennedy had given a speech in Roseburg advocating for gun control for the mentally ill and for those with a "long criminal record" of murder.
Geography
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 has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Roseburg's elevation is approximately . Its highest point is Mount Nebo, a hill to the west of Interstate 5. Through the 1980s, it was known for its band of 10-20
feral
A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...
angora goat
The Angora or Ankara is a Turkish breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the sa ...
s. Residents said they could predict the weather by watching where the goats were on the mountain; if they were high, the weather would be good. If rain was pending, the goats moved to lower levels. Because the goats wandered across the freeway for grazing, they were a risk to traffic. In the 1980s, they were rounded up and placed for adoption.
Climate
Roseburg has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Csb'' borderline with ''Csa'') with cool, rainy winters and very warm, dry summers. In a typical year, there are 30.9 days where the temperature reaches or exceeds , and 2.7 days with a temperature of at least . Conversely, the temperature drops to or below 27.6 days a year.
[ The record high temperature is , set on June 27, 2021, and the record low temperature is , set on January 22, 1962.][
In the summer, the area has little or no precipitation and plentiful sunshine — on average, 73.5 percent of days in July, August and September are at least partly sunny.] There is also a much higher degree of diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
than in the winter. On the other hand, the majority of winter days are overcast and rainy — during this period, rainfalls of per month are not uncommon, with as much as during the record wet month of December 1955. Roseburg averages of rain per year, more than half of which falls between November and January. The wettest "rain year" has been from July 1955 to June 1956 with and the driest from July 2000 to June 2001 with only .
Light dustings of snow can sometimes be seen, but accumulations are rare. The most snowfall in a month is in January 1950.[
]
Demographics
2010 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 2010, there were 21,181 people, 9,081 households, and 5,177 families residing 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 9,732 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91% 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 ...
, 0.5% 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 ...
, 1.7% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% 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 ...
, 1.4% from other races, and 3.5% 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 5.5% of the population.
There were 9,081 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,017 people, 8,237 households, and 5,098 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,838 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.56% White, 0.3% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.1% 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
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 $17,082. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% 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 18.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Primary and secondary public education in Roseburg are provided by the Roseburg School District. Umpqua Community College is the city's two-year college.
Economy
The unemployment rate in Roseburg is about 6.9 percent. During the Great Recession of 2009, the unemployment rate peaked at 16.5% before falling. In 2012, the largest employer in the town was Roseburg Forest Products and Mercy Medical Center was the second largest.
Media
In 2018, the City of Roseburg opened its own library. Previously, the city's library had been part of the Douglas County Library System but was closed when county libraries lost public funding.
Newspapers
There are three newspapers serving Roseburg. '' The News-Review'' is published five days per week and is based in Roseburg. The ''Roseburg Beacon'' is published weekly and serves Roseburg. The '' Douglas County News'' is published weekly and is based in the nearby town of Sutherlin.
Radio
AM
* KGRV 700 Religious
* KTBR 950 JPR News and Information
* KQEN 1240 News/Talk
* KSKR 1490 Sports
FM
* KMPQ 88.1 NPR Variety
* KEAR 88.5 Family Radio – Religious
* KLOV 89.3 K-Love – Contemporary Christian
* KAWZ 90.7 CSN – Religious
* KSRS 91.5 JPR Classics and News
* KSMF 91.9 JPR Rhythm and News
* KCNA 98.3 Classic Hits
*KQUA 99.7 Community Radio
* KSKR-FM 100.9 i101 – Top 40
* KZEL-FM 102.1 Classic Rock
* KRSB-FM 103.1 Country
* KROG 103.7 Modern Rock
* KKMX 104.5 Sam FM – Adult Hits
* KYTT 105.5 Contemporary Christian
* KLLF-LP 106.7 Religious
Television
Transportation
Roads
Oregon Route 99 runs through downtown Roseburg as the main north–south arterial. 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 ...
runs along the west side of the city, across the South Umpqua River from downtown.
Oregon Route 138 runs northwest from Roseburg to Elkton, Oregon, and generally east from Roseburg to its terminus at a junction with U.S. Route 97, just east of Diamond Lake and Crater Lake
Crater Lake ( Klamath: ) is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the Western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is a tourist attraction for its deep blue color and water clarity. T ...
.
Buses
Roseburg and surrounding communities are regionally served by U-Trans (formerly Umpqua Transit), the local bus service. In 2017, these services were significantly expanded.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
provide the community of Roseburg with more distant transportation.
Airports
There are two public airports, Marion E. Carl Memorial Field at the north end of town and George Felt Airport to the west. Eugene Airport is the nearest commercial airport, which is 81 miles (130 km) away.
Notable people
*Mike Allred
Michael Dalton "Mike" Allred (born 1962) is an American Comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He is most well known for his Alternative comics, independent comics creation Madman (Mike Allred character), Madman and for co-creating and dra ...
– comic book artist
* Dave Archer – artist, resident since 1999
* H. Guy Bedwell – thoroughbred trainer in Racing Hall of Fame
* Barbara Hibbs Blake – mammalogist
* Tim Blixseth – real estate developer, songwriter, fraudster
* Knute Buehler - Rhodes scholar
* Jamie Burke – baseball player for four MLB teams
* Troy Calhoun – head coach of the United States Air Force Academy football team
* Marion Eugene Carl – Marine Corps general and flying ace
* Guy Cordon – U.S. Senator, Douglas County District Attorney
* Wes DeMott – author
*Chuck Eisenmann
Charles Paul Eisenmann (October 22, 1918 – September 6, 2010) was an American baseball pitcher and dog trainer who played in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) from 1940 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1953 after serving in the United States Army. H ...
– professional baseball pitcher
* Bill Fisher - politician
* Jeremy Guthrie – professional baseball pitcher
* Bobby Henderson - founder of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
* Tyler Hentschel – lead singer of Insomniac Folklore
* David Hume Kennerly – Pulitzer Prize winner
* John Kitzhaber – Oregon governor, 1995–2003, 2011–2015
* William W. Knight – publisher of ''The Oregon Journal
''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portla ...
''
*Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. Polk ap ...
– general and early governor of Oregon
* Jason Latimer - magician and illusionist
* Matthew Lessner – director and screenwriter
* Lucy A. Rose Mallory - (1846–1920), editor
* Nancy A. Norton. Vice Admiral, USN
* Shelley Plimpton – former actress
* Landon Rabern – mathematician, computer scientist
* Barry Serafin – television journalist
* Alek Skarlatos – recipient of the Knights of the Legion of Honour
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
* Craig Tanner – film director, producer, editor
* Chris Thompson - 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in swimming
*ZZ Ward
Zsuzsanna Eva Ward (born June 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Roseburg, Oregon. She signed with Hollywood Records to release her debut extended play (EP), ''Criminal'' (2012), which preceded the release of her debut studio album, ...
– musician, singer, songwriter
Sister cities
Roseburg has three sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there ar ...
:
* Aranda de Duero, Castile and León
Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
, Spain
* Kuki (formerly Shōbu), Saitama, Japan
* Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
, Iran
See also
* Mill–Pine Neighborhood Historic District
* Roseburg North, Oregon
Roseburg North is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,912 at the 2010 census. Winchester, Oregon is included as part of Roseburg North.
Geography
According to the United States Census B ...
References
Further reading
* Stephen Dow Beckham, ''Land of the Umpqua: A History of Douglas County, Oregon.'' Roseburg, OR: Douglas County Commissioners, 1986.
* J.V. Chenoweth, ''Douglas County's Golden Age.'' Oakland, OR: Oakland Printing Co., 1972.
* Douglas County Historical Society, ''Historic Douglas County, Oregon, 1982.'' Roseburg, OR: Douglas County Historical Society, 1982.
* Douglas County Museum, ''Land of Umpqua.'' Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2011.
* Diane L Goeres-Gardner, ''Roseburg.'' Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
* R.J. Guyer, ''Douglas County Chronicles: History from the Land of One Hundred Valleys.'' Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013.
* Eli S. Hall, ''Then to Now with Roseburg Schools, 1854-1970.'' Portland, OR: Metropolitan Press, 1970.
* Norman A. Myers and Gerald W. Williams, ''Letters to Home: Life in CCC Camps of Douglas County, Oregon, 1933-1934.'' Roseburg, OR: USDA-Forest Service, Umpqua National Forest, 1983.
* Fred Reenstjerna and Jena Mitchell, ''Life in Douglas County, Oregon: The Western Experience.'' Roseburg, OR: Douglas County Museum, 1993.
* William G. Robbins, ''The Far Western Frontier: Economic Opportunity and Social Democracy in Early Roseburg, Oregon.'' PhD dissertation. University of Oregon, 1969.
* Norman Dennis Schlesser, ''Bastion of Empire: The Hudson Bay Company's Fort Umpqua, Being a Narrative of the Early Explorations and the Fur Trade in Douglas County.'' Oakland, OR: Oakland Printing Company, 1973.
* Russell C. Youmans, ''Douglas County, Oregon: Structure of a Timber County Economy.'' Corvallis, OR: Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University, 1973.
External links
City of Roseburg
(official website)
Entry for Roseburg
in the '' Oregon Blue Book''
{{Authority control
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Douglas County, Oregon
County seats in Oregon
Populated places established in 1851
Micropolitan areas of Oregon
1851 establishments in Oregon Territory
Ammonium nitrate disasters