Talent 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. The population was 6,282 at the
2020 census.
History
A. P. Tallent, an East Tennessee native who settled in Oregon in the 1870s, platted the city in the 1880s. He wanted to name it ''Wagner'' but was overruled by postal officials, who preferred ''Talent'', dropping one of the L's. The post office opened at this location in 1883. Earlier names for the settlement were ''Eden District'' and ''Wagner Creek''.
2020 fire
On September 8, 2020, roughly a third of Talent, along with neighboring
Phoenix and parts of
Medford and
Ashland, were destroyed by the
Almeda Drive Fire. On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a
mass fatality incident. As of September 11, 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire,
[Benda, David.]
Southern Oregon wildfires update: 700-plus homes, businesses destroyed as officials' investigate fire's cause
, '' Redding Record Searchlight''. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020. but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800. Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.
On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.
[Deliso, Merideth.]
Man charged with arson in connection with Almeda Fire in southern Oregon
, ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020. A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.
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 , all of it land.
The city is south of
Medford, about halfway between
Phoenix, to the north, and
Ashland, to the south, along
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 ...
and
Oregon Route 99. This is toward the southern end of the
Rogue River Valley, near the
Siskiyou Mountains
The Siskiyou Mountains are a Coast Ranges, coastal subrange of the Klamath Mountains, and located in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, Calif ...
and the border with
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Wagner Creek, a tributary of
Bear Creek, joins the larger stream at Talent.
Wagner was the name of a family of pioneer settlers who lived here before Talent became a city.
The
Bear Creek Greenway, a biking and hiking trail connecting Ashland, Phoenix, Medford, and
Central Point along Bear Creek, also passes through Talent.
Climate
This region experiences warm to hot and dry summers, with average temperatures above . According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Talent has a
warm-summer 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 ...
, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
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 6,066 people, 2,639 households, and 1,462 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 2,826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.0%
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 ...
, 1.3%
Native American, 0.9%
Asian, 0.2%
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 ...
, 5.9% from
other races, and 3.9% 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 15.6% of the population.
There were 2,639 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,589 people, 2,324 households, and 1,426 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,420 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.30% White, 0.54% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 7.91% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.40% of the population.
There were 2,324 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $24,781 versus $21,213 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 $16,271. About 12.4% of families and 15.4% 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 21.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Talent Elementary School and Talent Middle School are part of the
Phoenix-Talent School District. High school students attend
Phoenix High School in
Phoenix. Phoenix-Talent Rising Academy is a virtual hybrid school in Phoenix.
Notable people
*
Robert Arellano (1969– ), author and professor
*
John Beeson (1803–1889), abolitionist and Native American advocate
References
External links
*
Entry for Talentin the ''
Oregon Blue Book''
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Jackson County, Oregon
1910 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1910