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Roseburg, Oregon

Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon.[5] It is in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County. 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. Traditionally a lumber industry town, Roseburg was the original home of Roseburg Forest Products, which is now based in nearby Springfield.

Roseburg
Nickname: 
Timber capital of America
Location within Douglas County and Oregon
Coordinates: 43°13′23″N 123°21′07″W / 43.22306°N 123.35194°W / 43.22306; -123.35194
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyDouglas
Incorporated1872
Government
 • MayorLarry Rich
Area
 • Total10.91 sq mi (28.26 km2)
 • Land10.72 sq mi (27.77 km2)
 • Water0.19 sq mi (0.50 km2)
Elevation479 ft (146 m)
Population
 • Total23,683
 • Density2,209.24/sq mi (852.96/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific)
ZIP code
97470, 97471
Area code541
FIPS code41-63650 [4]
GNIS feature ID2410997[2]
Websitecityofroseburg.org

Natural resources edit

Waterfalls near Roseburg include Susan Creek Falls and Fall Creek Falls.[6] Roseburg's primary industries include timber and tourism, and the region is home to many vineyards and more than 30 wineries.[7]

The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife lists more than 50 areas for fishing for salmon, steelhead, bass, bluegill and trout in the Roseburg area.[8]

History edit

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.[9] Roseburg was the site of the 1855 Battle of Hungry Hill, part of the Rogue River Wars of 1855–56, fought between several southern Oregon Indian groups and the US Army.[10]

The city was named for settler Aaron Rose, who established a homestead within the current city limits on September 23, 1851.[11] Rose was born in 1813 in Ulster County, New York. In 1851, he came to Oregon from Coldwater, Michigan, where he had lived since 1837.[11]

 
Roseburg in 1891

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.[12] 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.[12] His first structure served as a roadside inn and tavern for many years. Rose built a proper hotel in 1853. He died in 1899.[11]

 
Hebe Fountain, reconstructed in 2002

Roseburg was first known as Deer Creek because it was at the confluence of Deer Creek and the South Umpqua River.[11] In 1854, voters chose Roseburg as the county seat over rival town Winchester. Rose donated 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land and $1,000 for the building of the county courthouse, and the important buildings of Winchester were moved to Roseburg before 1860.[11]

Deer Creek post office was established in 1852, and the name changed to "Roseburgh" in 1857. The spelling was changed to "Roseburg" in 1894.[11] Roseburg was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 3, 1872.[13]

Timber Capital of the Nation edit

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.[citation needed]

Country singer Johnny Cash 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.” [14]

Roseburg Blast edit

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.[15]

The truck was loaded with two tons of dynamite and four-and-a-half 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". 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.[16][17] 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.[15]

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.[15] 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.[18]

Mass shooting edit

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 privately visited families of victims of the shooting. Hundreds of local residents protested the visit due to Obama's support of gun control legislation.[19][20] 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.[21]

Geography edit

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.20 square miles (26.42 km2), of which 10.01 square miles (25.93 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.49 km2) is water.[22]

Roseburg's elevation is approximately 500 feet (150 m). Its highest point is Mount Nebo, a 1,200-foot (370 m) hill to the west of Interstate 5. Through the 1980s, it was known for its band of 10-20 feral angora goats. 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.[23]

Climate edit

Roseburg has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen 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 90 °F or 32.2 °C, and 2.7 days with a temperature of at least 100 °F or 37.8 °C. Conversely, the temperature drops to 32 °F (0 °C) or below 27.6 days a year.[24] The record high temperature is 114 °F (45.6 °C), set on June 27, 2021, and the record low temperature is −1 °F (−18.3 °C), set on January 22, 1962.[24]

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.[24][25] There is also a much higher degree of diurnal temperature variation than in the winter. On the other hand, the majority of winter days are overcast[26] and rainy — during this period, rainfalls of 8 inches (200 mm) per month are not uncommon, with as much as 15.74 inches (399.8 mm) during the record wet month of December 1955. Roseburg averages 30.7 inches (779.8 mm) 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 50.29 inches (1,277.4 mm) and the driest from July 2000 to June 2001 with only 18.43 inches (468.1 mm).

Light dustings of snow can sometimes be seen, but accumulations are rare. The most snowfall in a month is 23.4 inches (59 cm) in January 1950.[27]

Climate data for Roseburg, Oregon (Roseburg Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1900–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 71
(22)
79
(26)
83
(28)
95
(35)
105
(41)
114
(46)
109
(43)
109
(43)
104
(40)
96
(36)
77
(25)
70
(21)
114
(46)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 62.7
(17.1)
64.8
(18.2)
73.5
(23.1)
83.4
(28.6)
90.5
(32.5)
94.3
(34.6)
99.3
(37.4)
100.9
(38.3)
95.9
(35.5)
82.2
(27.9)
69.0
(20.6)
61.5
(16.4)
103.2
(39.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 50.1
(10.1)
53.7
(12.1)
58.7
(14.8)
63.3
(17.4)
71.0
(21.7)
76.7
(24.8)
85.8
(29.9)
85.9
(29.9)
80.1
(26.7)
66.9
(19.4)
54.2
(12.3)
48.2
(9.0)
66.2
(19.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 43.6
(6.4)
45.7
(7.6)
49.2
(9.6)
52.9
(11.6)
59.5
(15.3)
64.6
(18.1)
71.6
(22.0)
71.5
(21.9)
66.1
(18.9)
56.1
(13.4)
47.4
(8.6)
42.5
(5.8)
55.9
(13.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 37.1
(2.8)
37.6
(3.1)
39.6
(4.2)
42.5
(5.8)
47.9
(8.8)
52.5
(11.4)
57.4
(14.1)
57.1
(13.9)
52.2
(11.2)
45.2
(7.3)
40.6
(4.8)
36.8
(2.7)
45.5
(7.5)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 27.8
(−2.3)
28.1
(−2.2)
30.4
(−0.9)
33.4
(0.8)
38.0
(3.3)
44.4
(6.9)
50.4
(10.2)
50.2
(10.1)
43.3
(6.3)
34.2
(1.2)
30.2
(−1.0)
26.3
(−3.2)
22.5
(−5.3)
Record low °F (°C) −1
(−18)
13
(−11)
19
(−7)
25
(−4)
26
(−3)
34
(1)
39
(4)
41
(5)
32
(0)
21
(−6)
15
(−9)
5
(−15)
−1
(−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.82
(122)
3.62
(92)
3.47
(88)
2.71
(69)
2.09
(53)
0.93
(24)
0.26
(6.6)
0.23
(5.8)
0.85
(22)
2.32
(59)
4.72
(120)
6.05
(154)
32.07
(815.4)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.3
(5.8)
0.5
(1.3)
0.4
(1.0)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.5
(1.3)
0.6
(1.5)
4.4
(11.15)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 17.8 16.8 16.9 14.8 11.2 6.0 1.3 1.5 4.6 12.1 18.3 19.8 141.1
Source 1: NOAA[24]
Source 2: National Weather Service[27]

Demographics edit

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1860835
1870600−28.1%
188082237.0%
18901,47279.1%
19001,69014.8%
19104,738180.4%
19204,258−10.1%
19304,3622.4%
19404,92412.9%
19508,39070.4%
196011,46736.7%
197014,46126.1%
198016,64415.1%
199017,0322.3%
200020,01717.5%
201021,1815.8%
202023,68311.8%
Source: United States Census Bureau[28]
U.S. Decennial Census[29]
2018 Estimate[30]
[3]

2010 census edit

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,181 people, 9,081 households, and 5,177 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,116.0 inhabitants per square mile (817.0/km2). There were 9,732 housing units at an average density of 972.2 per square mile (375.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91% White, 0.5% African American, 1.7% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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 edit

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 20,017 people, 8,237 households, and 5,098 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,171.1 inhabitants per square mile (838.3/km2). There were 8,838 housing units at an average density of 958.6 per square mile (370.1/km2). 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 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.

Education edit

 
Roseburg High School

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 edit

 
Mercy Medical Center, a 178-bed hospital. Mercy is the 2nd largest employer in the town of Roseburg.

The unemployment rate in Roseburg is about 6.9 percent.[31] During the Great Recession of 2009, the unemployment rate peaked at 16.5% before falling.[32] In 2012, the largest employer in the town was Roseburg Forest Products and Mercy Medical Center was the second largest.[33]

Media edit

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 edit

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.[34] The Douglas County News is published weekly and is based in the nearby town of Sutherlin.

Radio edit

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 edit

Channel Callsign Network Notes
18 (36.1) KTVC 3ABN Satellite of KBLN-TV, Grants Pass
19 (4.1) KPIC CBS Satellite of KVAL-TV, Eugene
41 K41JQ NBC Repeater of KOBI, Medford
45 (46.1) KTCW NBC Satellite of KMTR, Eugene
46 K46KS-D ABC Repeater of KEZI, Eugene
47 K47HT 3ABN Repeater of KBLN-TV, Grants Pass
51 K51GJ-D PBS/OPB Repeater of KEPB, Eugene

Transportation edit

Roads edit

Oregon Route 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 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.

Buses edit

Roseburg and surrounding communities are regionally served by U-Trans (formerly Umpqua Transit), the local bus service.[35] In 2017, these services were significantly expanded.[36]

Greyhound Lines provide the community of Roseburg with more distant transportation.

Airports edit

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 edit

Sister cities edit

Roseburg has three sister cities:[37]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Roseburg, Oregon
  3. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ^ "5 Must-See Waterfalls Along the Rogue and Umpqua Rivers". Travel Oregon. October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  7. ^ "National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), Oregon agriculture" (PDF).
  8. ^ "50 places to go fishing within 60 minutes of Roseburg | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife". myodfw.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  10. ^ "Lost Oregon Indian Battlefield Discovery Attributable to 'Detective Work'". IndianCountryToday.com. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e f McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 723. ISBN 978-0875952772.
  12. ^ a b Riddle, George W. (1922). "Annual Address". Transactions of the Forty-Seventh Annual Reunion of the Oregon Pioneer Association June 19, 1919. Portland, OR: Chausse-Prudhomme Co. pp. 165–166.
  13. ^ Baker, Frank C. (1891). "Special Laws". The Laws of Oregon, and the Resolutions and Memorials of the Sixteenth Regular Session of the Legislative Assembly Thereof. Salem, Oregon: State Printer: 888.
  14. ^ Johnny Cash – Lumberjack, retrieved November 26, 2019
  15. ^ a b c Binus, Joseph (2006). "Roseburg Blast Crater, 1959". The Oregon History Project. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  16. ^ Roseburg Newspaper and Police Department
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ . Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV). Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  19. ^ "Strong emotions as Obama visits grieving Oregon town". October 9, 2015.
  20. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "President Obama greeted by protests in Oregon". YouTube.
  21. ^ "Robert F. Kennedy discussed gun control in Roseburg 50 years ago". MSNBC.
  22. ^ . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  23. ^ "Mount Nebo Goats Placed for Adoption", Eugene Register-Guard, August 8, 1984, accessed October 6, 2015
  24. ^ a b c d "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Roseburg RGNL AP, OR". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  25. ^ "ROSEBURG WB AP, OREGON USA Weather History and Climate Data". Worldclimate.com. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  26. ^ "Roseburg Douglas County Oregon average temperature, sunshine and precipitation data". Homefacts.com. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  27. ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Medford". National Weather Service. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  28. ^ Moffatt, Riley. Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850–1990. Lanham: Scarecrow, 1996, 215.
  29. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  30. ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  31. ^ "Economy in Roseburg, Oregon". Sperling's Best Places. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  32. ^ Mimms, Cory (September 2010). "Job loss in Roseburg". Oregon Business. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  33. ^ (PDF). Umpqua Economic Development Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2013.
  34. ^ "Official website". Roseburg Beacon.
  35. ^ "U-Trans".
  36. ^ "UTrans announces new service to 11 Douglas County communities not previously served". KPIC. October 3, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  37. ^ "Sister Cities". City of Roseburg. Retrieved August 18, 2012.

Further reading edit

  • 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 edit

roseburg, oregon, roseburg, city, state, oregon, umpqua, river, valley, southern, oregon, county, seat, most, populous, city, douglas, county, founded, 1851, population, 2020, census, making, principal, city, micropolitan, statistical, area, community, develop. Roseburg is a city in the U S state of Oregon 5 It is in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County 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 Traditionally a lumber industry town Roseburg was the original home of Roseburg Forest Products which is now based in nearby Springfield RoseburgCityNickname Timber capital of AmericaLocation within Douglas County and OregonCoordinates 43 13 23 N 123 21 07 W 43 22306 N 123 35194 W 43 22306 123 35194CountryUnited StatesStateOregonCountyDouglasIncorporated1872Government MayorLarry RichArea 1 Total10 91 sq mi 28 26 km2 Land10 72 sq mi 27 77 km2 Water0 19 sq mi 0 50 km2 Elevation 2 479 ft 146 m Population 2020 3 Total23 683 Density2 209 24 sq mi 852 96 km2 Time zoneUTC 8 Pacific Summer DST UTC 7 Pacific ZIP code97470 97471Area code541FIPS code41 63650 4 GNIS feature ID2410997 2 Websitecityofroseburg wbr org Contents 1 Natural resources 2 History 2 1 Timber Capital of the Nation 2 2 Roseburg Blast 2 3 Mass shooting 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 4 Demographics 4 1 2010 census 4 2 2000 census 5 Education 6 Economy 7 Media 7 1 Newspapers 7 2 Radio 7 3 Television 8 Transportation 8 1 Roads 8 2 Buses 8 3 Airports 9 Notable people 10 Sister cities 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksNatural resources editWaterfalls near Roseburg include Susan Creek Falls and Fall Creek Falls 6 Roseburg s primary industries include timber and tourism and the region is home to many vineyards and more than 30 wineries 7 The Oregon Department of Fish amp Wildlife lists more than 50 areas for fishing for salmon steelhead bass bluegill and trout in the Roseburg area 8 History editModern 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 9 Roseburg was the site of the 1855 Battle of Hungry Hill part of the Rogue River Wars of 1855 56 fought between several southern Oregon Indian groups and the US Army 10 The city was named for settler Aaron Rose who established a homestead within the current city limits on September 23 1851 11 Rose was born in 1813 in Ulster County New York In 1851 he came to Oregon from Coldwater Michigan where he had lived since 1837 11 nbsp Roseburg in 1891 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 12 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 12 His first structure served as a roadside inn and tavern for many years Rose built a proper hotel in 1853 He died in 1899 11 nbsp Hebe Fountain reconstructed in 2002 Roseburg was first known as Deer Creek because it was at the confluence of Deer Creek and the South Umpqua River 11 In 1854 voters chose Roseburg as the county seat over rival town Winchester Rose donated 3 acres 1 2 ha of land and 1 000 for the building of the county courthouse and the important buildings of Winchester were moved to Roseburg before 1860 11 Deer Creek post office was established in 1852 and the name changed to Roseburgh in 1857 The spelling was changed to Roseburg in 1894 11 Roseburg was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 3 1872 13 Timber Capital of the Nation edit 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 citation needed Country singer Johnny Cash 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 14 Roseburg Blast edit 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 15 The truck was loaded with two tons of dynamite and four and a half 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 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 16 17 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 15 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 15 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 18 Mass shooting edit Main article 2015 Umpqua Community College 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 privately visited families of victims of the shooting Hundreds of local residents protested the visit due to Obama s support of gun control legislation 19 20 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 21 Geography editAccording to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 10 20 square miles 26 42 km2 of which 10 01 square miles 25 93 km2 is land and 0 19 square miles 0 49 km2 is water 22 Roseburg s elevation is approximately 500 feet 150 m Its highest point is Mount Nebo a 1 200 foot 370 m hill to the west of Interstate 5 Through the 1980s it was known for its band of 10 20 feral angora goats 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 23 Climate edit Roseburg has a Mediterranean climate Koppen 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 90 F or 32 2 C and 2 7 days with a temperature of at least 100 F or 37 8 C Conversely the temperature drops to 32 F 0 C or below 27 6 days a year 24 The record high temperature is 114 F 45 6 C set on June 27 2021 and the record low temperature is 1 F 18 3 C set on January 22 1962 24 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 24 25 There is also a much higher degree of diurnal temperature variation than in the winter On the other hand the majority of winter days are overcast 26 and rainy during this period rainfalls of 8 inches 200 mm per month are not uncommon with as much as 15 74 inches 399 8 mm during the record wet month of December 1955 Roseburg averages 30 7 inches 779 8 mm 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 50 29 inches 1 277 4 mm and the driest from July 2000 to June 2001 with only 18 43 inches 468 1 mm Light dustings of snow can sometimes be seen but accumulations are rare The most snowfall in a month is 23 4 inches 59 cm in January 1950 27 Climate data for Roseburg Oregon Roseburg Regional Airport 1991 2020 normals extremes 1900 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high F C 71 22 79 26 83 28 95 35 105 41 114 46 109 43 109 43 104 40 96 36 77 25 70 21 114 46 Mean maximum F C 62 7 17 1 64 8 18 2 73 5 23 1 83 4 28 6 90 5 32 5 94 3 34 6 99 3 37 4 100 9 38 3 95 9 35 5 82 2 27 9 69 0 20 6 61 5 16 4 103 2 39 6 Mean daily maximum F C 50 1 10 1 53 7 12 1 58 7 14 8 63 3 17 4 71 0 21 7 76 7 24 8 85 8 29 9 85 9 29 9 80 1 26 7 66 9 19 4 54 2 12 3 48 2 9 0 66 2 19 0 Daily mean F C 43 6 6 4 45 7 7 6 49 2 9 6 52 9 11 6 59 5 15 3 64 6 18 1 71 6 22 0 71 5 21 9 66 1 18 9 56 1 13 4 47 4 8 6 42 5 5 8 55 9 13 3 Mean daily minimum F C 37 1 2 8 37 6 3 1 39 6 4 2 42 5 5 8 47 9 8 8 52 5 11 4 57 4 14 1 57 1 13 9 52 2 11 2 45 2 7 3 40 6 4 8 36 8 2 7 45 5 7 5 Mean minimum F C 27 8 2 3 28 1 2 2 30 4 0 9 33 4 0 8 38 0 3 3 44 4 6 9 50 4 10 2 50 2 10 1 43 3 6 3 34 2 1 2 30 2 1 0 26 3 3 2 22 5 5 3 Record low F C 1 18 13 11 19 7 25 4 26 3 34 1 39 4 41 5 32 0 21 6 15 9 5 15 1 18 Average precipitation inches mm 4 82 122 3 62 92 3 47 88 2 71 69 2 09 53 0 93 24 0 26 6 6 0 23 5 8 0 85 22 2 32 59 4 72 120 6 05 154 32 07 815 4 Average snowfall inches cm 2 3 5 8 0 5 1 3 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 3 0 6 1 5 4 4 11 15 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 17 8 16 8 16 9 14 8 11 2 6 0 1 3 1 5 4 6 12 1 18 3 19 8 141 1 Source 1 NOAA 24 Source 2 National Weather Service 27 Demographics editHistorical population CensusPop Note 1860835 1870600 28 1 188082237 0 18901 47279 1 19001 69014 8 19104 738180 4 19204 258 10 1 19304 3622 4 19404 92412 9 19508 39070 4 196011 46736 7 197014 46126 1 198016 64415 1 199017 0322 3 200020 01717 5 201021 1815 8 202023 68311 8 Source United States Census Bureau 28 U S Decennial Census 29 2018 Estimate 30 3 2010 census edit As of the census of 2010 there were 21 181 people 9 081 households and 5 177 families residing in the city The population density was 2 116 0 inhabitants per square mile 817 0 km2 There were 9 732 housing units at an average density of 972 2 per square mile 375 4 km2 The racial makeup of the city was 91 White 0 5 African American 1 7 Native American 1 6 Asian 0 3 Pacific Islander 1 4 from other races and 3 5 from two or more races Hispanic 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 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 edit As of the census 4 of 2000 there were 20 017 people 8 237 households and 5 098 families residing in the city The population density was 2 171 1 inhabitants per square mile 838 3 km2 There were 8 838 housing units at an average density of 958 6 per square mile 370 1 km2 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 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 Education edit nbsp Roseburg High School 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 edit nbsp Mercy Medical Center a 178 bed hospital Mercy is the 2nd largest employer in the town of Roseburg The unemployment rate in Roseburg is about 6 9 percent 31 During the Great Recession of 2009 the unemployment rate peaked at 16 5 before falling 32 In 2012 the largest employer in the town was Roseburg Forest Products and Mercy Medical Center was the second largest 33 Media editIn 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 edit 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 34 The Douglas County News is published weekly and is based in the nearby town of Sutherlin Radio edit 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 edit Channel Callsign Network Notes 18 36 1 KTVC 3ABN Satellite of KBLN TV Grants Pass 19 4 1 KPIC CBS Satellite of KVAL TV Eugene 41 K41JQ NBC Repeater of KOBI Medford 45 46 1 KTCW NBC Satellite of KMTR Eugene 46 K46KS D ABC Repeater of KEZI Eugene 47 K47HT 3ABN Repeater of KBLN TV Grants Pass 51 K51GJ D PBS OPB Repeater of KEPB EugeneTransportation editRoads edit Oregon Route 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 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 Buses edit Roseburg and surrounding communities are regionally served by U Trans formerly Umpqua Transit the local bus service 35 In 2017 these services were significantly expanded 36 Greyhound Lines provide the community of Roseburg with more distant transportation Airports edit 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 editMike Allred 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 Republican candidate in the 2018 Oregon Gubernatorial race Jamie Burke baseball player chiefly as a catcher over parts of eight seasons 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 lawyer Wes DeMott author Chuck Eisenmann professional baseball pitcher dog trainer 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 presidential photographer for Gerald Ford Pulitzer Prize winner John Kitzhaber Oregon governor 1995 2003 2011 2015 William W Knight publisher of The Oregon Journal and father of Phil Knight the founder of Nike Joseph Lane general and early governor of Oregon Jason Latimer magician and illusionist Matthew Lessner director and screenwriter Lucy A Rose Mallory 1846 1920 editor daughter of the founder of Roseburg Aaron Rose Shelley Plimpton former actress and mother of actress Martha Plimpton Barry Serafin television journalist Alek Skarlatos Oregon Army National Guardsman recipient of the Knights of the Legion of Honour Craig Tanner film director producer editor Chris Thompson 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in swimming 1 500 meter freestyle ZZ Ward musician singer songwriterSister cities editRoseburg has three sister cities 37 nbsp Aranda de Duero Castile and Leon Spain nbsp Kuki formerly Shōbu Saitama Japan nbsp Kermanshah IranSee also editMill Pine Neighborhood Historic District Roseburg North OregonReferences edit ArcGIS REST Services Directory United States Census Bureau Retrieved October 12 2022 a b U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Roseburg Oregon a b Census Population API United States Census Bureau Retrieved October 12 2022 a b U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 31 2008 Find a County National Association of Counties Retrieved June 7 2011 5 Must See Waterfalls Along the Rogue and Umpqua Rivers Travel Oregon October 21 2016 Retrieved October 15 2019 National Climatic Data Center NCDC Oregon agriculture PDF 50 places to go fishing within 60 minutes of Roseburg Oregon Department of Fish amp Wildlife myodfw com Retrieved November 26 2019 Contact Us Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Archived from the original on August 24 2019 Retrieved October 15 2019 Lost Oregon Indian Battlefield Discovery Attributable to Detective Work IndianCountryToday com Retrieved October 15 2019 a b c d e f McArthur Lewis A McArthur Lewis L 2003 1928 Oregon Geographic Names 7th ed Portland Oregon Oregon Historical Society Press p 723 ISBN 978 0875952772 a b Riddle George W 1922 Annual Address Transactions of the Forty Seventh Annual Reunion of the Oregon Pioneer Association June 19 1919 Portland OR Chausse Prudhomme Co pp 165 166 Baker Frank C 1891 Special Laws The Laws of Oregon and the Resolutions and Memorials of the Sixteenth Regular Session of the Legislative Assembly Thereof Salem Oregon State Printer 888 Johnny Cash Lumberjack retrieved November 26 2019 a b c Binus Joseph 2006 Roseburg Blast Crater 1959 The Oregon History Project Retrieved October 6 2006 Roseburg Newspaper and Police Department GenDisasters Archived from the original on December 21 2021 Retrieved December 21 2021 History Minute Roseburg Blast A Catastrophe and Its Heroes Southern Oregon Public Television SOPTV Archived from the original on November 18 2011 Retrieved October 6 2006 Strong emotions as Obama visits grieving Oregon town October 9 2015 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine President Obama greeted by protests in Oregon YouTube Robert F Kennedy discussed gun control in Roseburg 50 years ago MSNBC US Gazetteer files 2010 United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on July 2 2012 Retrieved December 21 2012 Mount Nebo Goats Placed for Adoption Eugene Register Guard August 8 1984 accessed October 6 2015 a b c d U S Climate Normals Quick Access Station Roseburg RGNL AP OR National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved April 29 2023 ROSEBURG WB AP OREGON USA Weather History and Climate Data Worldclimate com Retrieved August 18 2012 Roseburg Douglas County Oregon average temperature sunshine and precipitation data Homefacts com Retrieved August 18 2012 a b NOAA Online Weather Data NWS Medford National Weather Service Retrieved April 29 2023 Moffatt Riley Population History of Western U S Cities amp Towns 1850 1990 Lanham Scarecrow 1996 215 United States Census Bureau Census of Population and Housing Retrieved October 2 2014 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Retrieved June 8 2018 Economy in Roseburg Oregon Sperling s Best Places Retrieved February 7 2018 Mimms Cory September 2010 Job loss in Roseburg Oregon Business Retrieved May 26 2014 Douglas County Largest Employers PDF Umpqua Economic Development Partnership Archived from the original PDF on September 21 2013 Official website Roseburg Beacon U Trans UTrans announces new service to 11 Douglas County communities not previously served KPIC October 3 2017 Retrieved April 26 2023 Sister Cities City of Roseburg Retrieved August 18 2012 Further reading editStephen 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 edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Roseburg nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roseburg Oregon City of Roseburg official website Entry for Roseburg in the Oregon Blue Book Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roseburg Oregon amp oldid 1219597172, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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