Grants Pass, Oregon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grants Pass, Oregon | |
| Motto: Where the Rogue River Runs; It's the Climate! | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| County | Josephine County |
| Incorporated | 1887 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Len Holzinger |
| Area | |
| - City | 19.9 km² (7.7 sq mi) |
| - Land | 19.6 km² (7.6 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.3 km² (0.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 292.6 m (960 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - City | 30,930 |
| - Density | 1,171.7/km² (3,032.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| Website: http://www.ci.grants-pass.or.us | |
Grants Pass is a city in, and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States GR6. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford. Attractions include the Rogue River, famous for its rafting, and the nearby Oregon Caves. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 23,003. As of 2006, the population is 30,930,[1] making it one of the fastest growing cities in Oregon.[citation needed]
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[edit] History
Early Hudson's Bay Company hunters and trappers, following the Siskiyou Trail, passed through the site beginning in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, settlers (mostly American) following the Applegate Trail began traveling through the area on their way to the Willamette Valley. Although a post office with the name Grants Pass was established on March 22, 1865, the city of Grants Pass was not incorporated until 1887, a year after when it had become the county seat.
In 1922, a group of local businessmen incorporated the Grants Pass Cavemen. Taking their name from the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument, this group was one of many groups of boosterism common in the United States at the time. For decades afterwards, this group would represent their city in countless public gatherings, dressed in furs and bearing clubs, performing such uncivilized acts as capturing female crowd members and politicians and putting them in their cages. To honor this group, in 1971 a fiberglass statue of a caveman was erected at the corner of Morgan Lane and Sixth Street. Grants Pass High School's mascot is also the caveman. The original monument was damaged by arson in 2004 and repaired in 2005.
[edit] Economy
Historically the city's economy has been based on timber. However, in recent years the importance of timber on the local economy has decreased and has subsequently been replaced by tourism as the most prominent source of revenue for the city. Tourism is now a very visible part of the city.
[edit] Tourism
During the summer, there are many different attractions for tourists to visit. There is a growers' market, concerts are held in Riverside Park on many summer nights, and there are many other parks to visit. Every year, statues of various northwest animals line the streets.
During the winter, there are the Christmas murals on many downtown streets.
Year round, there is First Friday Art Nights. On the first Friday of every month, many the city's stores hold art shows and other showings. [1]
[edit] Geography
Grants Pass is located at (42.438969, -123.328249)GR1. U.S. Highway 199 passes through the city, and joins I-5. It is located in the Rogue Valley. The surrounding area is mostly forested, with mountain ranges abundant in the area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 km² (7.7 mi²). 19.6 km² (7.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.56%) is water.
[edit] The Rogue River
The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass and many people come to the city to raft the river's world-class rapids.[citation needed] Visitors can also travel down the river on jetboats.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,171.7/km² (3,032.8/mi²). There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 503.5/km² (1,303.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.97% White, 0.33% African American, 1.09% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.37% of the population.
There were 9,376 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,197, and the median income for a family was $16,284. Males had a median income of $11,128 versus $13,579 for females. The per capita income for the city was $6,234. About 12.2% of families and 34.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.8% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
[edit] High schools
- Grants Pass High School
- North Valley High School
- Illinois Valley High School
- Hidden Valley High School
[edit] Middle schools
- Fleming Middle School
- South Middle School
- North Middle School
- Lincoln Savage Middle School
[edit] Community colleges
- Rogue Community College (RCC)
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Sister city
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- City of Grants Pass
- Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce
- Oregon Blue Book entry for Grants Pass
- Oregon Cavemen - Oregon Cavemen Inc of Grants Pass
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | Articles lacking sources from July 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Cities in Oregon | County seats in Oregon | Josephine County, Oregon
