| Grants Pass, Oregon | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Motto: Where the Rogue River Runs; It's the Climate! | |
| Location in Oregon | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Josephine |
| Incorporated | 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mike Murphy |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.7 sq mi (19.9 km2) |
| • Land | 7.6 sq mi (19.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 960 ft (292.6 m) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 34,533 |
| • Density | 3,032.8/sq mi (1,171.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 97500-97599 |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-30550[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1142947[2] |
| Website | www.grantspassoregon.gov |
Grants Pass is a city in, and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States.[3] The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford. Attractions include the Rogue River, famous for its rafting, and the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument located 30 miles (48 km) south of the city. The population was 23,003 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 34,533 at the 2010 United States Census.[4]
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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. The city states[5] that the name was selected to honor General Ulysses S. Grant's success at Vicksburg, however no evidence has been offered to support this claim. Grants Pass post office was established on March 22, 1865. The city of Grants Pass was incorporated in 1887, a year after it had become the county seat.
The Oregon-Utah Sugar Company, financed by Charles W. Nibley was created, leading to a sugar beet factory being built in Grants Pass in 1916.[6] Before the factory opened, Oregon-Utah Sugar was merged into the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company.[6] Due to labor shortages and low acreage planted in sugar beets, the processing machinery was moved to Toppenish, Washington in 1918 or 1919.[6]
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.
Grants Pass is located in the Rogue Valley. U.S. Route 199 passes through the city, and joins I-5.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20 km2), of which 7.6 square miles (20 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it or 1.56% is water.[7]
True to its motto, "It's the climate!", Grants Pass has a Zone 7 climate with hot, short summers and mild but pronounced winters with sharply defined seasons without severe winter cold or humidity. This climate zone differs from the rest of Western Oregon in that there is less ocean influence, cooler winters, and warmer drier summers.
Summer days are sunny, dry and hot but it cools down dramatically at night; the average July high temperature is 90 °F (32 °C) and the low, 53 °F (12 °C). Winters are cool and fairly rainy with only occasional snow; the average January high temperature is 47.5 °F (8.5 °C) and the low, 32.5 °F (0 °C). It receives roughly 30 inches (760 mm) of precipitation per year, with three-quarters of it occurring between November 1 and March 31. The mild winters and dry summers support a native vegetation structure quite different from the rest of Oregon, dominated by madrone, deciduous and evergreen oak, manzanita, pine, chinquapin, and other species that are far less abundant further north.[8]
The record high temperature of 113°F was on July 23, 1928. The record low temperature of -1°F was on December 9, 1972. There are an average of 51.3 days annually with highs of 90°F (32°C) or higher and 77.5 days annually with lows of 32°F (0°C) or lower.
Measurable precipitation falls on an average of 110 days annually. The wettest year was 1996 with 55.64 inches of precipitation and the driest year was 1976 with 15.35 inches of precipitation. The most precipitation in one month was 20.63 inches in December 1996. The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours was 5.27 inches on December 29, 1950. There is an average of only 4.6 inches of snow annually. The most snowfall in one month was 34.1 inches in February 1917.[9]
| Climate data for Grants Pass, Oregon | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 47 (8) |
54 (12) |
61 (16) |
68 (20) |
75 (24) |
82 (28) |
90 (32) |
90 (32) |
84 (29) |
70 (21) |
54 (12) |
47 (8) |
69 (21) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 33 (1) |
34 (1) |
35 (2) |
38 (3) |
43 (6) |
48 (9) |
52 (11) |
51 (11) |
46 (8) |
40 (4) |
36 (2) |
34 (1) |
40.8 (4.9) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 5.49 (139.4) |
4.00 (101.6) |
3.34 (84.8) |
1.92 (48.8) |
1.39 (35.3) |
0.70 (17.8) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.74 (18.8) |
2.29 (58.2) |
4.54 (115.3) |
5.91 (150.1) |
30.90 (784.9) |
| Source: [10] | |||||||||||||
The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 250 |
|
|
| 1890 | 1,432 | 472.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,290 | 59.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,897 | 70.2% | |
| 1920 | 4,200 | 7.8% | |
| 1930 | 4,666 | 11.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,028 | 29.2% | |
| 1950 | 8,116 | 34.6% | |
| 1960 | 10,118 | 24.7% | |
| 1970 | 12,455 | 23.1% | |
| 1980 | 14,977 | 20.2% | |
| 1990 | 17,488 | 16.8% | |
| 2000 | 23,003 | 31.5% | |
| 2010 | 34,533 | 50.1% | |
| source:[11][12] | |||
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,032.8 /sq mi (1,171.0 /km2). There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile (503.5/km²). By 2008, the city's population had increased to 33,239. According to U.S. Census figures from the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of the city's populaltion was 93.6% white, 0.2% black, 1.6% American Indian, 1.1% Asian, 1.2% other race, and 2.3% two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos, who may be of any race, formed 7.2% of the city's 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 $29,197, and the median income for a family was $36,284. Males had a median income of $31,128 versus $23,579 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,234. About 12.2% of families and 34.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Historically the city's economy has been based on timber from federal owned land. However, in recent years logging has been heavily reduced. As a result, only one of the original twenty mills are currently in operation. The loss of the timber industry has had a heavier impact on Josephine County as a whole, but is still felt in the city. The city has tried to replace the lumber industry with tourism. Although tourism is nothing new to Josephine County, tourism is now a very visible part of the city.
Grants Pass is also the birth place of Dutch Bros. Coffee which began at the "coffee house" on the corner of D and 6th streets in downtown Grants Pass.[13] Brothers Travis and Dane Boersma started the franchise in 1992 and it quickly spread throughout the region.[14]
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. The historic Rogue Theatre downtown has been transformed into a performing arts venue and frequently hosts top name national acts.[15] The historic downtown area is lined with antique and specialty shops and is a destination for collectors and shoppers. Formerly, local artists decorated bear statues. The statues were later auctioned off to charity. From 2006–present, statues of various northwest animals have lined the streets. In 2010 the BearFest as it's called locally, returned to Grants Pass, and artists once again decorated bears for display over the summer.[16] The Grants Pass Towne Center Association's "Back to the '50s" Celebration includes free concerts, a nearly 600-vehicle Classic Car Cruise, Poker Runs and thematic shopping.[17]
Boatnik is held every Memorial Day weekend in Grants Pass and is one of the year's most popular events in Grants Pass, drawing many visitors to town. The activities start in Riverside Park with the Davis Shows Carnival. Friday includes the Boat Show on the River - 8:00pm to 9:00pm Sprints, Drags and Hydros. Saturday morning is the well-known Boatnik parade. Sunday includes the fireworks display at dusk at Riverside Park. Monday is the highlight of Boatnik featuring an F15 Flyover and the world famous white water hydroplane race.[18]
During the winter, there are the Christmas murals on many downtown streets, along with Santa's arrival by train to the town square and a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
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.[19]
In 1986, Grants Pass won one of ten All-America City Awards given out that year. The city has one of the top 100 hospitals: Three Rivers Community Hospital and Health Center.
The Grants Pass post office contains two tempera murals done through the U.S. Treasury Department Section on Fine Arts (often mistakenly referred to as the "WPA"), both painted in 1938. Of the ten government-sponsored New Deal era murals in Oregon, no other post office contains two. The murals are "Rogue River Indians" by Louis DeMott Bunce (who also did a 1959 mural at Portland International Airport) and "Early and Contemporary Industries" by Eric Lamade.[20]
Grants Pass has numerous and diverse parks and green spaces.[21] Notable city-run parks include Riverside Park, summer home to the local Concerts in the Park series, and the Reinhart Volunteer Park, a park largely built through the efforts of community volunteers and featuring facilities for many sports.[22][23] Grants Pass also has a large skateboarding park. This park is rated high in Oregon.
Grants Pass is home to Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center. Founded as a non-profit corporation in 1981 by renowned wildlife rehabilitator J. David Siddon. The facility was created in order to provide for the care and treatment of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Wildlife Images has since expanded to provide educational programs on wildlife, conservation, and the environment to schools, organizations and the general public. Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education center is open for public tours throughout the year, and has a very active educational outreach component.
Grants Pass area public schools are served by Grants Pass School District, including Grants Pass High School, and Three Rivers School District, including Illinois Valley High School, North Valley High School, and Hidden Valley High School. Rogue Community College's (RCC) main (Redwood Campus) is located south of Grants Pass on Redwood Highway with additional campuses located in Medford, Oregon (Riverside Campus) and White City (Table Rock Campus).[24]
The Grants Pass Daily Courier is the region's newspaper.
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