DOUGLAS COUNTY, OREGON

'Douglas County' is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2000, its population was 100,399. It is named after Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Oregon statehood. The seat of the county is Roseburg⁶.

Contents

History

Economy

Geography

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Communities

Incorporated cities

History

The area originally was inhabited by the Umpqua Indians, who belonged to the Chinook tribe. Following the Rogue River Indian War in 1856, all remaining natives were moved by the government to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation.
Douglas County was created on January 7, 1852, from the portion of Umpqua County which lay east of the Coast Range summit. In 1856 the Camas Valley was annexed to Douglas County from Coos County. In 1862, the rest of Umpqua county was absorbed into Douglas County, some say due to the loss of population following the end of the early gold boom, while others attribute the absorption to politics. Further boundary adjustments were made with Jackson and Lane Counties in 1915.

Economy

The entire watershed of the Umpqua River lies within the boundaries of Douglas County. The heavily timbered county contains nearly 1.8 million acres (7,300 km²) of commercial forest lands and one of the oldest stands of old growth timber in the world. Approximately 25-30% of the labor force is employed in the forest products industry. Agriculture, mainly field crops, orchards, and livestock, is also important to the economy of the county. The post-Prohibition wine industry in Oregon began with Richard Somer planting Hillcrest Vineyard at the south end of the Umpqua Valley in 1961, though some local family owned vineyards (such as Callahan Ridge, now Champagne Cellars) predate prohibition. The Umpqua Valley wine appellation lies entirely within Douglas county.
Nickel has been refined at Riddle since 1954. There is a significant federal presence in the region; the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management administer more than 50% of the county's land.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 13,297 km² (5,134 mi²). 13,045 km² (5,037 mi²) of it is land and 252 km² (97 mi²) of it (1.89%) is water.

Adjacent counties

★ Lane County, Oregon - (north)

★ Klamath County, Oregon - (east)

★ Jackson County, Oregon - (south)

★ Josephine County, Oregon - (south)

★ Curry County, Oregon - (southwest)

★ Coos County, Oregon - (south, west)

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 100,399 people, 39,821 households, and 28,233 families residing in the county. The population density was 8/km² (20/mi²). There were 43,284 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.86% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 1.52% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 3.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 96.5% spoke English and 2.2% Spanish as their first language.
There were 39,821 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 24.20% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,223, and the median income for a family was $39,364. Males had a median income of $32,512 versus $22,349 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,581. About 9.60% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Incorporated cities

★ Canyonville

★ Drain

★ Elkton

★ Glendale

★ Myrtle Creek

★ Oakland

★ Reedsport

★ Riddle

★ Roseburg

★ Sutherlin

★ Winston

★ Yoncalla
=== Unincorporated communities and CDPs===

★ Ash

★ Azalea

★ Days Creek

★ Gardiner

★ Glide

★ Green

★ Lookingglass

★ Prospect

★ Roseburg North

★ Tiller

★ Tri-City

★ Winchester

★ Winchester Bay