GRANTS PASS, OREGON

'Grants Pass' is a city in, and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States . 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.

Contents

History

Economy

Tourism

Geography

Climate

The Rogue River

Demographics

Education

High schools

Middle schools

Community colleges

Notable people associated with Grants Pass

Transportation

Sister city

See also

References

External links

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. The name was selected to honor General U.S. Grant's success at Vicksburg and a 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.
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.

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 However, in recent years the importance of timber on the local economy has decreased and has subsequently been replaced by tourism as the most prominent source of revenue for the city.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.

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. The historic theater downtown has been transformed into a performing arts venue and frequently hosts top name national acts. The historic downtown area is lined with antique and specialty shops and is a destination for collectors and shoppers. 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]

Geography

Grants Pass is located at (42.438969, -123.328249). 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 , of which of it is land and of it or 1.56% is water.

Climate

True to its motto, "It's the climate!", Grants Pass enjoys a temperate, four-season version of the Mediterranean climate common in California. 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 long 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. [2]

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. Visitors can also travel down the river on jetboats.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile (503.5/km²). 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.

Education

High schools

★ Grants Pass High School

★ North Valley High School

★ Illinois Valley High School

★ Hidden Valley High School

Middle schools

★ Fleming Middle School

★ South Middle School

★ North Middle School

★ Lincoln Savage Middle School

Community colleges

★ Rogue Community College (RCC)

Notable people associated with Grants Pass

★ David Anders, actor

★ Charlie Armbruster, baseball player

★ Pat Beach, football player

★ Tom Blanchard, football players

★ Ty Burrell, actor

★ Terry Carr, science fiction editor

★ Bob Christie, race car driver

★ William Dellinger, runner, coach

★ The Emmons Sisters, bluegrass gospel group

★ David Goines, artist, writer

★ Kevin Hagen, actor

★ Jack Lee Harelson

★ Mike Johnson, rock musician

★ Hub Pernoll, baseball player

★ Shelley Shannon, anti-abortion activist

★ Ken Williams (baseball player)

Transportation

★ Grants Pass Airport

Sister city

★ Rubtsovsk, Russia [3]

See also

★ Southern Oregon

References

External links

★ City of Grants Pass

★ Oregon Blue Book entry for Grants Pass

★

★ Oregon Cavemen - Oregon Cavemen Inc of Grants Pass