Medford, OR 1 of 18 Active Retirement Communities Location

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Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State: Oregon

City: Medford

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of 2008, the city had a total population of 76,850 and a metropolitan area population of 202,310. The city was named in 1883 by David Loring, civil engineer and right-of-way agent for the Oregon and California Railroad for his home town of Medford, Massachusetts and in recognition of its supposed position on the middle ford of Bear Creek. Medford is the county seat of Jackson County. Medford is the county seat of Jackson County.

Since the 1990s, Medford has dedicated an appreciable amount of resources to urban renewal in an attempt to revitalize the downtown area. Several old buildings have been restored, including the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater. Streets have been realigned, new sidewalks, traffic signals, and bicycle lanes were installed, and two new parking garages have been built. Downtown Medford also received a new library building to replace the historic Medford Carnegie Library and now boasts satellite campuses for both Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University.

Medford sits in a weather shadow between the Cascade Range and Siskiyou Mountains called the Rogue Valley. As such, most of the rain associated with the Pacific Northwest and Oregon in particular skips Medford, making it drier and sunnier than the Willamette Valley. Medford's climate is considerably warmer, both in summer and winter, than its latitude would suggest.

As there are no towns of equal or larger size within several hours' drive, Medford is a regional hub for medical services. The two major medical centers in the city, Rogue Valley Medical Center and Providence Medford Medical Center, employ over 2,000 people. As Medford is also a retirement destination, assisted living and senior services have become an important part of the economy.

Medford and the surrounding area is home to the expanding Oregon wine industry that includes a large variety of Bordelaise, Rhone, and Burgundian varietals including merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, pinot noir, gewürztraminer, riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot blanc, early muscat, and Gamay Noir. Unlike the rest of Oregon, the region has also enjoyed success with two lesser-known varietals: Tempranillo, the red grape known best as the foundation of Spanish Rioja, and Viognier, a white grape previously found only in isolated parts of the Rhone region.

Points of Interest:

· Alba Park

· Bear Creek Corporation/Harry & David

· Bear Creek Park

· Claire Hanley Arboretum

· Medford Carnegie Library

· Roxy Ann Peak and Prescott Park

· Vogel Plaza

As with any city that experiences rapid growth, Medford has seen a recent surge in gang activity and organized crime in the past decade. Methamphetamine use is a problem in Medford and southern Oregon and is believed to play a role in numerous property crimes, including identity theft.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $40,093 (it was $36,481 in 2000)

Medford:	$40,093
Oregon:	$50,169

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $24,505

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $265,000 (it was $128,500 in 2000)

Medford:	$265,000
Oregon:	$273,300

Median gross rent in 2008: $817.

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Medford: 98.9 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

· Climate Charts

1. Average Temperature

2. Precipitation (Rain)

3. Humidity

4. Wind Speed (MPH)

5. Snowfall

6. Sunshine

7. Cloudy Days

· Tornado Activity History

· Hospitals & Medical

· Airports

· Colleges/Universities