Josephine County, Oregon

Josephine County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 88,090. The county seat is Grants Pass. The county is named after Virginia Josephine Rollins, a settler who was the first white woman to live in the county's boundaries. Josephine County comprises the Grants Pass, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Medford-Grants Pass, OR Combined Statistical Area.

History

The discovery of rich placers at Sailor Diggings in 1852 and the resulting gold rush brought the first settlers to this region. Several U.S. Army forts were maintained in the county and many engagements during the Rogue River Indian War took place within its boundaries.
In 1851, a group of prospectors moved to the Illinois Valley and made the first discovery of gold in Southern Oregon. In this group was Floyd Rollins and his daughter, Josephine Rollins Ort, after whom the county is named. On January 22, 1856, a bill was passed by the territorial legislature separating what is now Josephine County from Jackson County. The bill made Sailor Diggings the county seat. It was the nineteenth, and last, county created before statehood.
In 1885, the county seat was relocated to Kerby, where the county's first jail was built. In 1885, the Oregon Legislature adjusted the boundary between Jackson and Josephine County, making Grants Pass a part of Josephine County. This was done primarily to have a railroad head within the new county. In June 1886 the voters of Josephine County considered three towns for the new county seat. These were: Kerby, Wilderville and Grants Pass. Grants Pass won with 116 votes out of the 716 ballots cast.
In the 1920s, the county improved its tourist facilities. In 1922, the Grants Pass Cavemen booster club was created, where members dressed in furs and wielded clubs at events. Events organized by the club ranged from simply blocking traffic, to bidding on the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, to initiating politicians into their club including Mark Hatfield and Thomas E. Dewey during his 1948 presidential campaign. Russian newspapers used images of the Grants Pass Cavemen to show 'how the rich "cavort" in America.'
Although bridges had been built across the Rogue River by the 1920s, ferries were still used to convey people and cars across. The first Grants Pass bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1890. The first newspaper in Josephine County was the Argus, which began publication on March 13, 1885. It lasted only a few months, but the Grants Pass Courier began three weeks later. The Illinois Valley News published in Cave Junction started in 1937 and is still a paper of record in Josephine County publishing every Wednesday. In 1897, the first legal hanging took place in Josephine County. Lemson W. Melson confessed to the murder of Charles Perry while the noose was around his neck.

Ethnic history

Although several tribes of Native Americans lived in the area from which Josephine County was created, most of their members had been moved to the reservation at Grand Ronde by the end of the Rogue River Indian War. Soon afterwards all Indians in southwest Oregon, with the exception of a few small bands, were moved to the Coast reservation.
Josephine County was also the home to a large Chinese population. Most had come to the area to work gold claims purchased from whites no longer interested in working them. Even though they could not own land, they had to pay a tax to mine gold, and were usually relegated to inferior claims.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total
area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

Douglas County
Jackson County
Siskiyou County, California
Del Norte County, California
Curry County
National protected areas
Oregon Caves National Monument
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 88,090. Of the residents, 18.6% were under the age of 18 and 27.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 48.4 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males. 56.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 43.1% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 85.5% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.5% from some other race, and 9.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.0% of the population.
There were 36,024 households in the county, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 38,748 housing units, of which 7.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.9% were owner-occupied and 31.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 1980	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone	56,732	59,521	69,233	73,289	72,730	96.39%	95.01%	91.43%	88.61%	82.56%
Black or African American alone	47	123	192	295	368	0.08%	0.20%	0.25%	0.36%	0.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	597	802	844	966	883	1.01%	1.28%	1.11%	1.17%	1.00%
Asian alone	218	434	460	667	870	0.37%	0.69%	0.61%	0.81%	0.99%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone	x	x	78	117	123	x	x	0.10%	0.14%	0.14%
Other race alone	78	20	52	77	493	0.13%	0.03%	0.07%	0.09%	0.56%
Mixed race or Multiracial	x	x	1,638	2,051	5,586	x	x	2.16%	2.48%	6.34%
Hispanic or Latino	1,183	1,749	3,229	5,251	7,037	2.01%	2.79%	4.26%	6.35%	7.99%
Total	58,855	62,649	75,726	82,713	88,090	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 82,713 people, 34,646 households, and 22,498 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 38,001 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 1.5% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.3% were German, 15.6% were Irish, 15.5% were English, 5.5% were Italian, and 5.5% were American.
Of the 34,646 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 47.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,035 and the median income for a family was $48,180. Males had a median income of $38,675 versus $27,926 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,539. About 13.5% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 75,726 people, 31,000 households, and 21,359 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 33,239 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 93.90% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. 4.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.5% were of German, 14.3% English, 10.4% Irish and 9.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.6% spoke English and 2.8% Spanish as their first language.
There were 31,000 households, out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.40% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,229, and the median income for a family was $36,894. Males had a median income of $30,798 versus $22,734 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,234. About 11.30% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.10% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.