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Medford, Oregon
Medford City Hall
Seal
Motto: The Center of the Rogue Valley
Location of Medford in Jackson County and in the state of Oregon
Coordinates: 42°19'55?N 122°51'43?W? / ?42.33194, -122.86194
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Jackson
Incorporated	February 24, 1885
Government
- Mayor	Gary Wheeler
- City council	Jason Anderson Al Densmore James Kuntz Ben Truwe Jill Stout John Statler Greg Jones Bob Strosser
- City manager	Michael Dyal
Area
- City	21.7 sq mi (56.2 km²)
- Land	21.7 sq mi (56.2 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	1,382 ft (421 m)
Population (2007)
- City	75,675
- Density	2,910.5/sq mi (1,123.7/km²)
- Metro	202,310
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97501, 97504
Area code(s)	541
FIPS code	41-47000[1]
GNIS feature ID	1124040[2]
Website: www.ci.medford.or.us

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of 2007, the city had a total population of 75,675^[3] and a metropolitan area population of 202,310.^[4] 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.^[5]

Medford is the county seat of Jackson County.^[6]

[edit] History

Statue of Liberty, dedicated in 1951

In 1883, a group of railroad surveyors headed by S. L. Dolson and David Loring arrived in Rock Point, near present day Gold Hill.^[7] They were charged with finding the best route through the Rogue Valley for the Oregon and California Railroad. Citizens of neighboring Jacksonville hoped that it would pass between their town and Hanley Butte, near the present day Claire Hanley Arboretum. Such a move would have all but guaranteed prosperous growth for Jacksonville, but Dolson decided instead to stake the railroad closer to Bear Creek.^[8]

The response from Jacksonville was mixed,^[9] but the decision was final. By November of 1883, a depot site had been chosen and a surveying team led by Charles J. Howard was hard at work platting the new town. They completed their work in early December of 1883, laying out 82 blocks for development.^[10]

James Sullivan Howard, a New Hampshire Freemason,^[11] claimed to have built the town's first building in January of 1884,^[12] though blacksmith Emil Piel was advertising for business at the "central depot" in the middle of December.^[13] Others point out the farms of town founders Iradell Judson Phipps and Charles Wesley Broback, which were present before the town was platted.^[12] Regardless, on 6 February 1884 (less than a month after it was built), J. S. Howard's store became Medford's first post office, with Howard serving as postmaster. The establishment of the post office led to the incorporation of the Medford as a town in early 1885, and again as a city in 1905. Howard held the position of postmaster for Medford's first ten years, and again held the post upon his death on November 13, 1919.^[14]

The beginning of the 20th century was a transitional period. Medford built a new steel bridge over Bear Creek to replace an earlier one which washed away three years before. Without a bridge, those wanting to cross had to ford the stream, typically using a horse-drawn wagon; the first automobile did not arrive in Medford until 1903.^[15] Pharmacist George H. Haskins had opened a drugstore since just after the town was platted, and in 1903 he allowed the Medford Library Association to open a small library in that store. Five years later the library moved to Medford's new city hall, in another four years, Andrew Carnegie's donation allowed a dedicated library to be built. Construction on the Medford Carnegie Library was completed in 1912.^[16][17]

In 1927, Medford took the title of county seat of Jackson County away from nearby Jacksonville.^[5][18]

Over the last ten years, Medford has experienced a significant residential building boom, and a resurgence of downtown Medford has accompanied that growth. A restored Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, new library, dozens of restored buildings, two parking structures, an urban plaza, and residential lofts are now all part of downtown Medford.^[19] Several other projects are in planning or under way to further improve the image of the city.^[20]

[edit] Interstate 5

In 1967,^[21] Interstate 5 was completed immediately adjacent to downtown Medford to replace the Oregon Pacific Highway. The section of highway includes a 3,229 foot (984 m) viaduct that elevates traffic above Bear Creek and the city's downtown.^[22][23] There are two freeway exits in Medford, one at each side of the city.

Interstate 5 has been blamed for the decline of small businesses in downtown Medford since its completion,^[21] but nevertheless remains an important route for commuters wishing to travel across the city. A study completed in 1999 found that 45% of vehicles entering I-5 from north Medford heading south exited in south Medford, just three miles (5 km) away (less than five kilometers).^[24] The high volume of traffic led to the completion of a new north Medford interchange in 2006. The project, which cost about $36 million, improved traffic flow between I-5 and Crater Lake Highway.^[25]

Further traffic problems identified in south Medford prompted the construction of another new interchange, estimated at costing $70 million. The project began in 2006 and should be completed by 2010.^[26]

[edit] Government and leadership

Municipal governments

Medford has a council-manager style of government. The governing body of Medford consists of a mayor and eight city council members. A local ordinance divides Medford into four wards, each providing two council members. The council hires a city manager, bringing the total number of city leaders to ten.^[27]

The mayor and council members are not paid, but are reimbursed for expenses.^[27]

[edit] Mayor

The current mayor of Medford is Gary Hale Wheeler, who was elected in November, 2004 with 16,653 of 28,195 votes (59%).^[28] Prior to his election, he worked for the Medford Urban Renewal Agency for 13 years and as a US Army optometrist.^[29] For much of his life, Wheeler has practiced optometry, and still sees patients in his Medford office. He will serve until December 2008.^[30]

Previous mayors of Medford:

• Lindsay Berryman, 1998–2004; first female mayor of Medford^[31]
• Jerry Lausmann, 1986–1998,^[32] the longest-serving mayor in Medford history^[33]
• Gerald "Lou" Hannum, 1983–1986^[34]
• Al Densmore (Rep), 1977-1983,^[35] president of the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation^[36]
• Benny Fagone, 1974–1977,^[37] founded the North Medford High School Black Tornado sports program in 1980^[38]
• John W. Snider Sr., 1957–1962,^[39][40] established Medford's sister city relationship with Alba, Italy in 1960
• Halbert S. "Hob" Deuel (Rep), 1940–1942,^[41][42] former Jackson County congressman, died in 1971^[43]
• Charles C. Furnas, 1937–1940^[44]
• Vernon Emerick, 1914?–1918?,^[45] lit the city's first official Christmas tree in 1915^[46]
• William W. Eifert, ?–1913,^[47] moved from Ohio, died of a heart attack during term on September 1, 1913. Buried at the Eastwood Cemetery in Medford.^[48]

[edit] City Council

City Ward Map

Medford municipal code divides the city into four wards, each represented by two city council members. Every biennium, one member from each ward is elected to serve a four-year term, creating an overlap where half of the eight-member council remains in office while the other half must campaign for reelection.^[49]

[edit] City Manager

The city manager of Medford is Michael Dyal. He replaced Andy Anderson in June of 1998 by vote of the city council. Dyal, a U.S. Army veteran, previously served as city manager for