Douglas County, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Douglas County
U.S. county
Douglas County Courthouse in Roseburg
Location within the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Founded	January 7, 1852
Named for	Stephen A. Douglas
Seat	Roseburg
Largest city	Roseburg
Area
• Total	5,134 sq mi (13,300 km2)
• Land	5,036 sq mi (13,040 km2)
• Water	98 sq mi (250 km2)  1.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	111,201
• Estimate  (2023)	112,435
• Density	21/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 4th

Map of Douglas County

The county, looking east from west of Roseburg

A gold "needle" from the Bohemia District in Douglas County

Douglas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 111,201. The county seat is Roseburg. The county is named after Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Oregon statehood. Douglas County comprises the Roseburg, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area. In regards to area, Douglas County is the largest county west of the Oregon Cascades.

History

The area originally was inhabited by the Umpqua Indians, a grouping of natives who spoke a variety of Penutian and Athabaskan languages. Following the Rogue River Indian War in 1856, most of the remaining natives were moved by the government to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. However, seven families of Umpqua hid in the hills, eluding capture for many decades. They are now federally recognized as the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The tribe manages a small reservation in Canyonville, Oregon, and has a Casino/Hotel named Seven Feathers to represent the seven families who refused forced removal to the Grand Ronde 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. The borders of Douglas County are largely defined by the Umpqua River watershed.

In 2017, after the defeat of a referendum, the Douglas County Library System ceased operations and all public libraries in the county were closed. Subsequently, 10 of the cities reopened their libraries to continue serving their communities.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,134 square miles (13,300 km²), of which 5,036 square miles (13,040 km²) is land and 98 square miles (250 km²) (1.9%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Oregon by area. A portion of the Umpqua National Forest is in Douglas County. Douglas County is one of two Oregon counties that extend from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascade Range. (The other is Lane County.)

National protected areas

• Crater Lake National Park (part)
• Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (part)
• Siuslaw National Forest (part)
• Umpqua National Forest (part)
• Willamette National Forest (part)

Adjacent counties

• Lane County (north)
• Klamath County (east)
• Jackson County (south)
• Josephine County (south)
• Curry County (southwest)
• Coos County (west)

Demographics

An aerial view of the county

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 111,201 people residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 107,667 people, 44,581 households, and 29,839 families living in the county. The population density was 21.4 inhabitants per square mile (8.3 inhabitants/km²). There were 48,915 housing units at an average density of 9.7 units per square mile (3.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 1.8% American Indian, 1.0% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 16.7% were Irish, 15.8% were English, and 5.7% were American.

Of the 44,581 households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 46.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,711 and the median income for a family was $48,729. Males had a median income of $39,308 versus $28,176 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,342. About 10.6% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Transportation

Roads

Oregon Route 99 runs through Azalea, Tri-City, Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, Green, Roseburg, Winchester, Sutherlin, Rice Hill, Drain, and Anlauf.

Interstate 5 provides access to the communities of Tri-City, Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, Green, Roseburg, Sutherlin, and Rice Hill.

Oregon Route 138 runs northwest from Roseburg to Elkton, Oregon, and generally east from Roseburg to its terminus at a junction with U.S. Route 97, just east of Diamond Lake and Crater Lake.

Buses

The communities of Douglas county are regionally served by U-Trans (formerly Umpqua Transit), the local bus service. In 2017, these services were significantly expanded to include locations such as Oakland, Oregon and Tenmile

Greyhound Lines provide the community of Roseburg with more distant transportation.

Airports

There are two public airports in Roseburg, Marion E. Carl Memorial Field at the north end of town and George Felt Airport to the west.

Economy

Almost 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 (particularly sheep ranching), is also important to the economy of the county. The land of Douglas County is roughly half-publicly and half-privately owned.

The post-Prohibition wine industry in Oregon began with Richard Somer planting Hillcrest Vineyard at the south end of the Umpqua Valley in 1961. 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.

As of 2015, the top ten private employers in the county were:

Media

• Douglas County News
• The News-Review
• The Umpqua Post

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Douglas (Oregón) para niños