Ashland, Oregon, United States

History | Geography | Economy | Arts and culture | Museums and other points of interest | Parks | Education | Media | Infrastructure and public services

🇺🇸 Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley.

The city is the home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). These are important to Ashland's economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to tourists. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional visitor attractions.

Ashland, originally called "Ashland Mills", was named after Ashland County, Ohio, the original home of founder Abel Helman, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other founders had family connections. Ashland has a council-manager government assisted by citizen committees. Historically, its liberal politics have differed, often sharply, with much of the rest of south-west Oregon.

History Prior to the arrival of white settlers in mid-19th century, the Shasta people lived in the valley along Ashland Creek approximately where today's city is located. Early Hudson's Bay Company hunters and trappers following the Siskiyou Trail passed through the site in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, mainly American settlers following the Applegate Trail began passing through the area. By the early 1850s, the Donation Land Claim Act brought many to the Rogue Valley and into conflict with its native people. These often violent clashes, known ultimately as the Rogue River Wars, continued until 1856.

In 1851, gold was discovered at Rich Gulch, a tributary of Jackson Creek, and a tent city grew on its banks, today's Jacksonville. Settlers arrived in the Ashland area in January 1852, including Robert B. Hargadine, Sylvester Pease, Abel D. Helman, Eber Emery, and others. Helman and Hargadine filed the first donation land claims in Ashland. Helman and Emery built a sawmill along what was then called Mill Creek to turn timber into lumber for settlers. In 1854, they and another settler, M. B. Morris, built a second mill, Ashland Flouring Mills, to grind local wheat into flour. The community around the mill became known as "Ashland Mills". A post office was established in Ashland Mills in 1855 with Helman as postmaster.

During the 1860s and 1870s the community grew, establishing a school, churches, businesses and a large employer, Ashland Woolen Mills, which produced clothing and blankets from local wool. In 1871, the Post Office dropped "Mills" from Ashland's name. In 1872 Reverend J. H. Skidmore opened a college, Ashland Academy, a predecessor of Southern Oregon University.

In 1887, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California were joined by rail at Ashland. Until 1926, when most rail service began taking a different route (east through Klamath Falls to avoid the steep grade through the Siskiyou Mountains), Ashland thrived on rail trade of local products, including pears, peaches, and apples.

In 1908, the Women's Civic Improvement Club petitioned for the creation of community space along Ashland Creek, which became Ashland Canyon Park. The discovery of lithia water near Emigrant Lake around the same time led to a plan to establish a mineral spa at the park. Voters approved bonds to pay for the project, which included piping the mineral water from its source to Ashland. The town engaged John McLaren, landscape architect of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, to design the park, renamed Lithia Springs Park, later shortened to Lithia Park. Although the park was popular, the mineral spa plans proved too expensive for local taxpayers and were abandoned in 1916. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs took to bottling and selling mineral waters from the area's springs.

During the Fourth of July celebration in 1935, Angus L. Bowmer arranged the first performances of what would become the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The festival has grown since then, and has become an award-winning and internationally known regional theater company.

Many of Ashland's historic buildings have been preserved and restored. The city has 59 individual structures and four historic districts (Downtown District, Siskiyou-Hargadine District, Railroad District, Skidmore Academy District) on the National Register of Historic Places. The structures include the Enders Building (home of the Columbia Hotel), which from 1910 to 1928 contained the largest mercantile establishment between Sacramento and Portland.

Geography Ashland is at 1,949 feet (594 m) above sea level in the foothills of the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges, about 15 miles (24 km) north of the California border on Interstate 5 (I-5). About 10 miles (16 km) south of Ashland and 5 miles (8 km) north of the California border is Siskiyou Summit, which at 4,310 feet (1,310 m) is the highest point on I-5. Ashland is about 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Medford and 285 miles (459 km) south of Portland. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of about 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²), all land.

Ashland Creek and its tributaries begin on the flanks of Mount Ashland, at 7,533 feet (2,296 m) above sea level in the Siskiyou Mountains south of the city. Upstream (south) of the city boundary, these streams flow mainly through the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest. The creek flows through the city to meet Bear Creek, which roughly parallels I-5 along the east side of Ashland. Bear Creek, one of many streams in the Rogue Valley, flows generally north-west to join the Rogue River near Gold Hill, and from there the river flows generally west to its mouth on the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon Route 99, running roughly parallel to I-5, passes through downtown Ashland. Oregon Route 66 enters Ashland from the east and intersects Route 99 near the city center. Route 66 leads east 63 miles (101 km) to Klamath Falls.

Economy Income from tourism is important to Ashland's economy. A large number of restaurants, galleries, and retail stores cater to thousands of visitors who attend plays each year at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 2011, the festival sold more than 390,000 tickets to its theater productions.

The town's largest employer is Southern Oregon University (SOU), which has a faculty and staff of more than 750. In addition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the university, health-service providers make significant contributions to the economy. Businesses related to outdoor recreation, transportation, technology, and light manufacturing are also important. In 2010, the Shakespeare Festival employed about 500 people, the hospital about 400, the public schools about 300, and the City of Ashland about 250. The Bathroom Readers' Press, which produces the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books, is based in Ashland and San Diego. Brammo, specialising in battery-electric motorcycles, was based in Ashland but moved to Talent.

Arts and culture The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown from a summer outdoor series in the 1930s to a season that stretches from February to October, incorporating Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays at three theaters. The OSF has become the largest regional repertory theater in the United States.

The Oregon Cabaret Theater features musicals and comedy throughout the year. Opened in 1986, the dinner theater occupies a former First Baptist Church built in Mission Revival style. The Ashland Independent Film Festival, which shows international and domestic films of almost every genre, takes place each April in the Varsity Theatre downtown. About 90 films are shown during the five days of the festival. In 2009, Ashland was the setting for the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

The Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University focuses on academic programs including creative arts (art, emerging media and creative writing), music, and theater. Affiliated with the centre is the Schneider Museum of Art, which has rotation exhibitions of works featuring professional contemporary artists. Also affiliated with the centre are chamber music concerts, a Shakespeare institute, a piano series, and other art-related events.

The annual Ashland New Plays Festival (ANPF) is a nonprofit organization that encourages playwrights to develop new work through public readings. Each year, the ANPF holds an international competition that winnows hundreds of submissions to four plays that are read to live audiences by professional actors during a five-day festival in October.

Museums and other points of interest The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland is the world's only laboratory dedicated to solving crimes against wildlife. Using forensic science, experts at the laboratory help wildlife officers to investigate possible crimes against animals and to establish links between victims and suspects in cases that go to court. The laboratory has assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and foreign agencies concerned with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Ashland City Band (ACB) was organized in the late 19th century as the Ashland Brass Band. The band used an octagonal gazebo-style bandstand in Lithia Park until the Butler Memorial Band Shell was built in Lithia Park in 1946. The ACB gives public concerts there each summer between June and August.

Parks Lithia Park is a 93-acre (38 ha) park, including 42 acres (17 ha) on the National Register of Historic Places, that begins near the downtown shopping area and extends upstream along Ashland Creek near the centre of the city. It includes two ponds, a Japanese garden, tennis courts, two public greens, a bandshell (outdoor stage) and miles of hiking trails. The name Lithia comes from natural mineral water found in the Ashland area. It has a strong mineral taste and slight effervescence, and the lithia water fountains found on the town plaza are frequently tasted by unsuspecting tourists (often at the behest of residents or frequent visitors who use the fountains as a cheap, humorous Ashland initiation rite).

A hiking and biking path, the Bear Creek Greenway, begins in Ashland near the intersection of West Nevada Street with Helman Street, close to the confluence of Ashland Creek (which flows through Lithia Park). The 18-mile (29 km) path follows Bear Creek between Ashland and Central Point and passes through Talent, Phoenix, and Medford.

Calle Guanajuato is a small park bordering Ashland Creek, with several restaurants offering outdoor dining.

Education Southern Oregon University, a public co-ed four-year university founded in 1926, offers courses of study toward degrees in the liberal arts, science, business, and education. With an enrollment of about 4,400 undergraduates as of Fall 2020, this urban university also offers graduate-level programs on its 175-acre (71 ha) campus.

In 2020–21, about 59 percent of the university's students were women, and about 38 percent were men, while 3 percent were listed as other/unknown. The student–faculty ratio in 2020–21 was 19 to 1. Full-time undergraduate tuition in 2020–21 was about $11,000 per year for Oregon residents and $28,000 for non-residents.

Media The Mail Tribune, a newspaper based in Medford that published print editions several days a week, served Ashland until it ceased operations on January 13, 2023. The newspaper also owned the Ashland Daily Tidings, which ran Monday through Saturday until 2019. A non-profit news organization, Ashland.news, was founded in 2022 by a former Daily Tidings editor.

Fifteen radio stations operate in the region around Ashland, including Jefferson Public Radio and KSKQ, an independent non-profit broadcasting at 89.5 FM. A former student-run radio station with the call letters KSOC and the nickname "Radio Free Ashland" shut down in February 2013 after 14 years of broadcasting. Rogue Valley Community Television, based at Southern Oregon University, serves Jackson and Josephine counties. Ashland has no commercial television stations, but nearby Medford has seven.

Infrastructure and public services The Asante Ashland Community Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital that is part of the Asante health network based in Medford. As of 2015, it has 49 inpatient beds.

The Ashland Public Library building was expanded from the city's original Carnegie library. In 2003, the historic Carnegie portion of the library was restored. In 2006, budget problems led to the closing in April 2007 of the Ashland Library and 14 others in Jackson County. The event, which lasted until October 2007, was the largest library closure in U.S. history. Although some of its services are handled by a private company, Library Systems and Services, the Ashland branch remains part of the Jackson County network of public libraries.

Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) provides bus service to much of the city, with connections to Medford, Central Point, Talent, Phoenix, White City, and Jacksonville. In Medford, passengers can connect to other regional bus lines, including the Southwest POINT, a daily shuttle carrying passengers between Brookings and the Amtrak station in Klamath Falls. The Klamath Falls Amtrak Station serves the Coast Starlight long-haul passenger train on track owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. Ashland Municipal Airport, with a 3,600-foot (1,100 m) asphalt runway, offers general aviation services. Medford International Airport, 12 miles (19 km) from Ashland, also serves the city.

The City of Ashland moved to improve local broadband Internet access in the late 1990s by creating the Ashland Fiber Network (AFN) and building a fiber optic ring inside the city boundaries. However, by 2006 the city faced difficulties servicing AFN's debt load, which was approaching $15.5 million. The city hired a new AFN director, Joe Franell, who suggested scrapping cable television service while retaining the more profitable high-speed Internet access. In October 2006, the cable television service was transferred to a local company, Ashland Home Net, while the City retained both the infrastructure and the wholesale Internet business.

Portland, Oregon 
Portland, Oregon
Image: Adobe Stock zhu difeng #109873076

Ashland was ranked #1282 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Ashland has a population of over 21,250 people. Ashland also forms part of the wider Jackson County which has a population of over 203,206 people. Ashland is ranked #897 for startups with a score of 0.142. Ashland is situated 21 km south-east of Medford.

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Ashland has links with:

🇲🇽 Guanajuato, Mexico 🇲🇽 Guanajuato City, Mexico 🇺🇦 Sviatohirsk, Ukraine
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license | Nomad | StartupBlink

Antipodal to Ashland is: 57.297,-42.19

Locations Near: Ashland -122.703,42.1904

🇺🇸 Medford -122.85,42.317 d: 18.5  

🇺🇸 Grants Pass -123.317,42.433 d: 57.3  

🇺🇸 Roseburg -123.361,43.227 d: 127.2  

🇺🇸 Redding -122.337,40.548 d: 185.1  

🇺🇸 Springfield -123.017,44.033 d: 206.5  

🇺🇸 Eugene -123.09,44.052 d: 209.3  

🇺🇸 Coos Bay -124.233,43.367 d: 180.8  

🇺🇸 Eureka -124.161,40.786 d: 197.8  

🇺🇸 Bend -121.315,44.058 d: 236.3  

🇺🇸 Corvallis -123.264,44.565 d: 267.9  

Antipodal to: Ashland 57.297,-42.19

🇫🇷 Saint-Pierre 55.478,-21.342 d: 17690.6  

🇫🇷 Saint-Benoît 55.713,-21.034 d: 17657.9  

🇫🇷 Saint-Paul 55.27,-21.01 d: 17652.3  

🇫🇷 Saint-Paul 55.279,-21 d: 17651.2  

🇫🇷 Saint-Denis 55.457,-20.867 d: 17637.8  

🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 17592.6  

🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 17582.8  

🇲🇺 Vacoas-Phoenix 57.493,-20.3 d: 17580.9  

🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes 57.479,-20.266 d: 17577.1  

🇲🇺 Beau Bassin-Rose Hill 57.471,-20.235 d: 17573.7  

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