Grants Pass, Oregon, United States

🇺🇸 Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, north-west of Medford, along the Rogue River.

History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunters and trappers, following the Siskiyou Trail, passed through the site beginning in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, settlers (mostly American) following the Applegate Trail began traveling through the area on their way to the Willamette Valley. The city states that the name was selected to honor General Ulysses S. Grant's success at Vicksburg. The Grants Pass post office was established on March 22, 1865. The city of Grants Pass was incorporated in 1887.

The Oregon–Utah Sugar Company, financed by Charles W. Nibley, was created, leading to a sugar beet factory being built in Grants Pass in 1916. Before the factory opened, Oregon-Utah Sugar was merged into the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company. Due to labor shortages and low acreage planted in sugar beets, the processing machinery was moved to Toppenish, Washington, in 1918 or 1919.

Grants Pass was considered by some to be an unofficial sundown town.

Geography Grants Pass is located in the Rogue Valley; the Rogue River runs through the city. U.S. Route 199 passes through the city, and joins Interstate 5. The city has a total area of 11.03 square miles (28.6 km²), of which 10.87 square miles (28.2 km²) is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km²) is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 34,533 people, 14,313 households, and 8,700 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,176.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,226.6/km²). There were 15,561 housing units at an average density of 1,431.6 per square mile (552.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.9% White, 1.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.5% of the population.

There were 14,313 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

Government The city council has 8 members as of 2019, representing 4 wards and are elected to 4 year terms by the city. The city council and mayor are not paid, and they volunteer their time. The council oversees the city government and chooses the city manager. The Mayor's job is to provide leadership and preside over city council meetings. The Mayor can also issue vetoes and make a tiebreaker vote.

Economy The lumber industry was the major employer for Grants Pass up until the early 1970s. At that point the entire region started to see a steady decline in all lumber harvesting, production, and processing. Since then there has been a shift to a large service industry sector covering areas of outdoors/sports/recreation and health care infrastructure. This is augmented by multiple small and medium businesses and growth in marijuana-related businesses due to state legalization.

Annual cultural events Boatnik, a hydroplane boat race and carnival event, is held every Memorial Day weekend in Riverside Park.

They also host the Josephine County Fair which usually occurs in late August.

Museums and other points of interest The historic Rogue Theatre downtown has been transformed into a performing arts venue that hosts mostly local acts. The Grants Pass Towne Center Association's "Back to the '50s" Celebration includes free concerts, a nearly 600-vehicle Classic Car Cruise, poker runs, and thematic shopping in the town's downtown historic district.

Year round, there are First Friday Art Nights. On the first Friday of every month, many of the city's downtown stores hold art shows and promotional events.

The Grants Pass post office contains two tempera murals done through the U.S. Treasury Department Section on Fine Arts (often mistakenly referred to as the "WPA"), both painted in 1938. There are ten government-sponsored New Deal era murals in Oregon; Grants Pass is the only post office that contains two. The murals are "Rogue River Indians" by Louis DeMott Bunce (who also painted a 1959 mural at Portland International Airport) and "Early and Contemporary Industries" by Eric Lamade.

The Caveman Bridge on 6th Street was built by Conde McCullough in 1933. The through arch design bridge has been a landmark of Grants Pass for many years, and the bridge was refurbished in 2019. The Redwood Empire sign at the beginning of the bridge has also been a landmark for many years, and it was redone in 2021 due to a car crash.

Parks and recreation Grants Pass has numerous and diverse parks and green spaces. Notable city-run parks include Riverside Park, summer home to the local Concerts in the Park series, and the Reinhart Volunteer Park, a park largely built through the efforts of community volunteers and featuring facilities for many sports. Grants Pass is a Tree City USA Community and has been for 35 years.

Education Grants Pass area public schools are served by Grants Pass School District, including Grants Pass High School, and Three Rivers School District, including Illinois Valley High School, North Valley High School, Rivers Edge Academy Charter School, and Hidden Valley High School. Rogue Community College's (RCC) main (Redwood Campus) is located south of Grants Pass on Redwood Highway with additional campuses located in Medford, Oregon (Riverside Campus) and White City (Table Rock Campus).

Law enforcement The City of Grants Pass is served by individual departments, each with their own respective buildings. The city has a Department of Public Safety as well.

Media: Print The Grants Pass Daily Courier is the region's newspaper. The newspaper was established in 1885 with the name "Grant's Pass Courier" and then "Rogue River Courier". After the newspaper became a daily, the name was changed to what it is today. The other paper of record in Josephine County is the Illinois Valley News in Cave Junction established in 1937.

Media: Radio AM: • KAGI 930 JPR — News and Information • KAJO 1270 — Classic Hits/News/Talk; FM: (Medford and Ashland stations listed by Grants Pass translator frequencies) • KDOV 88.1 Religious • KLXG 91.1 K-LOVE — Religious • KTMT-FM 92.1 Top 40 • KIFS 93.1 Top 40 • KRRM 94.7 Traditional Country • KBOY-FM 96.1 Classic Rock • KROG 96.9 The Rogue — Active Rock • KLDR 98.3 Top 40 • KISS 98.5 KISS FM: Modern Pop Hits • KRWQ 98.7 Country • KCMD 99.3 News/Talk • KLDZ 100.7 Classic Hits • KSOR 101.5 JPR Classical • KCNA 102.7 The Drive — Classic Hits • KAWZ 103.1 CSN — Religious • KAKT 104.7 Country • KMED 106.3 News/Talk • KGPZ-LP 106.7 Christian • KCMX-FM 107.1 Adult Contemporary • KJCR-LP 107.9 Catholic Talk.

Transport: Road • Interstate 5 • U.S. Route 199 • Oregon Route 99 • Oregon Route 238

Transport: Bus • Greyhound Lines

Transport: Rail • Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad

Transport: Air • Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport • Grants Pass Airport.