Myrtle Creek is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 3,481 at the 2020 census.

In 1868, Letitia Carson received a certificate of ownership for her homestead claim near Myrtle Creek, making her one of the first 71 people in the country to secure a claim under the Homestead Act. She was the only Black woman to do so in Oregon.

The city has two covered bridges. The first, Neal Lane Bridge, carries Neal Lane Road over South Myrtle Creek on the southeastern outskirts of the city. It was built in 1939. At long, it is one of the shortest covered bridges in Oregon and the only one with a kingpost truss.

In 1990, the City of Myrtle Creek acquired timbers from the former Horse Creek Bridge in Lane County and used them to build another covered bridge over Myrtle Creek. The bridge connects a parking area to the city's Mill Site Park.

Geography

Myrtle Creek lies along Interstate 5 south of Roseburg and slightly north of Tri City and Canyonville in southern Douglas County. Two streams, North Myrtle Creek and South Myrtle Creek, merge at the city to form Myrtle Creek, a short tributary of the South Umpqua River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Myrtle Creek has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Myrtle Creek had a population of 3,481 and a median age of 44.3 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males.

97.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,442 households in Myrtle Creek, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.1% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 3,011 || 86.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 8 || 0.2%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 83 || 2.4%

|-

| Asian || 37 || 1.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 6 || 0.2%

|-

| Some other race || 29 || 0.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 307 || 8.8%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 184 || 5.3%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,439 people, 1,382 households, and 930 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,521 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 0.3% African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 1,382 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92.

  • Jeff Merkley (born 1956), U.S. senator for Oregon
  • Susan Morgan (born 1949), member of the Oregon House of Representatives and Douglas County commissioner

See also

  • South Umpqua High School
  • Umpqua Research Company

References

  • Entry for Myrtle Creek in the Oregon Blue Book
  • Myrtle Creek/Tri-City Area Chamber of Commerce