Phoenix is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 4,475 at the 2020 census. Phoenix is a part of the Medford Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Rogue Valley, and is southeast of Medford on Interstate 5.

History

The area was settled by brothers Hiram and Samuel Colver. Samuel Colver laid out the town in 1854. Early residents included Milton Lindley, who operated a sawmill that provided timbers in 1855, for a blockhouse as well as a flouring mill owned by Sylvester M. Wait. For a time, the settlement was known locally as Gasburg after a talkative employee in the kitchen serving the mill hands. Wait, who was an agent for the Phoenix Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, assigned the official name, Phoenix, to the community and, in 1857, to its post office. Waitsburg, Washington, was later named after Wait.

2020 fire

On September 8, 2020, much of Phoenix, along with neighboring Talent and parts of Medford and Ashland, were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire. On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident. On September 11, it was reported that 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire, but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800. Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused. A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland was ongoing as of September 2020.

The city is south of Medford and north of Talent and Ashland along Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 99. This is toward the southern end of the Rogue River Valley, near the Siskiyou Mountains and the border with California.

Coleman Creek, a tributary of Bear Creek, joins the larger stream at Phoenix.

Climate

This region experiences hot and dry summers, and cool and wet winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Phoenix has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated Csa on climate maps.

Phoenix's record-high temperature is on June 27, 2021, and the record-low temperature is on December 9, 1972.

Demographics

thumb|Phoenix Shopping Center sign in Phoenix

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Phoenix had a population of 4,475. The median age was 46.1 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.1 males age 18 and over.

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,028 households in Phoenix, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.3% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 3,522 || 78.7%

|-

| Black or African American || 51 || 1.1%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 48 || 1.1%

|-

| Asian || 65 || 1.5%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 6 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 235 || 5.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 548 || 12.2%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 713 || 15.9%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,538 people, 2,001 households, and 1,178 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.0% White, 0.9% African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 7.9% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.8% of the population.

There were 2,001 households, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87.

Notable people

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  • Dennis W. Day, actor and original Mickey Mouse Club (1955–57) cast member.
  • Tami Farrell, Miss Oregon Teen USA 2003, Miss Teen USA 2003, Miss California USA 2009
  • Bill Pearl, world champion bodybuilder

An independent film titled Phoenix, Oregon was produced in 2018 and revolves around two characters who live in the city. Despite this, the film was actually shot in Klamath Falls, Oregon. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most US movie theaters were closed. The film was re-released in theaters in smaller cities that remained opened. Because of this, Phoenix, Oregon was the highest grossing film at the US box office for three weeks in March and April 2020. Its biggest weekend was April 10–12, 2020, when it earned more than $11,000 at the box office.

References

  • Listing for Phoenix in the Oregon Blue Book