Riddle, Oregon

[[File:Founder's House.jpg|thumb|upright|The original founders home

(J.B. Riddle) in 2023. ]]

Riddle is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Riddle had a population of 1,214.

thumb|The Brown House, built in 1894, is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.

History

Riddle was founded by John Bouseman Riddle, the son of William H. Riddle, for whom the town was named. William H. Riddle was a native of Springfield, Illinois, who settled in the area in 1851. By 1881, the Southern Pacific Railroad line south of Roseburg had a station here called "Riddlesburg", which was changed to "Riddles" in 1882 and to "Riddle" in 1889. A post office at this location opened under the name of "Riddles" in 1882 and was changed to "Riddle" in 1910.

J. B. Riddle purchased a land claim from J.Q.C. VanDenbosch at the age of nineteen in the year 1863. In 1869, Riddle sold 140.5 acres of his claim to his brother, Abner. When the railroad came through, it passed between the brothers' properties. J.B. took advantage of the opportunity afforded by the railroad and changed his profession to business from farming. He and his second wife, Mary Catching, built a hotel in what would become the city of Riddle, where J.B. opened several small eating houses to Medford, Oregon along the tracks.

A community recreation center was added to the town in 2024.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Riddle had a population of 1,214. The median age was 39.1 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.8 males age 18 and over.

97.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 488 households in Riddle, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.3% were married-couple households, 23.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 1,087 || 89.5%

| Black or African American || 0 || 0%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 34 || 2.8%

| Asian || 9 || 0.7%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0%

| Some other race || 24 || 2.0%

| Two or more races || 60 || 4.9%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 67 || 5.5%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,185 people, 460 households, and 307 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 491 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 0.3% African American, 3.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Racial Makeup of Riddle as of 2010 Census

!Race

!Percentage

|White

|89.7%

|African American

|0.3%

|Native American

|3.0%

|Asian

|0.5%

|Pacific Islander

|0.1%

|Other races

|1.2%

|Two or more races

|5.2%

|Hispanic or Latino

|5.1%

There were 460 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Married couples living together constituted 44.8%, while 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. Individuals made up 25.2% of all households, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 people and the average family size was 3.01.

Climate

thumb|Roseburg Forest Products mill, which is a large employer in the community.

Riddle has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Summers are cool during the mornings but become hot by afternoon, whilst winters are chilly, if not severe, and rainy. During hot spells in the summer, there are 28 afternoons reaching over and three afternoons over , although only five mornings have ever stayed at or above . The hottest afternoon has been on June 27, 2021, and the hottest morning on June 28, 2015. The hottest month on record has been July 2015 with a mean of , although the hottest mean maximum is in July 1938 and August 1939.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Education

thumb|Riddle Elementary School.

thumb|Riddle High School founded in 1935.

The Riddle School District provides primary and secondary public education in the city. The district operates Riddle Elementary School and Riddle Junior/Senior High School.

Economy

The Riddle area was known for nickel mining, with several square miles of nickel-bearing garnierite surface deposits nearby. The mine closed in 1987.

References

External links

Entry for Riddle in the Oregon Blue Book