Talent is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census.

History

A. P. Tallent, an East Tennessee native who settled in Oregon in the 1870s, platted the city in the 1880s. He wanted to name it Wagner but was overruled by postal officials, who preferred Talent, dropping one of the L's. The post office opened at this location in 1883. Earlier names for the settlement were Eden District and Wagner Creek.

2020 fire

On September 8, 2020, roughly a third of Talent, along with neighboring Phoenix 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. As of September 11, 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been 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 is ongoing.

The city is south of Medford, about halfway between Phoenix, to the north, and Ashland, to the south, 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.

Wagner Creek, a tributary of Bear Creek, joins the larger stream at Talent.

Climate

This region experiences warm to hot and dry summers, with average temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Talent has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Talent had a population of 6,282. The median age was 41.9 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.5 males age 18 and over.

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,846 households in Talent, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.4% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 4,934 || 78.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 30 || 0.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 89 || 1.4%

|-

| Asian || 94 || 1.5%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 9 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 429 || 6.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 697 || 11.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,039 || 16.5%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,066 people, 2,639 households, and 1,462 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% White, 0.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.6% of the population.

There were 2,639 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.96.

  • John Beeson (1803–1889), abolitionist and Native American advocate

References

  • Entry for Talent in the Oregon Blue Book