Medford, a City the Railroad Built

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Medford traces its origin in the early 1880's to the construction of the railroad that runs through the heart of the Bear Creek Valley. The decision of the Oregon and California Railroad Company to construct the railway in what is now known as Medford is what gave birth to this city, which originally had only 400 inhabitants.

Originally known as Middleford due to its geographic feature since it crosses the stream of Middle Creek, railroad engineer David Loring shortened the name to Medford as he was from a town of the same name in Massachusetts. It was incorporated as a town on February 24, 1885 and is governed by a board of trustees, an early prototype of what is now the present City Council. From 1955, Medford is governed under the Council-Manager form of government, with the Mayor and an eight-member Council serving as the governing body, responsible for appointing a City Manager as well as providing executive direction; the City Manager serves as the chief administrative officer of Medford’s different city departments.

Medford has developed from a dusty, small town with unpaved roads to become the largest city in Southern Oregon; it is the seat of the Jackson County Government and has become a booming regional trade center.

It is fondly referred to as The Center of the Rogue Valley and is Southern Oregon’s most diverse city in terms of businesses and population. It is home to unspoiled surroundings of historic wealth, cultural attractions, and rich tracts of farming land.

Medford also has a host of award-winning wineries, creameries and gourmet artisan chocolate facilities. Its recreational facilities offer hiking, biking, skiing, rafting and fresh water fishing. In Medford is also Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves, which visitors to the area would surely enjoy, and take pleasure from.

One of Medford’s main pride is its 175-acre golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., which Golf Digest rated 4-1/2 stars!

Outdoor enthusiasts can take their fill of fun boating, shooting the rapids at the Rogue River, and thrill to the exciting ride in a jet boat excursion down the Hellgate Canyon! Medford also offers 23 hiking trails aside from chute skiing in a glacial cirque called the bowl, even during nighttime!

However, not everything Medford offers is for athletic and sporty types of visitors. The city is also home to over 120 specialty stores and shops at the Rogue Valley Mall, where people can shop till they drop, tax-free! The wide choices of goods offered at Medford’s specialty shops and antique stores would really make a visitor go wild over the available choices and low prices. It is a shopper’s heaven!

The quaint town of Medford has become a visitor’s destination in Southern Oregon and has not lost its genteel appeal for a slow-paced life and healthy, clean living. The city takes pride in the fact that it is now the acknowledged as the business, medical and preferred residential center of southern Oregon.