Portal:Oregon/Selected article/1

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon. As of 2014, the city had a total population of 78,557 and a metro population of more than 208,000. The city was named in the 1880s by David Loring, a civil engineer working for the Oregon and California Railroad for his home town of Medford, Massachusetts and in recognition of its position on the middle fork of Bear Creek. Medford was incorporated in 1885, and became the county seat of Jackson County in 1927. The Mail Tribune is the primary newspaper, and Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport the main airport. Education is provided by the Medford School District and Rogue Community College. Notable Medford residents include Kirstie Alley, Bill Bowerman, David B. Frohnmayer, Ginger Rogers, and Vic Snyder. Medford uses a council-manager style of government. The governing body of Medford consists of a mayor and eight city council members. Medford is located approximately 27 miles (43 km) north of the northern California border, at 42.3°N. Interstate 5 runs north-south through the center of the city with Oregon Routes 99, 238, and 62 also serving the city. Medford sits in a "weather shadow" between the Cascade Range and Siskiyou Mountains called the Rogue Valley. As such, most of the rain associated with the Pacific Northwest and Oregon in particular skips Medford, making it drier and sunnier than the Willamette Valley. Medford's economy is driven primarily by agriculture (pears, peaches, viticulture grapes) and timber products.