Central Point, Oregon

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title: "Central Point, Oregon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["central-point,-oregon", "cities-in-oregon", "cities-in-jackson-county,-oregon", "1889-establishments-in-oregon", "populated-places-established-in-1889"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Point,_Oregon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Central Point, Oregon
settlement_type	City
nickname	The Fair City
image_caption	Central Point welcome sign
image_map	Jackson_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Central_Point_Highlighted.svg
mapsize	250x200px
map_caption	Location in Oregon
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	United States
subdivision_type1	State
subdivision_name1	Oregon
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Jackson
leader_title	Mayor
established_title	Incorporated
established_date	1889
unit_pref	Imperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	10.21
area_land_sq_mi	3.94
area_land_km2	10.21
area_water_sq_mi	0.00
area_water_km2	0.00
population_as_of	2020
population_footnotes
population_total	18997
population_density_km2	1861.30
population_density_sq_mi	4820.35
timezone	Pacific
utc_offset	−8
timezone_DST	Pacific
utc_offset_DST	−7
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft	1273
website	www.centralpointoregon.gov
postal_code_type	ZIP code
postal_code	97502
area_code	Area code 541/458
blank_name	FIPS code
blank_info	41-12400
blank1_name	GNIS feature ID
blank1_info	2409428
::

Central Point is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 18,997 as of 2020. The city shares its southern border with Medford and is a part of the Medford metropolitan area. Central Point is home of the Jackson County Fair that occurs in July.

History

Isaac Constant, a pioneer who settled here in 1852, named the location Central Point because of its location at a crossroads in the middle of the Rogue Valley. At this point, the main north–south road from the Willamette Valley met the road between Jacksonville and settlements along the Rogue River. In about 1870, Magruder Brothers opened a store at the crossroads. In 1872, a post office was established here under the name Central Point.{{cite book | last = McArthur | first = Lewis A. | author-link = Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur | title = Oregon Geographic Names | orig-year = 1928 | edition = 7th | year = 2003 | publisher = Oregon Historical Society Press | location = Portland, Oregon | isbn = 0-87595-277-1 | page = 185}}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.90 sqmi, all of it land.

The city lies at an elevation of about 1272 ft along Oregon Highway 99 and Interstate 5 northwest of Medford. Jacksonville is to the south and Gold Hill to the northwest. The Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad passes through Central Point.

Griffin Creek, a tributary of Bear Creek, joins the larger stream at Central Point. The Bear Creek Greenway, a biking and hiking trail connecting Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford along Bear Creek, also passes through Central Point.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Central Point has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. |width=auto |location = Central Point, Oregon |single line = Y |collapsed = Y |Jan high F = 48 |Feb high F = 54 |Mar high F = 59 |Apr high F = 65 |May high F = 73 |Jun high F = 82 |Jul high F = 92 |Aug high F = 91 |Sep high F = 84 |Oct high F = 70 |Nov high F = 53 |Dec high F = 46 |Jan record high F = 71 |Feb record high F = 80 |Mar record high F = 86 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 103 |Jun record high F = 115 |Jul record high F = 115 |Aug record high F = 114 |Sep record high F = 110 |Oct record high F = 100 |Nov record high F = 82 |Dec record high F = 72 |year record high F = 115 |year high F = 68 |Jan low F = 32 |Feb low F = 34 |Mar low F = 36 |Apr low F = 40 |May low F = 45 |Jun low F = 51 |Jul low F = 57 |Aug low F = 56 |Sep low F = 49 |Oct low F = 42 |Nov low F = 36 |Dec low F = 30 |Jan record low F = −3 |Feb record low F = 6 |Mar record low F = 16 |Apr record low F = 21 |May record low F = 28 |Jun record low F = 31 |Jul record low F = 38 |Aug record low F = 39 |Sep record low F = 29 |Oct record low F = 18 |Nov record low F = 10 |Dec record low F = −10 |year record low F = −10 |year low F = 42 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 2.42 |Feb precipitation inch = 2.01 |Mar precipitation inch = 1.71 |Apr precipitation inch = 1.38 |May precipitation inch = 1.30 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.62 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.28 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.40 |Sep precipitation inch = 0.57 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.13 |Nov precipitation inch = 3.01 |Dec precipitation inch = 3.49 |year precipitation inch = |Jan snow inch = 1.3 |Feb snow inch = 0.6 |Mar snow inch = 0.4 |Apr snow inch = 0 |May snow inch = 0 |Jun snow inch = 0 |Jul snow inch = 0 |Aug snow inch = 0 |Sep snow inch = 0 |Oct snow inch = 0 |Nov snow inch = 0.2 |Dec snow inch = 1.1 |year snow inch= 3.6 |source 1 = Medford Weather Forecast Office}}

Demographics

|1890= 534 |1900= 322 |1910= 761 |1920= 582 |1930= 821 |1940= 906 |1950= 1667 |1960= 2289 |1970= 4004 |1980= 6357 |1990= 7509 |2000= 12493 |2010= 17169 |2020= 18997 |footnote=Sources: | align = right | align-fn = center Five of the eight public schools of the Central Point School District are located in the city: Central Point Elementary School, Mae Richardson Elementary School, Jewett Elementary School, Scenic Middle School, and Crater High School.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Central Point had a population of 18,997. The median age was 39.7 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.0 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,396 households in Central Point, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,564 housing units, of which 2.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.3% were owner-occupied and 34.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%.

::data[format=table title="Racial composition as of the 2020 census{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A12400&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 28, 2026|df=mdy}}"]

Race	Number	Percent
White	15,735	82.8%
Black or African American	112	0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native	235	1.2%
Asian	295	1.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	63	0.3%
Some other race	737	3.9%
Two or more races	1,820	9.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	2,185	11.5%
::

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,169 people, 6,542 households, and 4,670 families living in the city. The population density was 4402.3 PD/sqmi. There were 6,975 housing units at an average density of 1788.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 90.8% White, 0.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.0% of the population.

There were 6,542 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 36.5 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,493 people, 4,613 households, and 3,450 families living in the city. The population density was 4,073.6 PD/sqmi. There were 4,760 housing units at an average density of 1,552.1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 94.00% White, 0.25% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.22% of the population.

There were 4,613 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,622, and the median income for a family was $44,849. Males had a median income of $32,778 versus $23,851 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,003. About 5.9% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Talk Radio Network, Erickson Air Crane, and Crater Rock Museum are located in Central Point. Rogue Creamery in Central Point makes some of the world's best cheeses, according to judges at the World Cheese Awards and American Cheese Society Awards. Agriculture is dominated by the pear, wine, and recently industrial hemp.

Top employers

According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

::data[format=table]

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	School District 6	673
2	Costco	384
3	Knife River Materials	142
4	Pilot Travel Center	110
5	USF Reddaway	110
6	So. Ore. Veterinary	110
7	Albertsons	100
8	City of Central Point	75
9	McDonald's	48
::

Notable people

Jason Atkinson, Oregon State Senator and 2006/2010 gubernatorial candidate
Eugene Bennett, fine artist.
Amy Denson, professional basketball player.
Lisa Franchetti, United States Navy Vice Admiral.
Dean Hartgraves, major league baseball pitcher.
Clayton Klein, a former Oregon State Representative
Bryce Peila, football player who played for the Portland Steel of the Arena Football League
Dennis Richardson, former Oregon Secretary of State
Basil Wolverton, comic book artist, Marvel & Mad magazine.

References

"ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
"U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
{{GNIS. 2409428
"2011 Certified Population Estimates". Portland State University.
"US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
(2012). "Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas". Benchmark Maps.
"Map". Bear Creek Greenway Foundation.
"Central Point, Oregon". CantyMedia.
"Medford, OR".
"Population-Oregon". U.S. Census Bureau.
"Population-Oregon". U.S. Census Bureau.
"Number of Inhabitants: Oregon". U.S. Census Bureau.
"Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts". U.S. Census Bureau.
"Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". U.S. Census Bureau.
"Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
(2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
(2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
(2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
"U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
"City of Central Point CAFR".

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