Grants Pass is a city and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon. It is believed that its name is somehow related to general Ulysses S. Grant's capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 23,003 and the total population is estimated at 26,087 as of 2005. Its sister city is Rubtsovsk, Russia.
Grants Pass is located at 42°26'20" North, 123°19'42" West (42.438969, -123.328249). U.S. Highway 199 passes through the city, and joins I-5.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 km2 (7.7 mi2). 19.6 km2 (7.6 mi2) of it is land and 0.3 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.56% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,171.7/km2 (3,032.8/mi2). There are 9,885 housing units at an average density of 503.5/km2 (1,303.3/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 92.97% White, 0.33% African American, 1.09% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. 15.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,376 households out of which 31.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% are married couples living together, 14.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families. 31.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $19,197, and the median income for a family is $16,284. Males have a median income of $11,128 versus $13,579 for females. The per capita income for the city is $6,234. 34.9% of the population and 12.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 50.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Historically the city's economy has been based on timber.
Early hunters and trappers, following the Siskiyou Trail, passed through the site in the 1820's. Although a post office with the name Grants Pass was established on March 22, 1865, the city of Grants Pass was not incorporated until 1887, a year after when it had become the county seat.
In 1922, a group of local businessmen incorporated the Grants Pass Cavemen. Taking their name from the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument, this group was one of many groups of boosterism common in the United States at the time. For decades afterwards, this group would represent their city in countless public gatherings, dressed in furs and bearing clubs, performing such uncivilized acts as capturing female crowd members and politicians and putting them in their cages. To honor this group, in 1971 a fiberglass statue of a caveman was erected at the corner of Morgan Lane and Sixth Street. As a result, the local high school mascot is a caveman. The original monument was destroyed in 2004 as the result of a careless hoodlum that burnt the mascot. It was rebuilt finally in 2005.
Source:
GrantsPassOR.com
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