Medford, city, seat of Jackson County, southwestern Oregon, on Bear Creek near its junction with the Rogue River; incorporated 1885. Situated in an area known for its pears, the city is a farm-trade, lumbering, tourist, and light-industrial center, as well as a regional medical center. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, and Jacksonville, a restored gold-mining town (originally established in 1851-52), are nearby. The community, founded in 1883 as a railroad depot, is named for Medford, Massachusetts. Population 39,603 (1980); 46,951 (1990); 63,154 (2000).
