Rogue Valley
Valley
The Rogue Valley and Ashland from the south
Location in Oregon
Country	United States
Region	Southern Oregon
Principal communities	Medford Ashland Grants Pass
Website	www.rvcog.org

TheRogue Valley is avalley region in southwesternOregon in theUnited States. Located along the middleRogue River and its tributaries inJosephine andJackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart ofSouthern Oregon near theCalifornia border. The largest communities in the Rogue Valley areMedford,Ashland andGrants Pass. The most populated part of the Rogue Valley is not along the Rogue proper, but along the smallerBear Creek tributary.

The valley forms a relatively isolated enclave west of theCascade Range along the north side of theSiskiyou Mountains. It is separated from the nearby coast by a high section of theSouthern Oregon Coast Range. The valley is characterized by a mild climate that allows a long growing season, especially for many varieties of fruits, nuts and herbs. A regional manufacturing industry is centered in Medford, the most highly populated area of the valley. In recent years the valley has emerged as awine-growing region and it is the location of theRogue Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area). The mild climate and relative isolation have made the valley a popular retirement destination. The community of Ashland is famous for theOregon Shakespeare Festival andMount Ashland Ski Area.Interstate 5 follows the valley through Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass.

In the early 19th century the firstEuropean Americans began to pass through the valley, inhabited by theShasta,Takelma, andRogue River Athabaskan tribes ofNative Americans. The earlyfur traders named this river the "River of the Rogues". White settlers began to arrive in the valley after theDonation Land Act, which allocated 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land to each married couple. Between 1836 and 1856, the valley was the scene of a series of bloody conflicts betweenEuropean Americans and the Rogue River tribes. In 1850gold was discovered^[1] on the Rogue River; the next year gold was discovered in the nearby mountains. Early mining activity was centered on the lower Rogue River, on Althouse Creek in Josephine County, and near the now-restored town ofJacksonville, west of Medford. During the gold rush some $70 million was extracted from the area.

Unlike the rest of Western Oregon, because of therain shadow effect resulting from the close range of the Cascades and Siskiyous, the Rogue Valley is relatively dry when compared to thecoast andPortland. Most of the valley has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate. Winters are chilly andrainy, but relatively dry and slightly colder when compared to the rest of western Oregon, with frequentfog, and occasionalsnow. Summers are hot and sunny, but dry, with lowhumidity. Temperatures surpass 100 °F or 37.8 °C, on an average of 10–15 days during the summer.^{[citation needed]} Because of the combination of heat and dry air,wildfires are a problem during the summer, and frequently, smoke will fill up the valley for weeks, reducing visibility and air quality. On average, the first frost occurs October 22, and the last on May 6.^{[citation needed]} The Rogue Valley is inUSDA plant hardiness zones 7–9.^[2] Sub-zero temperatures are extremely rare in the valley; theRogue Valley International-Medford Airport has not recorded such extreme cold weather since December 21, 1990, when the temperature dropped to −2 °F or −18.9 °C.^[3]

Due to the valley's generally mild climate, it is used as a region to growpears, and there are multiplevineyards. Medford has, on average, 175 sunny days per year, compared to 80 on average for theWillamette Valley, and 65 on average for the coast.^{[citation needed]}

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRogue River Valley (Oregon).

• Jefferson (Pacific state)
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• Psathyrella aquatica

42°26′24″N122°55′34″W / 42.440124°N 122.926154°W /42.440124; -122.926154

• Valleys of Oregon
• Rogue River (Oregon)
• Regions of Oregon
• Landforms of Jackson County, Oregon
• Landforms of Josephine County, Oregon
• Klamath Mountains
• Cascade Range

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