City of Medford City Map Poster

About City of Medford

Medford is the largest city in Southern Oregon and is home to the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, which serves as a regional commercial and private aviation hub. Medford's slogan is "The City of Roses", a reference to its more than 1,250 rose bushes planted throughout the city. The Medford area was part of traditional cultures of Native Americans for thousands of years before European settlers began arriving in large numbers in 1851 during the California Gold Rush; these original peoples included members from at least three distinct language families: Takelma, Shasta Costa Calapooya Indian tribes. In 1852, brothers George and William Chaffey settled on opposite sides of Bear Creek about east (downstream) from present-day downtown Medford; they named their respective settlement "Chaffey" after their father's name spelled backwards—and both soon became important settlements along what would become known as Route 99W or Main Street through town today.