Medford’s post office opened in 1884, and 43 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #34 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Medford was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. 43 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 181 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Medford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Medford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Medford is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #34 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Medford’s overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Medford’s 31.0 sits above most of its state (87% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 268 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Medford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1883, a group of railroad surveyors headed by S.L. Dolson and David Loring arrived in Rock Point, near present-day Gold Hill. They were charged with finding the best route through the Rogue Valley for the Oregon and California Railroad. Citizens of neighboring Jacksonville hoped that it would pass between their town and Hanley Butte, near the present day Claire Hanley Arboretum. Such a move would have all but guaranteed prosperous growth for Jacksonville, but Dolson decided instead to stake the railroad closer to Bear Creek. The response from Jacksonville was mixed, but the decision was final. By November 1883, a depot site had been chosen and a surveying team led by Charles J. Howard was hard at work platting the new town. They completed their work in early December 1883, laying out 82 blocks for development.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Medford.
Every building
Medford, building by building, 1888–1927
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Medford post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Medford rank for history?
Medford is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #34 of 142 in Oregon. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Medford?
43 listings: 38 buildings, among them the Liberty Building (listed 1978, the first), and 5 historic districts with 181 contributing buildings. 268 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Medford?
9% of Medford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (11), the National Register of Historic Places (43), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
