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Census shows 'we're really not that different' Aging county looks a lot like the rest of Oregon, data reveal By JONEL ALECCIA If you had a hunch that Jackson County residents are older than ever, that more families with kids live in White City and Eagle Point, or that it's hard for gals to get a date in Ashland because women outnumber men, you're right. The latest U.S. Census figures released Tuesday bear out a few intuitive conclusions about our region while offering a snapshot of a community that mirrors trends in Oregon overall. "People are always thinking we're so different, but we're really not that different," said Rebecca Reid, a demographer with Southern Oregon Regional Services Institute in Ashland. "I think of us as being a little microcosm of the state." Jackson County, for instance, joined the rest of Oregon in getting grayer over the last decade as the baby boomers continued their demographic bulge. The median age in the county increased to 39.2 years in 2000, up from 36.7 in 1990. That's higher than the state median age, which increased to 36.3 years compared to 34.5 for the previous census. That growth was boosted by an increase of about 75 percent in the number of people aged 45 to 54. In 2000, the county recorded 27,954 folks in that age range, up from 15,942 in 1990. Overall, county population rose to 181,269, from 146,389. "The big one is the 45-to-54 age group," George Hough, a Portland State University demographics expert, told The Associated Press. "Those numbers are just phenomenal in terms of what's going to happen in the very near future." Local rural areas were especially affected by an increase in aging. Rogue River, for instance, recorded the county's highest median age in 2000, with 49.7 years, followed by Jacksonville with 48.2 years and Shady Cove with 45.1. Rogue River also recorded the area's greatest percentage of people who live alone, nearly 42 percent, up from just over 38 percent a decade ago. By contrast, Jackson County's youngest residents live in White City and Eagle Point, where 2000 figures recorded median ages of 29.5 years and 30.5 years, respectively. Those figures are shaped by data that show White City and Eagle Point record the county's highest percentages of family households with children under 17. In White City, it's more than 47 percent; in Eagle Point, it's nearly 46 percent. Rogue River records the lowest percentage of such families, with not quite 20 percent. Medford hovers at nearly 32 percent of family households with kids under 17. "That doesn't surprise me, because that's what I see on a daily basis," said Diana Hills, director of the Rogue Family Center, a White City social service integration site. "I see a lot of young families." Hills speculates that recent affordable housing developments in Eagle Point and White City have made the area attractive to families with children. Census data also offer snapshots of other trends in family structure. In Oregon overall, there's been a decline in the percentage of households with married couples, which dropped to about 52 percent in 2000 from nearly 56 percent in 1990. In Jackson County, the percentage of married couples fell to about 53 percent from nearly 58 percent a decade earlier. At the same time, the percentage of households with unmarried partners in Jackson County rose to 2.4 percent, up from 1.5 percent in 1990, figures showed. In Oregon overall, the figure rose to 2.5 percent, up from 1.8 percent. Trends in marriage and cohabitation are perhaps affected by gender breakdowns in selected sites. Census figures show the gender breakdown remained almost constant in Oregon, with 50.4 percent females and 49.6 percent males. In Rogue River, however, the percentage of females was nearly 56 percent in 2000. In Ashland, where singles lore deplores the lack of available men, the percentage of females grew to nearly 54 percent. "I've heard that, that there are no men," said Pam Galusha, a waitress at Alex's Restaurant on the Ashland Plaza. "But I don't believe it. I see men all the time; they're out there." On the Net: The U.S. Census Bureau has posted a demographic profile of Oregon on its Web site. Visit http://www.census.gov. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.