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Medford's population doubles in 3 decades By JIM DAVIS Medford's population is very near to surpassing 60,000 -- twice as large as nearly 30 years ago. The city is expected to be just over or just under that benchmark in a population estimate due out next month, said Barry Edmontson, director of the population research center at Portland State University. "I think it will be within 50 to 75 people of 60,000," Edmontson said. "Which side it will be on, I don't know." By the time the federal government does its census next year, Edmontson said, the city will surely have a population of more than 60,000 people. The 1970 census put Medford's population at 28,454. The 1990 population was 47,021, meaning the city has grown more than 27 percent in the past 10 years. Medford is the seventh largest city in the state. Hillsboro is sixth with 65,110 people and Springfield is eighth with 51,700. The annual estimate from Portland State is based on the number of people estimated to live in a household in Jackson County -- 2.31 -- multiplied by the number of homes in the city. Tax revenue distributed to cities and counties is based on these numbers, Edmontson said. The population center releases a preliminary report in November of each year and its official report in December. Other people who pay careful attention to population numbers are retailers and market research firms. For those groups, the significant population milestones are 50,000 and 100,000, Edmontson said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA