Our Town

Our Town: Roseburg

By John Rosman (OPB)
July 30, 2012 10:43 a.m.

Roseburg, Oregon is a city of 21,790 in the southwestern part of the state. It's within 100 miles of three of the state's national forests, which is why its history is so closely entwined with the that of the timber industry.

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After World War II, Roseburg was known as the Timber Capitol of the Nation, due to the abundance of Douglas Fir lumber produced in and around the small city.The spike in demand for housing, and lumber to build it, also made way for the philanthropy that still continues in Roseburg today. Family-owned timber companies still employ many Roseburg residents, but these businesses are no longer the backbone of the community they once were. The recession has been particularly rough for the industry, especially due to the decline in home-building.

The choices students are making about what to study at Umpqua Community College (UCC) are a good indicator of what's next for this town. Healthcare, particularly nursing, is a popular field and there's a brand new addition to the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at UCC. The program offers a one-year certificate and an associate's degree. Both paths teach students how to cultivate grapes and how to make them into wine. The local wine industry has experienced a recent growth spurt, but it also has a rich history in the region, which has always been home to fertile farmland.

Listen to Our Town: Roseburg, live from Joe Monkey's

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Multimedia: Roseburg

Interactive Map

John Rosman / OPB

Explore Roseburg through a Google map of the town.

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Go to the Google map of Roseburg

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