Riddle, Oregon
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Riddle is a city in Douglas County,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2010 census.


History

Riddle was founded by John Bouseman Riddle, the son of William H. Riddle, for whom the town was named. William H. Riddle was a native of
Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...
, who settled in the area in 1851. By 1881, the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
line south of Roseburg had a station here called "Riddlesburg", which was changed to "Riddles" in 1882 and to "Riddle" in 1889. A
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...
at this location opened under the name of "Riddles" in 1882 and was changed to "Riddle" in 1910. J. B. Riddle purchased a land claim from J.Q.C. VanDenbosch at the age of nineteen in the year 1863. In 1869, Riddle sold 140.5 acres of his claim to his brother, Abner. When the
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
came through, it passed between the brothers' properties. J.B. took advantage of the opportunity afforded by the railroad and changed his profession to business from farming. He and his second wife, Mary Catching, built a hotel in what would become the city of Riddle, where J.B. opened several small eating houses to
Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Me ...
along the tracks.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the 2010
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
, there were 1,185 people, 460 households, and 307 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was . There were 491 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.7%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 0.3%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 3.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.2% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population. There were 460 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them.
Married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
living together constituted 44.8%, while 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. Individuals made up 25.2% of all households, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 people and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 36.6 years. Residents were under the age of 18 made up 25.4% of the population; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,014 people, 381 households, and 265 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,519.6 people per square mile (584.3/km2). There were 406 housing units at an average density of 608.5 per square mile (234.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.48% White, 2.27% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population. There were 381 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. Individuals made up 24.4% of all households, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 people and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $37,159. Males had a median income of $31,438 versus $27,232 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $13,666. About 16.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.


Geography

Riddle is about south of Roseburg and south of Portland. It lies about west of Oregon Route 99 (Interstate 5) at an elevation of about above sea level. Cow Creek flows by Riddle before entering the nearby
South Umpqua River The South Umpqua River is a tributary of the Umpqua River, approximately long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Roseburg. The river passes through a remote canyon in its upper reaches then ...
. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.


Climate

Riddle has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(''Csb'') according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system. Summers are cool during the mornings but become hot by afternoon, whilst winters are chilly, if not severe, and rainy. During hot spells in the summer, there are 28 afternoons reaching over and three afternoons over , although only five mornings have ever stayed at or above . The hottest afternoon has been on June 27, 2021, and the hottest morning on June 28, 2015. The hottest month on record has been July 2015 with a mean of , although the hottest mean maximum is in July 1938 and August 1939. During winter, most days feature westerly surface and aloft winds, although rainfall is restricted by the coastal mountains. On rare occasions, a block in the Gulf of Alaska will drive cold air from the continent west of the Sierra/
Cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science *Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...
crest, producing much colder than normal weather with either snow or clear skies. The coldest month on record has been January 1937 with a mean of and a maximum of . The coldest temperature on record has been on January 22, 1962, while the coldest maximum temperature was on December 21, 1990. The wettest year was from July 1973 to June 1974 with and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with . The wettest day on record has been November 20, 2012 when fell, and the wettest month December 1996 with . Snowfall is rare: the mean is ; although the most in one month was in January 1950 and the most on the ground was on January 13, 1930, eighteen seasons have had zero snowfall and four more only a trace.


Economy

The Riddle area was known for
nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow t ...
mining, with several square miles of nickel-bearing
garnierite Garnierite is a general name for a green nickel ore which is found in pockets and veins within weathered and serpentinized ultramafic rocks. It forms by lateritic weathering of ultramafic rocks and occurs in many nickel laterite deposits in the ...
surface deposits nearby. The mine closed in 1987.


Education

The Riddle School District provides primary and secondary public education in the city. The district operates Riddle Elementary School and Riddle Junior/Senior High School.


References


Further reading

* John M. Cornutt, ''Cow Creek Valley Memories: Riddle Pioneers Remembered in John M. Cornutt's Autobiography.'' Eugene, OR: Industrial Publishing Co., 1971.


External links


Entry for Riddle
in the ''
Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and on ...
'' {{Authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Douglas County, Oregon 1893 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1893