Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States.[4] As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824, making it the 8th most populous city in Oregon, and a metropolitan area population of 223,259,[5] making the Medford MSA the fourth largest metro area in Oregon. The city was named in 1883 by David Loring, civil engineer and right-of-way agent for the Oregon and California Railroad, after Medford, Massachusetts, which was near Loring's hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. Medford is near the middle fork of Bear Creek.[6]
Sister cities[edit]
Shortly after the sister city program was established in 1960, Medford was paired up with Alba, Piedmont, Italy. The cities are 5,701 miles (9,175 km) apart and were paired based on 1960 similarities in population, geography, and climate.[119][120]
Every other year, Alba and Medford take turns exchanging students. During March and April of one year, students from Medford's high schools will visit Alba and stay with host families. Likewise, Alba students will visit Medford every other year. Sixty-seven Medford students applied for the 2007 trip to Italy, but only 24 were selected.[121]
It was former mayor of Medford John W. Snider who selected Alba during his 1957–1962 term, making a satellite phone call to Alba's former mayor Osvaldo Cagnasso.[122][123]