Formed January 22, 1856 (18th county)
Josephine County (88,092), Grants Pass (39,194)
The masonry Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1917. There was an 1887 facility earlier. The building is on Northwest 6th Street at Northeast C Street. Northwest 6th Street is United States Highway 199 in the town. Elmer E. McClaren is the building designer. The building was enlarged in 1961 and 1970 and a Judicial Building was added in 1976. The courthouse features columns. Josephine County was organized on January 22, 1856 from Jackson County as the 18th county. Sailor Diggings (1856), Kerbyville (1858) and Grants Pass (1886) have all served as the county seat. The county is named for Josephine Creek which is named for settler Virginia Josephine Rollins. The county seat is named for Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant. He is also the namesake of Grant County.
Josephine County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney, an administrator, and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Four District Court Judges serve Josephine County (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of Oregon. California is on its southern border. Eugene, Oregon is north and Bend, Oregon is northeast of the county. The county center is 12.7 miles Southwest of Grants Pass nearer New Hope. The county is surrounded clockwise by Douglas and Jackson counties and California and Curry County.
The area of the county is 1640 square miles. It is 21 out of 36 in the state. It ranks 12 out of 36 in population in the state. It has a density of 53.7 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 36 in the state. Josephine County has 46.8% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 5 comes into the county from Douglas County, north, and goes into Jackson County, east. United States Highway 199 originates in the county and travels south into California. The county looks like a teapot with the top taken off. Grants Pass is located near the northeast border of the county. Grants Pass is the county seat and the largest city. It is 44.5% of the county population. This county is in the Grants Pass Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Cave Junction
Grants Pass
