Downtown is filled with antique and collectible shops, ice cream parlors, and sidewalk espresso stands. Be sure to stroll through downtown and enjoy the beautifully restored historical buildings. Grants Pass and the Rogue Valley are famous for the wonderful climate!

The highlight of Grants Pass is the mighty Rogue River flowing through town. Riverside Park is located right on the Rogue River and is a wonderful place to picnic and walk along the Rogue.

The city is often referred to the "whitewater rafting capital" of Oregon and over 25 outfitters offer rafting adventures in Grants Pass and nearby Merlin. There are jet boats that leave from Grants Pass and take visitors on a tour through Hellgate Canyon. Be sure to bring your cameras to catch the extensive wildlife on film. In 1968 the Rogue River was designated by Congress as a National Wild and Scenic river. This means that visitors have access to an unspoiled wilderness world.

Grants Pass abounds with modern campgrounds and RV facilities, many with boat ramps and riverside campsites. Josephine County has an extensive system of parks, and many of these are on the Rogue River. As far as overnight accommodations, you will find everything from motels to elegant bed and breakfast inns.

At the end of May in Grants Pass is the world famous Boatnik festival at Riverside Park. It lasts four days and the main event is a thrilling hydroboat race. Grants Pass is host to southern Oregon's largest outdoor "Growers Market". In spring and fall, the Grants Pass is awash in color with the new blooms or the fall turning of the trees, but anytime of year at all, Grants Pass is an exceptionally beautiful town.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Grants Pass, elevation 935 feet, is located on the banks of the scenic Rogue River in Southwestern Oregon. It is surrounded by the foothills of the Cascade, Siskiyou and coast mountain ranges, and is only 85 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, the headquarters for the Siskiyou National Forest and the northern gateway to the Redwood Empire of California. Crater Lake, a U.S. National Park, is 100 miles northeast, and the Oregon Caves, a U.S. National Monument, are 50 miles to the southwest. Numerous outdoor recreational opportunities abound in whitewater rafting, fishing, hunting, skiing, hiking, etc.

POPULATION
City of Grants Pass has 33,225 residents as of 2009 with approximately 83,665 residents in Josephine County as of 2009.  Source is Portland State University Population Research Center.

CLIMATE
Grants Pass is known for its mild climate. Average annual maximum temperature is 68.0, annual minimum 40.9. Average annual precipitation is 29.5 inches. Snowfall is minimal - 2.3 inches per year and in many years is non-existent.

RECREATION
Josephine County offers five public golf courses, one with a driving range. Indoor miniature golf, two bowling alleys, one outdoor and one YMCA indoor swimming pool with a weight room, five tennis sites with nine courts, six racquetball courts, 12 playgrounds, 14 gymnasiums, a gymnastics center (Gymnastics By Design), a sportsman club with rifle range open to the public, and many other activities are available. Grants Pass is home to Hellgate Jetboat Excursions (more info below).

The city is within two hours of ocean beaches and mountain skiing; one hour to many high lakes and streams for fishing, boating, etc., and within minutes to river fishing, rafting/boating, camping, hunting, biking, fairgrounds and parks. Amazing May; is a month long eclectic mix of fun filled events such as the Boatnik, American Indian Arts Festival, Hot Air Balloon Rides, Art Shows, Growers Market and there is a 5-day county fair and pari-mutuel horse racing during the summer; Boatnik Festival on Memorial day weekend, the Muzzleloaders and Mountain Men Rendezvous during late august, and the reenactment of the 1846 wagon train adventure called Heritage Days are just a few of the regularly scheduled annual events in this area.

CULTURAL
Musical and cultural programs are presented locally by the Rogue Music Theatre, Barnstormers Little Theater Group and the Rogue Music Theatre. The Grants Pass Museum of Art presents changing art displays. There are also art displays featured in the Wiseman Gallery at the Rogue Community College. The city of Grants Pass is also represented by all major civic groups. Grants Pass is 50 miles from the renowned Oregon Shakespearean Theatre in Ashland which offers year-around Shakespearean and contemporary performances on two indoor stages and one outdoor Elizabethan stage. The Peter Britt Summer Music Festival in Jacksonville is 45 miles away and features all kinds of musical entertainment.

MEDICAL SERVICES
The Three Rivers Hospitals are full-service, community owned health care facilities. Three Rivers offers an array of services not usually found outside of metropolitan areas. Included in the hospital's services are a homelike birthing center, the area's only maternity service and American Medical Response, the hospital' critical care ambulance. Medical specialties currently represented on the medical staff of the hospital include: allergy, dentistry, dermatology, emergency medicine, family and general practice, home health, infectious diseases, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, occupational health, ophthalmology, oral/maxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, osteopathy, otolaryngology, (ear, nose and throat), pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, surgery (colon-rectal, general, thoracic, and vascular) and urology.

CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS
Schools: There are 10 elementary schools, a number of private, parochial, independent, vocational and pre-schools. Three middle schools, three high schools, and Rogue River Community College are also available in Grants Pass. Southern Oregon State College, a four year institution, is located in Ashland.

Churches: More than 77 churches in Josephine County represent a majority of denominations.

TRANSPORTATION
Ground Transportation: Grants Pass Cab, 541-476-6444; Airport Transit Service, 541-479-3217 for service to airport; Starline Limousines, 541-476-7827 for service to all Oregon points; Greyhound/Trailways bus lines, 541-476-4513; Amtrak, 541-844-2822 (Klamath Falls) with shuttle service to Grants Pass via York Tours (541-779-1068). Auto Rentals: Budget Car and Truck Rental Center, 541-471-6311

Nearby Jackson County Airport: Major commercial airline arrival and departure, 22 miles from Grants Pass (contact airlines directly). Josephine County Airports: Facilities for light aircraft to corporate jets; Merlin Airport FBO, Grants Pass Aviation, 541-474-0665; Illinois Valley Airport, 541-474-5285.

MOTELS
At least twenty-nine motels with approximately 1579 rooms and eleven Bed and Breakfast Inns within the city limits serve a large seasonal tourist population.

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Bulbs, vegetables, dairy products, beef, wheat, hay, timber and plywood, sand gravel and sulfite deposits.

GENERAL
Taxes: There is a state income tax, but no sales tax in Oregon. Oregon law requires that all property, real and personal, be assessed at 100% of the true cash value. The tax is determined by multiplying the assessed value of the property by the tax rate for the code area in which the property is located.

Banks, Savings & Loan Associations, Credit Union: The institutions total six banks, five savings and loans, and one credit union, with total assets in excess of $350 million.

Radio and Television: Five Grants Pass area radio stations - KAJO, , KLDR, KAGI, KFMJ, KRWQ and KCNA AM & FM.

WEATHER
Grants Pass is located in the "sun belt" of Southern Oregon. Our ideal climate provides a minimum of precipitation, unlike our neighbors to the west. Our average rainfall is just under 30 inches and we boast a very gentle wind velocity, averaging only 3.2 mph. Visitors can plan on warm, sunny days and cool, dry evenings from mid-May through mid-September.

Thanks to the Grants Pass Association of Realtors® for their contribution to this article.