Betty Tamm,
Executive Director

605 SE Kane Street
Roseburg, OR 97470

Phone: (541) 673-4909
Fax: (541) 673-5023
btamm@umpquacdc.org www.umpquacdc.org

Incorporated: 1991

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The timber and agricultural towns that typify the area were first settled over 100 years ago. Roseburg is the largest city in the area, with a population of 20,000. Coos Bay, with 15,000 persons, is 90 miles from Roseburg. Small towns spread throughout the "100 Valleys of the Umpqua" river basin and along the rugged coast characterize all three counties.

Old housing and rundown commercial buildings are coupled with a depressed economy (double-digit unemployment is normal). One indicator of the poverty level is a USDA survey ranking Oregon worst in hunger in the nation. Many of the small towns have neither the internal capacity nor the resources to conduct their own revitalization efforts or develop affordable housing.

Historically, the area economy depended on the timber industry. Douglas County, known as the "Timber Capital of the World," is directly tied to the ups and downs of the timber industry - which has declined steadily since the mid-1980s due to recession, environmental concerns, and court battles over timber rights. However, housing prices continue to rise as people move to the area because of its natural beauty and recreational opportunities.