Jackson County population grows; housing doesn’t

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Oregon’s Jackson County has experienced a population boom, but the housing market hasn’t kept up.

The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hADGgG ) that the census shows that the southern Oregon county’s population reached 200,000 in 2008 and interim estimates place the current population at close to 215,000.

Meanwhile, the number of houses available for sale in the county declines monthly, the median price for existing home sales is up and the rental market is tighter than ever. Building permit numbers are slightly higher than in the past, but nowhere near the levels seen before the real estate bubble burst.

Medford Planning Commission member Tim D’Alessandro says the problem goes beyond a lack of affordable housing and extends to housing availability at any price.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/