Redmond, Oregon

Redmond was named after Frank T. Redmond, who settled in the area in 1905.[5] It was platted in 1906 by a company which would become part of Central Oregon Irrigation District building a canal.[6] Electrification and the Oregon Trunk Railway reached Redmond in 1911. The rail link opened markets for farmers and merchants. By 1930, the town had grown to 1,000 and by 1940 had nearly doubled. In the 1940s, Redmond was a U.S. Army Air base and commercial air service was established at Roberts Field after World War II. In the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and most of the 80s, the population remained relatively static, growing slowly around a small commercial/retail center and manufacturing industry. However, during the 1990s, the population began to grow along with most of Deschutes County. Between 2000 and 2006, Redmond's population grew 74.3%, making it among Oregon's fastest-growing cities each year. This growth continued through 2006, increasing the population to 23,500. Its growth is fueled by employment and a lower cost of living.

The Horse Lava Tube System enters the city at the point of the Redmond Caves. The lava flow that created the system continues into the Redmond Canyon and beyond.[7][8]

Redmond's climate is typical of the high desert with cool nights and sunny days. Annual precipitation averages between 8 and 10 inches (200 and 250 mm), with an average annual snowfall of 24 inches (61 cm). The winter season in Redmond provides typical daytime temperatures between 10 °F (−12 °C) and 40 °F (4 °C). Average nighttime temperatures range anywhere from 0 °F (−18 °C) to 40 °F (4 °C). According to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map,[9] the average annual extreme minimum temperature in Redmond is −5 °F (−21 °C) to −10 °F (−23 °C).[10]

A typical Central Oregon summer is marked with daily temperatures around 75 °F (24 °C) to 100 °F (38 °C) during the day, and around 40 °F (4 °C) to 60 °F (16 °C) during the night. Hard frosts happen on occasion during the summer months. Autumn usually brings warm, dry days and cooler nights. According to the Western Regional Climate Center of the Desert Research Institute, the mean of the monthly average maximum temperatures in July, the hottest month in Redmond, between 1928 and 2006 was 82.09 °F (27.83 °C).[11]

Redmond's growing season is short. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Resources Conservation Service, in half of the years between 1971 and 2000, the USDA weather station in Redmond recorded the last below-freezing temperatures after July 3 and the first below-freezing temperatures before August 31.[12] Redmond has a steppe climate (BSk) according to the Köppen climate classification system.

A major employer is Redmond Air Center, at the Redmond Airport. This is a Forest Service smoke-jumping, firefighting and training installation.

T-Mobile USA had a call center in Redmond which employed more than 700.[18] T-Mobile made plans to close this facility in June 2013,[19] but Oregon-based Consumer Cellular moved to sublease the call center and rehire some of T-Mobile's former employees.[20] The Consumer Cellular call center currently employs more than 200 people, with plans to grow the facility to 650 employees.[21][22]

The Redmond Spokesman newspaper is the city's oldest continuously operating business, printing its first issue July 14, 1910. Publishers Henry and Clara Palmer moved their press for the Laidlaw Chronicle to Redmond, competing with the existing Oregon Hub and Enterprise newspapers, now defunct.[23]

The Eagle Crest Resort, 6 miles (10 km) west of Redmond, is one of eight destination resorts as defined by Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development. Eagle Crest is one of Redmond's major employers, and one of Deschutes County's largest corporate tax payers.[24]

Redmond's total enrollment on September 26, 2006, was 6,892.

• Redmond School District elementary schools serve grades K–5, middle school grades 6–8 and high school 9–12.Redmond School District encompasses 556 square miles (1,400 km²) and operates the following 11 schools:
  • 7 elementary schools, serving grades K–5
  • 2 middle schools, serving grades 6–8
  • 2 high schools, serving grades 9–12
    • Redmond High School
    • Ridgeview High School
• Private institutions:
  • One private Christian school, serving grades pre-kindergarten to 12
  • Redmond Proficiency Academy, a grades 6–12 charter school, serving students from Redmond and the greater Central Oregon area
  • George Fox University, affiliated or associated with the Evangelical Friends Alliance

• Eagle Crest Resort
• Smith Rock State Park
• The Redmond Caves

Some of Redmond's landmark desert flora include:

• The Juniper tree, which dots the surrounding brush/desert
• The Sagebrush, a medium-high bush which is abundant in undeveloped areas

• Les AuCoin, a nine-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's First District, grew up in Redmond, attending the city's public schools from the first grade until graduation from Redmond Union High School (as it was called then) in 1960.
• Sam Johnson, a longtime member of the Oregon House of Representatives, was elected mayor of Redmond in 1979 and served in that capacity until his death in 1984.[25]
• Tom McCall, the 30th Governor of Oregon (from 1967 to 1975), graduated from Redmond High School.[26]
• James F. Short, (1902-1986) businessman, rancher, and state legislator[27]
• Arthur Tuck, an American track and field athlete who singlehandedly won the 1919 Oregon state high school track and field team championship for Redmond High School.[28]
• Jill Twiss, an American actress, writer and comedian known for her work on the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and author of the bestselling children's book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.

• Media related to Redmond, Oregon at Wikimedia Commons
• City of Redmond (official website)
• Entry for Redmond in the Oregon Blue Book
• Redmond Chamber of Commerce