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Redmond, Oregon is located in Deschutes County.
In its earliest years of development, the city of Redmond was
heavily reliant upon companies such as the Oregon Railroad &
Navigation Company for prosperity. Railroad tracks brought
business to the city, and introduced the region’s potential to the
United States.
The city of Redmond was named after
Frank T. Redmond, who settled near the present
site of the town by 1905. Frank and Josephine Redmond lived close
to a main canal erected by the Deschutes Irrigation and
Power Company. That area was also located close to a patch of land
that was reserved as the site of a future railway.
By 1907, merely two years later, the usefulness of canals
forged a new chapter in the region’s history. Supplies of water
fostered farming interests in the otherwise arid soil, leading to
Redmond’s strong ties to the concept of irrigated farming.
The residents of the Redmond
community organized an exhibit called the “Redmond Potato Show” in
1906. This agricultural event honored the newly developing
business of harvesting potatoes. In the early 1900s, Redmond
residents viewed locally grown potatoes as “Deschutes Netted
Gems.” This fair eventually became known as the Deschutes County
Fair, following the establishment of Deschutes County from
sections of Crook County in 1916.
The city continued to grow. It was
incorporated in 1910 with fewer than 300 residents. In 1911, the
city’s residents gained electricity and by 1912, a municipal water
system was constructed.
At that time, Redmond,
Oregon, like Bend, Oregon, was a thriving commercial center.
Unfortunately, the promise of growth in Redmond was severely
stunted by the relocation of mills to Bend. Those voluntary
relocations negatively impacted population development and
business growth. However, the population still managed to
increase and grew to 1000 residents by the year 1930.
When the
Civilian Conservation Corps Camp was
established in 1938, the population of Redmond, Oregon rapidly
grew in a short amount of time. This group nearly effortlessly
created more jobs for the townspeople with the construction of
camp buildings. The camp commenced a canal project that was
later completed by the U.S. Reclamation Service in 1949. The
years between 1930 and 1940 also generated money for the city from
lumber mill establishments. Ponderosa Moldings, for example, was
established in 1939. This company, like other molding plants, was
noted for its conversion of pine lumber into usable applications.
The population continued to
increase, resulting in 4000 individuals by 1951. That year, the
city also changed its downtown streets to one-way configurations.
In 1959, the year of the Oregon Centennial celebration, Redmond
residents referred to the city as “Juniper Junction” in a
nostalgic commemoration of the community’s vibrant history.
Today, in 2006, the city
of Redmond is home to approximately 21,109 individuals. Redmond’s
humble beginnings continue to define its contemporary profile, for
the city is home to many who work in Bend, but cannot afford the
neighboring city’s affluent lifestyle. Redmond is also popular
because of its close proximity to local regional attractions.
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