Merlin, Oregon


Merlin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,615. The area is known for sport fishing and whitewater rafting on the Rogue River. Merlin's ZIP code is 97532.
A new railroad station in this location in 1883 was called "Jump Off Joe" for a local stream. The station was renamed "Merlin" in October 1886. The name came from a railroad civil engineer who named it for the merlins he saw in the area. "McAllister" post office was established about a mile north of Merlin in 1885, then moved to the vicinity of the railroad station and renamed Merlin in 1891.

Geography

Merlin is located northwest of Grants Pass. It sits in the valley of Jumpoff Joe Creek, east of where that stream joins the Rogue River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Merlin CDP has a total area of, of which, or 0.19%, are water.
Merlin lies at an elevation of about above MSL.

Corporate headquarters