A. P. Tallent, an East Tennessee native who settled in Oregon in the 1870s, platted the city in the 1880s. He wanted to name it Wagner but was overruled by postal officials, who preferred Talent, dropping one of the l's. The post office opened at this location in 1883. Earlier names for the settlement were Eden District and Wagner Creek.
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,066 people, 2,639 households, and 1,462 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 2,826 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% White, 0.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.6% of the population. There were 2,639 households of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couplesliving together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,589 people, 2,324 households, and 1,426 families living in the city. The population density was 4,433.6 people per square mile. There were 2,420 housing units at an average density of 1,919.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 87.30% White, 0.54% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 7.91% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.40% of the population. There were 2,324 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $24,781 versus $21,213 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,271. About 12.4% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
