Merlin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) 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 (a type of falcon) 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 9 mi northwest of Grants Pass. It sits in the valley of Jumpoff Joe Creek, 4 mi east of where that stream joins the Rogue River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Merlin CDP has a total area of 11.07 sqkm, of which 0.02 sqkm, or 0.19%, are water. Merlin lies at an elevation of about 277 m above MSL.

Demographics