Grants Pass, Medford or Ashland??? (Eugene, Dallas: for sale, houses, neighborhood)

[81bluewater]

I am looking at a possible move to Southern Oregon in the near future from the Dallas, Texas area. I just love the mountains and the outdoor activities you enjoy in that neck of the woods and had a few questions.

I am trying to determine which area has the best high school? I send my son to a very highly rated public school and am wondering how it compares.

I have seasonal affective disorder, which is a fancy way of saying that I am affected negatively by cloudy weather. Will moving to this area be a bad decision? I can handle having 4 seasons as long as they are mild. I can handle the heat better than the cold.

What area has the most affordable housing? I am looking for a newer home with all the bells and whistles. My home I live in now is 3800 square feet in a highly custom neighborhood - I am looking to downsize considerably as I only have one child still at home. I am thinking around 2200 square feet would be good. What prices can I find in these area to be in the foothills. I definetly would want to be on a mountainside.

How do these areas compare to Redding California? I ask because my husband loves to grow palm trees and cactus, and the weather looks to be more accomodating for these type of plants. We just love visiting California but I worry becasue I hear so much negative about the place = cost of living, taxes, etc...

Thanks for any input you may give.

[freedom]

Hi pwullen,

All three cities have their uniqueness, Ashland is the most expensive for housing and has a more earthy, universalist, artsy aspect.

Medford is the hub of commercial and industry, surrounded by hillside developments. Eagle point is growing pretty rapidly.

Grants Pass is a small town feel with growing commercial infrastructure.
They are putting in an Old Navy, Barnes and Noble and Home Depot is in the planning process to purchase land for a new store.
There are more mountain properties in the woods in this area, and a great highschool in district 7.

best wishes

freedom

[Larry Caldwell]

I suffer from SAD also. Go to eBay and buy a used tanning booth. Fill it with about 1200 watts of broad spectrum fluorescent tubes. Add a half hour to your shower routine in the morning, and stand in the booth stark naked. It will fix you right up.

In the summertime, no problem. I don't get serious about the light treatments until the first of November, and can slack off by the end of March or the first of April.

I tried Lexapro one winter, but it's really not suitable for someone with SAD. It turns out it's incredibly addictive. It took me months to taper off of the stuff. By the time I got clean, the summer was almost over. Light treatments work great, and if you need to skip them for a week for some reason, no harm done.

[norm]

You can also look into buying (or making) a light box. I know many people that have SAD and a light box has worked well for them.

Larry,

I took Lexapro for 7 years and I know many people that take it and I've never heard of it being addictive. I was switched to another anti depressant because of a side effect I started having. I just stopped the Lexapro and switched to Cymbalta without a problem. Like any med that affects the brain you have to taper off of the drug when stopping.

[ArtMom]

On the topic of where to move: I am only repeating something what was told to me. We are also thinking of moving to Oregon... FIL told us to avoid Grants Pass due to some bankruptcy issues, that hopefully someone here can tell you more about. I got worried and dropped that off our list. There are LOTS of houses for sale which scared me off too. The air quality in Eugene seems noteworthy too. Medford (where inlaws live) is not to my liking, but Ashland is a lovely place... if you like artsy earthy.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by ArtMom

On the topic of where to move: I am only repeating something what was told to me. We are also thinking of moving to Oregon... FIL told us to avoid Grants Pass due to some bankruptcy issues, that hopefully someone here can tell you more about. I got worried and dropped that off our list. There are LOTS of houses for sale which scared me off too. The air quality in Eugene seems noteworthy too. Medford (where inlaws live) is not to my liking, but Ashland is a lovely place... if you like artsy earthy.

I've lived in Grants Pass for 14 yrs. Its a good thing that the gov't. doesn't have all the $ it needs, it causes people to take responsibility and get rid of waste.
This is a great town, and one to be desired.
It was the Ashland types that put the county in the position it is in, and it will take time for everyone to realize that harvesting timber is not a bad thing.
After all, there are very few brick houses.

[snb3]

Originally Posted by freedom

I've lived in Grants Pass for 14 yrs. Its a good thing that the gov't. doesn't have all the $ it needs, it causes people to take responsibility and get rid of waste.
This is a great town, and one to be desired.
It was the Ashland types that put the county in the position it is in, and it will take time for everyone to realize that harvesting timber is not a bad thing.
After all, there are very few brick houses.

Good ole LA & CA & US take almost 40% of my pay combined yet the city streets have potholes the size of manhole covers causing frequent suspension & wheel damage ( company car, hehe! ), I can't send my future kids to LAUSD as they are failing over 40% of the students. The fwys, you all know about. The city govt is allowing (reinforces) it in becoming a 3rd world city.

If I wanted to throw my money away, I would want to do it my way.


Ashland is good but not nearly as good as its residents make it out to be relative to its surrounding areas. That whole area (GP,Med,Ash) are all a great place to live just not in the same way. Here in LA, I can go a couple lights in either direction and end up in areas that are as different as they are but equally attractive (Hancock Park, Larchmont, Hollywood Hills & Loz Feliz, etc) and Southern OR is just like that.

[tdoger]

-Medford- the warmest temperature, and is the biggest. Has more options in the terms of schools compared to ashland and GP. More shops, more out door activities. Rapid City growth.
-What i think? my favorite of these three. More of a bigger city feel.(for oregon)
-Population: City:75,180 Metro: 207,010.
-Location: Jackson county, Oregon. 30 minutes from California.
-Type of City: Urban sprawl/rural.
-Economy: Centered around Big box businesses, car dealer ships, bars, hardware stores, shopping centers, fast food, Malls, and timber. Home of Lithia Motors, Harry and David's and a few other smaller business, Mainly centered around Health care serving 460,000 people yearly. The Projected 2008 retail sales in the Greater Medford Area are $7.5 billion dollars

-Ashland- Cool little town (smallest of the bunch). Close to medford, hippies, everyone is down to earth. Down town centered, most expensive.
-What i think? Coolest place, great for visiting but not for living, because there are no big stores.
-Population:City:20,255 Metro:Located in medford's metro.
-Location: 15-20 miles from Medford. Jackson county, Oregon.
-Type of City:Mountain town.
-Economy:Little mom and pop stores, down town, Grocery/organic stores, small business, Oregon Shakespeare festival, Southern Oregon University. Former manufacturer of the british super car the "Ariel Atom".

-Grants pass-more of a down town than medford(not saying much) but less of a downtown than ashland, Isolated city, interesting city, a few outdoor activities to do. 2nd largest of these three.
-What i think? I wouldn't want to live or visit GP, but they do have good schools.. so your choice.
-Population:City:34,533 Metro: no metro.
-Location:Josephine county, Oregon.
-Type of City:Rural
-Economyowntown, chain stores, timber, tourism, home of Dutch bros coffee.

[Me&T]

Hello everyone!
Our family has been wanting to relocate to Southern Oregon for several years. We initially thought we wanted to move to Ashland, but we are slowly getting priced out of that area already! This weekend we plan on taking a drive up to Southern Oregon. We would like to drive through both East and West Medford, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Talent, and Grants Pass. Ideally we would like to live on outskirts of town on 2-10 acres, or in town on a lot that size (if something like that is available).

I'm looking for specific suggestions on where to drive to get a good feel of the towns I mentioned above. We will be doing most of this in 1 1/2 days. We have three children (9, 5, 5).

Thank you in advance for any responses! :-)

[Fiddlehead]

Given your preferences, I would choose Redding, CA over any town in S. Oregon. We will get very cloudy weather in winter, with inversions that last for a couple weeks at a time.

Redding is close to the same terrific scenery, with hot summers, partly cloudy to cloudy winters. Otherwise, the cost of living and culture are pretty similar. Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta city are options too. The will be cloudier than Redding, but not so much as any of the Oregon towns you mention.