Medford Oregon or Redding California (Portland, Eugene: home, to buy, high schools)

[northbayeric]

You raise some outstanding points, no doubt about that. How ridiculous that your property taxes would have taken a jump of more than 50 percent--and at $5,700 a year you're either living in a mansion, or more likely you're just paying too much.

Having clean library books is an easy fix. There are jars of this goopy, pasty-colored book cleaner we use in our library system along with boxes of shop towels that take the dirt and grime off the mylar covers. More problematic are very old books with fragile paper that isn't acid-free and as a result gets badly discolored. Many newer books are poorly bound, leading to broken spines and loose pages.

I live in Sonoma County, California (unfortunately). Full-time entry-level librarians start at about $52,000 per year, while the highest-level librarians earn close to $90,000. In outrageously expensive Marin County and San Francisco, many of them probably earn six figures. In most of Missouri, where I'm planning to move to, public librarian salaries average about $35,000, but the cost of living there just clobbers California and especially the Bay Area. A $100,000 yearly salary for a southern Oregon librarian sounds very over the top unless they're outstanding in their knowledge of automation systems.

In most if not all of Missouri, from what I'm discovering, people living outside of a given public library district do pay an annual user fee to use the library system that serves the district. That isn't the case with the Sonoma County Library; as long as you're a California resident, you receive the same borrowing privileges and electronic database access as a Sonoma County resident. That probably has to do with the fact that about 81 percent of its revenue comes from state property taxes. And believe me, have we got one heckuva state bureaucracy in Sacramento--one that can't balance its budget and that is headed for a fiscal train wreck with the level of taxes and bond spending taking place.

I'm uncomfortable with the idea of user fees for everyone, and you may not be advocating that for people who reside within the regional library district. On general principles, public libraries try to bridge the gap between information haves and have-nots, something that ran along economic lines when electronic technology used to be so expensive. As someone in the library profession, I would love to see libraries be able to serve as a way to empower the economically disadvantaged as much as possible. Public schools claim they try to do the same thing, but the National Education (?) Association has such a destructive leftist agenda. The American Library Association is outlandishly liberal as well, but I don't think it leaves the same kind of heavy stamp on public libraries as the NEA does on public schools. At least not quite as much.

So to you and any other concerned citizens, pay attention to your public libraries, and be very vocal if they're doing something you object to. As an example, if you notice many books on witchcraft in the collection but very few books advocating Christianity, ask why there isn't a more even balance. Freedom, thank you for your response and for explaining your situation! I think a privately-run library system would be more responsive to community feedback than one that's government-run.

[northbayeric]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

I left Vancouver. I liked Portland/Vancouver...awesome volcanoes to look at. I use to go south on 205 and gaze at Mt hood, and on the way back north I would Marvel at Mt St. Helens. My only issue with it is that it rained a weee too much. I miss it though. Medford/Redding on the Radar Bcause I can get some sun, and stay in the trees and mountains.

With my last post in reply to Freedom, do I win the CityData fool's gold medal for going off-topic? I'd be remiss if I didn't focus on the OP's original question from back in mid-July. Medford or Redding? Boy, I'd say advantages and disadvantages to both locations; and it might boil down to personal preference. Redding is in a prettier setting. It averages about 33 to 34 inches of rain per year. Medford gets about 19 inches a year, the same as in San Francisco. At about 1,300 feet in elevation, I don't think Medford would receive any measurable snow in the winter, but whereas it gets down in the upper teens and 20s in the winter, Redding usually stays above 30.

Redding is in California; therefore you pay sales taxes. I think the sales tax in Shasta County is 7.5 percent, give or take a quarter percent. Property taxes, if they are lower in Redding, wouldn't be lower enough to offset the presence of the sales tax.

Politically, Medford and Redding are conservative/libertarian relative to their respective states as a whole. The left-wing voters in Portland, the Bay Area and Los Angeles will always outnumber the Medford and Redding voters in statewide races.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd have to give the advantage to Medford. 25 years ago I would have said Redding. And I would highly encourage the OP, if you haven't done so already, to check the surrounding area around Medford, including Grants Pass and maybe Jacksonville. The Applegate Valley between Grants Pass and Jacksonville is just to die for, scenery-wise. The wineries up there are great too.

[Tesaje]

Interesting thread. I went to high school and Shasta College in Redding a long time ago. When I left Redding, I never looked back. All the while I lived there, I took every opportunity to get out of the pit that was Redding and up into the mountains. Redding is pretty in the winter when it greens up and the mountains surrounding it are gorgeous. On a clear day, it is breathtakingly beautiful with Shasta and Mt. Lassen on 2 sides and Shasta Bolly and the Trinity Alps on the west side. Freezing temps were very uncommon and snow a rarity but just run up the hill and there's tons of it. Never saw freezing rain either. Great bike riding area.

Summers were brutal and very ugly. The gentle push of air thru the straits in SF and the oppressive high pressure all summer means all the pollution and baking heat created from Sacramento north pools in the cradle created by the mountains surrounding Redding. The inversion layer at 1500-2000 ft caps it so it all stays at ground level and you can't see the mountains at all. Lake Shasta cooled the horrible summers a little but brutal heat is the rule from April to October. Dry or not, when it is that hot, it is miserable. Global warming will only make it a lot worse. I live in the east now and have never felt humid heat here that approached the misery that was Redding in the summer. Now, there are theories that the enormous weight of Lake Shasta is causing instability in the earth and causing the earthquake risk to rise for the area. The rain is winter rain. It is completely dry and brown from late April until Oct.

I don't know if the schools are any better or worse now. Shasta College was pretty good and I did fine when transitioning to the UC campus - it was good prep. But when we came (8th grade for me), the schools were 3 months to a year behind where we were in Colo. I was bored out of my gourd. All thru HS I didn't work very hard and aced it. I never did go back for a HS reunion. Not much interest in most of those people and the ones that might be interesting don't live there anymore. My brothers moved away more recently but said there was a lot of crime and gang activity that didn't exist when I lived there. It is pretty much the last place on earth that I would ever want to live in again.

Medford looked like a lot nicer place than Redding and is not as isolated. PDX is closer to Medford than Sacto or SF is to Redding. But I never lived there, so I don't really know.

[sunnynortherncailf]

As far as property tax it is a little more then 1% of the purchase price of the home you purchase. Feel free to check out my we page for homes in the area.
Mod cut[/url]

for schools heres a direct sight
ShastaCOE.org

[Inthesierras]

One reason Redding has a higher rate of sex offenders is the way the Calif Parole system is designed. Offenders are paroled back to the county where their offense occured. Most sex offenders have to live in half way houses for a certian amount of time, complete therapy, check in at the parole office, and find work.

Since most of the small cities and towns in Shasta County cannot provide those requirements, sex offenders have no choice but to live in the city of Redding. Its that way in many of the smaller counties in Calif. They have to live where the services are, or they are in violation of their parole.

Like any area, be aware. Ask about half way houses and check Megan's law CD to see who is living in a particular neighborhood.

[codeman583]

I don't mean to be a snewdy sounding expert but when it comes to these two towns I would consider myself fairly well versed... on top of being in the Real Estate / Mortgage industry...
-------------
Redding -

7.25% Sales Tax

1.25% property tax

average home price is 20% higher then Medford per sames quality / size / age of home.

incomes are less then .5% apart...

Sales Tax in CA...
--------------
Medford -

around half the CA property taxes... although not locked in at original rate like CA.... (Thanks Reagan!)

same income

20% less in housing

10-20% less in housing rents

a community college and a university within 20 minutes! Chico State for Redding is around an hour and a half away.
------------------
so with the facts on the Table you can pretty well see the reason I am moving from Redding to Medford....

other bonus's not mentioned are small, but make a difference, and those would be:

free dumping at the landfill in Medford... not sure if all are free, but in Redding I just paid $75 for a truck bed full of trash.

registration on my truck is $144 in CA, and less then $50.00 in OR, and that is for 2 years!

CA SMOG makes have a hot rod or kit car quite difficult, but in Medford there is no worries on that either.

based just on what I see through work, the quality of the individual buyer for homes in both areas is even apparent. Medford has a better quality home buyer that is less extended on their homes then Redding. not to mention the redding buyer is having problems with their payments as well on their homes... unfortunately Redding is close enough to Sacramento (economically) that when Sacramento gets nailed for housing, and Foreclosures Redding gets some of the strain as well.... makes for a real boom / bust housing environment.

Redding does have a Sex Offender problem, as well as a transient and Mental Health problem. Shasta Mental health was recently shut down.

Benefits to Redding would be the normal stuff you read about: Lakes; shasta, Whiskeytown, and Trinity. Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Lassen, as well as the trinity mountains. Merle Haggard is also a resident of a suburban community there, and not to mention Clint Eastwoods favorite fishing spots are out of Redding. (Fall River Mills)

Medford doesn't seem to get much praise on its outdoor offerings... Ashland is close enough to be able to use there parks and trails, and not to mention all the arts, and music there... then Crater Lake, Lake of the Woods, and the Cascades are all right there. The Oregon Dunes are only 3 hours or less away as well, so that is another plus...

Redding Vs. Medford?????? I am going to choose Medford... although I still have property in Palo Cedro just outside of Redding I don't want to give up.... Redding is addictive.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Inthesierras

One reason Redding has a higher rate of sex offenders is the way the Calif Parole system is designed. Offenders are paroled back to the county where their offense occured. Most sex offenders have to live in half way houses for a certian amount of time, complete therapy, check in at the parole office, and find work.

Since most of the small cities and towns in Shasta County cannot provide those requirements, sex offenders have no choice but to live in the city of Redding. Its that way in many of the smaller counties in Calif. They have to live where the services are, or they are in violation of their parole.

Like any area, be aware. Ask about half way houses and check Megan's law CD to see who is living in a particular neighborhood.

I really doubt Redding does have more sex offenders. Oregon didn't even start reporting stats on them until the past couple of years.

To get an idea of the real state of affairs in the Medford (Jackson County), area, read this story. The things stated in the story below are prevalent in all southern Oregon communities.

Largest library closure in U.S. looms / Federal funding dries up, leaving 15 branches in Oregon county on brink

Here is another interesting story regarding the economy in southern Oregon that everyone considering a possible move there, should read.

MailTribune.com: Congress trims county payments

[MajorHart]

Originally Posted by freedom

Not really, there are plenty of privately funded cultural events throughout the year. The libraries were not a fair replacement for police protection.

Libraries are dinosaurs for the most part, if there is a true need for them, let them go private.

freedom

That free market talk is total nonsense - free public libraries are the basis of quality for any town or city.

Private industry only thinks of profits - not quality.

And what are the police protecting us from in Medford. I lived in Medford in 1981-82 - we left when the reagan recession came and went to sacramento and then san diego. We used to go to redding almost every spring and summer weekend to watch birds and enjoy the fantastic scenery.

Redding 70% Medford 45%

[MajorHart]

Originally Posted by freedom

We are in the top 10% on education spending. Money isn't the issue. Each school has a library, we finally are figuring out it makes more sense to have those available to the kids year round.

What does an opinion regarding public libraries have to do with President Bush? You realize his wife was a librarian.........and he doesn't share my opinion, don't you?

Jackson county is reopening its 15 libraries through a private company, that will take 1/3 less $ to run. The private sector has always been more efficient than government, and provided more quality experiences for the citizenry.

And, like you gas and electric bill - it will go up and up and up and the variety and supply of books will go down.

Public is the way to go for libraries and other needed services that might not find funding by the private gold collector set.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by MajorHart

That free market talk is total nonsense - free public libraries are the basis of quality for any town or city.

Private industry only thinks of profits - not quality.

And what are the police protecting us from in Medford. I lived in Medford in 1981-82 - we left when the reagan recession came and went to sacramento and then san diego. We used to go to redding almost every spring and summer weekend to watch birds and enjoy the fantastic scenery.

Redding 70% Medford 45%

The free market is what has made us the envy of the world, has brought us to a quality of life that none in world history have ever achieved.

Economy 101, no quality no profit. A good business is aware of good service and quality, or else it won't be around.

freedom