thinking about moving to Ashland from Olympia, WA. Weather? (Medford: rentals, condos)
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I am really amazed and taken aback by the negative "don't move to our town" replies I've gotten. I understand where you all are coming from, but I am surprised at the negative tone. I have friends in Ashland both who used to live there and currently do and they always gave me the impression it was a warm and welcoming place for newcomers, especially young families. They've been trying to get us to visit and move there for awhile. That was one of the reasons we got so excited about the idea.
Now after reading these replies I am actually really concerned about what happens if we do move and people are actually upset and unfriendly about having new folks in town. It makes me sad and I hope that the majority of Ashlanders would be happy to have new additions to their community.
This isn't the best place to look for the rosy-colored glasses view of a place. People will tell you about the cloud as well as the silver lining. I don't see that anyone has said "don't move to our town." I also don't think stating the facts as "negative' per se. Good grief, if someone came to you seeking pregnancy guidance, would make no mention about the possibilities of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, listeria, excessive bleeding, miscarriage, placental abruption, breech birth or other complications in order to avoid being "negative about the whole thing."
If you had completely portable careers, say, an established novelist and a work-by-wire computer programmer, then I would say, yes, this is a good time to move to Ashland. But for most people, employability is a concern when choosing a place, and there is a huge range of variation in that particular criterion. Has it ever occurred to you that the population of Ashland stays around 20,000 even though it is a very popular place that many people love? There must be a reason or two or three for that. Better than you should hear them at the outset.
There won't be any unfriendliness toward newcomers. Ashland isn't one of those communities where there is a high quotient of native-borns. Almost everyone in Ashland is either just passing through or coming in from somewhere else. There are a lot of internationals and people from all over the county...quite cosmopolitan by southern Oregon standards. But more and more, the population dynamics are tipping toward ex-California retirees.
By all means explore your dreams! Ashland IS looking for young families, and the housing costs are better than any time in the last 8-10 years, which is do say tolerable. I was encouraging you to be cautious only because, as a midwife and cabinet maker, you would be trying to break into two saturated fields. My wife works at the welfare office, and she services tons of people who moved here for the dream and are now on public assistance. That is where I am coming from. Also, you said you like warm weather, that is why I suggested Chico. By all means come to Ashland if that is your family's dream. It sounds like you and your husband are goal-oriented and do your homework. You would very likely be great additions. Please don't take my buckets of cold water to be unfriendly. The region has some unfriendly elements to it, at least in terms of finding a workable employment/housing situation, but the people are fine. Best wishes to you and your family!
There's more to life than weather. Try to spend time in Ashland to see whether it really and truly suits you. We wish we had! We moved here 3 years ago after many, many visits. We too thought it looked like such a nice little place, liberal, open-minded. Well - NOT. Ashland is a tourist trap - sorry, but it's true. Someone here who has a huge amount of clout hates dogs - no kidding. The town likes to look like it's dog friendly, but you cannot take a dog - even on leash - into ANY city park. The fines if you do are astronomical. It's just one big example of the writing on the wall. We feel very badly about Ashland. Very touristy and self-satisfied - and nasty about dogs. Sorry to rain on the parade.
Yeah, we visit Ashland a lot and have always been shocked about the dog policy thing. We did take our dog into Lithia Park once and thought we'd get away with it...Wrong! We got yelled at by many people, but they were all just worried that we would get fined, not being nasty towards us. The dog park and the trail adjacent to it were much friendlier!
Someone once let their dog jump into one of the ponds in Lithia park and kill a swan; that is one of the reasons why the policy is in place. There are plenty of other places to walk your dog. There are contradictions in Ashland, but overall I found the community great and enjoyed living there. It is a place where many people are struggling to get by, while others made it big courtesy of the housing bubble.
Apologies for the thread hijack, but I would love to get together with others to take back at least some of the green spaces for dogs. I live just up from Walker School, and all the neighborhood folks would exercise their dogs (frisbees, tennis balls with chuckits,etc.) in the schools in the evenings and weeknds. We just passed yet another school bond, and the week after the election, the schools were posted as off limits for dogs. Truth be told, given the greying of the town, allowing the folks to exercise their animals in the school grounds after hours seems only fair, given that many voluntarily support the schools each year, even though their grandchildren are usually in school far away. In fairness, we (dog owners) really need to control our animals and clean up after them. I would gladly do a monthly poop patrol or my local parks and schools to keep them clean. In my copious free time, I may start a revolutions against the dog nazis. Haven't found the mojo yet.
We are likely moving to the Rogue Valley within the next month or two. Ashland is very attractive to both of us on all counts, except for the dog issue. That is a major con for us. I understand the swan thing (first time I've heard an explanation) is bad, but blaming all dogs for that is an extreme overreaction. Fiddlehead I hope you are successful in changing the law.
My advice is enjoy the green and beauty in Olympia and forget about the less green and beauty in Ashland. I grew up in Ashland and I can tell you that it has more than its share of overcast days, but doesn't get the constant drizzle we get. For all the cloudy days, at least in Olympia you get all the lush and pristine beauty. Not to mention you are near a sizable city. Medford is a total pit and I would hate to be stuck so isolated in Southern Oregon where there is almost no signs of civilization. Stay in Oly or go to Bellingham which has a bit less rain than Oly.
I appreciate your response, Mr. Smith, but you see how we all are different...I like the idea of living more isolated and rural. I hate going to Seattle or Tacoma and only go if it's absolutely necessary. I'd also never want to move to Bellingham, it gets significantly cooler summer temps and those days in the 90s here in the South Sound are what I live for.
We are likely moving to the Rogue Valley within the next month or two. Ashland is very attractive to both of us on all counts, except for the dog issue. That is a major con for us. I understand the swan thing (first time I've heard an explanation) is bad, but blaming all dogs for that is an extreme overreaction. Fiddlehead I hope you are successful in changing the law.
The dog issue is your BIG issue?
What about the lack of jobs issue, the homeless that burnt down 11 houses last summer and got off scott free issue, the overpriced food issue, the closing of schools issue, the parks employees stealing from the city issue, the gay pride in-your-face parade through downtown Ashland issue.
Do your research and you'll find out that your dog not being allowed in all city parks is not an issue.
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