Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I lived in the Willamette Valley for a number of years, I must say, it doesn't have anything over S.Oregon. I grew up up in S. Oregon and there have been many changes here in the valley, mostly for the good. I ride my motorcycle (weather permitting) to the coast, in the Cascades and all around this area, you can't buy a better place to see the sites or just get out into nature.
Mr.Smith, Your correct Medford is no Portland, Eugene or Salem, I like it that way. If I want to go to Portland I will just travel 4 hours north, the great thing is, I don't live there and I can always leave. I go to Portland about twice a year to the VA hospital, what I do notice is the smell in the Portland area and the stinging in my eyes, Portland's air may look clean but from a person that only visits there the city stinks in the true sense of the word. The Rogue Valley has it's problems with air quality, but that isn't an everyday occurence.
I don't have to write any long response, but my experience from living in Ashland for many years is that it is every bit as gloomy and cloudy as living in Portland. The only difference is that the clouds don't produce the same amount of precipitation as they do in the North. So, in Southern Oregon you get all the clouds, but not all the beautiful greenery that comes with them. I'm yet to see many days where it was sunny in Ashland, yet cloudy and raining in Portland. If you seriously want more sunshine, move to The Dalles, where the clouds actually stop. East of the Cascades is the only place to escape Oregon's dreaded perpetual cloud cover.
As far as the person who says north of Cottage Grove is all Doug Fir, they certainly are quite ignorant about the Pacific Northwest's ecosystem. There is so much biodiversity here, the place is like a semi-rain forest. Driving through the Columbia Gorge you see large varieties of trees. The coast boasts a large array of Sitka Spruce. Cedars, Firs, Spruce, Hemlock, Alder, Pines and many other varieties of trees are mixed withihn the forests. As a matter of fact, I have seen many Alder forests where you won't see hardly any evergreen trees. Also, Southern Oregon is drier and lacks the beautiful sword ferns and plant biodiversity that the Northern Oregon forests have. I really found the lack of ferns, disconcerting. Southern Oregon's forests are subpar to those of the North.
And, besides Crater Lake, good luck finding the amazing natural spectacles right out in your backyard, like Mount Hood, Mt Adams, Mt St, Helens, Mt. Rainier, Puget Sound, Columbia Gorge, endless amounts of rivers and mountain lakes. You guys can have your Mt. McLoughlin and Redwoods which are like 2-3 hours away, I will take my view of Mt. Hood and St. Helens.
Also, the air is cleaner here. Despite having like 1/100th the population, Medford and the Rogue Valley in general has the worst air quality in the state.
I, also , love visiting Portland.. It's nice to have it closeby, but just 1 hour away, you are in plenty of wilderness and rural areas. Personally, I think many parts of Portland smell good. Especially, the residential areas with the beautiful flower gardens. Southern Oregon can never boast the beautiful gardens you see in Portland. There are more farms right outside of Portland than in the entire Rogue Valley.
Well, I won't dog NW Oregon. Beautiful area. And I like Portland. However, I will take issue with the notion that NW Oregon has more plant diversity than S. Oregon. That was what I thought until I studied it. SW Oregon blows anywhere in the PNW out of the water by a large margin in the plant diversity department. It has a transition feel between the wetter forests of the NW and And it has many species found nowhere else in the world. And add in the Klamath Lake and marshes, the Klamath, Rogue, Umqua, Chetco, Coquille, Smith, Eel, Mad, Trinity, and Illinois Rivers and you have great aquatic diversity too. I would add that we have N. California nearby and the high lonesome country of Klamath and Lake counties out the back door. We're doing just fine for diversity and recreation. Excuse me while I pinch myself for having to "suffer" through my grim S. Oregon existence.....
Oh, and I'll mention that in the precipation sunshine department, the climatological averaged show there are about 25-30% less cloudy days in Ashland, slightly less in Medford. I won't lie and say we have sunny winters, but that modest decrease in cloudiness and rain really made a difference for me. And in winter, some nights I can go out in a down coat and enjoy the snow and cold, dry night air with stars! And if I an lucky I might step on a leaf and hear crunch rather than squish.. When I lived in Corvallis, I struggled with the gloom. I don't think about it much in S. Oregon. Except this spring, which did get under my skin. Point is, I agree that we are not a sunny Santa Barbara kind of place, but that modest difference might bring it within the pain threshold for a gloom sensitive person. The biggest differences I see are in the shoulder season (May-June; September-October), when the marine layers push into the Willamette Valley, but S. Oregon is clearer. Roseburg is intermediate in all respects, but in my study of the climate data, it is closer to the Willamette Valley than to the Rogue Valley (Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland).
As far as the person who says north of Cottage Grove is all Doug Fir, they certainly are quite ignorant about the Pacific Northwest's ecosystem. There is so much biodiversity here, the place is like a semi-rain forest. Driving through the Columbia Gorge you see large varieties of trees. The coast boasts a large array of Sitka Spruce. Cedars, Firs, Spruce, Hemlock, Alder, Pines and many other varieties of trees are mixed withihn the forests. As a matter of fact, I have seen many Alder forests where you won't see hardly any evergreen trees. Also, Southern Oregon is drier and lacks the beautiful sword ferns and plant biodiversity that the Northern Oregon forests have. I really found the lack of ferns, disconcerting. Southern Oregon's forests are subpar to those of the North.
This is factually false. As was stated before, the biodiversity in Southern Oregon is literally among the greatest in the entire world outside of the equatorial rain forests. There are literally thousands of species of wildflowers that are found nowhere else in the world except in the Siskiyou Mountains (that I spent my childhood picking ) including one of the few species of carnivorous plants. AND there are more evergreen species found in that region than in any other place in the entire world, including anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SmithW
And, besides Crater Lake, good luck finding the amazing natural spectacles right out in your backyard, like Mount Hood, Mt Adams, Mt St, Helens, Mt. Rainier, Puget Sound, Columbia Gorge, endless amounts of rivers and mountain lakes. You guys can have your Mt. McLoughlin and Redwoods which are like 2-3 hours away, I will take my view of Mt. Hood and St. Helens.
Like Mount Hood and St. Helens? I have never been able to see Mount Hood from my backyard while living in the Portland area. And, like I said, you're lucky if you can see it most of the year because the clouds cover it for 6 to 9 months of the year and in the summer you can barely make it out through the smog. Not nearly as impressive as it ought to be except on those rare, crisp winter days where the sun is shining and the air is perfectly clean.
And don't forget about the Oregon Caves, the Kalmiopsis Wildnerness--especially along the Illinois River (you said you like wildnerness right?), Hellsgate Canyon and the lower Rogue, and the numerous 7000+ foot peaks. And just the drive through OR 140 is amazing. Diamond Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lake Selmac, Table Rock... Nevermind that view when you're heading down towards Grants Pass from Wolf Creek on I-5. You can't beat that view anywhere in Northwestern Oregon (except maybe from the top of the Astoria Column). McLoughlin is closer to Medford than Hood or St. Helens is to Portland, and you have Mt. Ashland for skiing too, or you can take a short trip down to Shasta. Wow, I am making myself miss it down there!!
Medford will never equal Portland and there are plenty good reasons to live in the Portland area over Medford (this is not the post for me to list them, because I could go on for a while). But both Medford and Southern Oregon are wonderful places to live nonetheless in their own regard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SmithW
I, also , love visiting Portland.. It's nice to have it closeby, but just 1 hour away, you are in plenty of wilderness and rural areas. Personally, I think many parts of Portland smell good. Especially, the residential areas with the beautiful flower gardens. Southern Oregon can never boast the beautiful gardens you see in Portland. There are more farms right outside of Portland than in the entire Rogue Valley.
Farms do not equal "beautiful gardens in Portland"... And obviously you've never seen my grandma's garden or my parents' neighbor's garden if you think Southern Oregon can't boast the same beautiful gardens that Portland has.
Also maybe be aware that you are not letting your own personal preferences get in the way of your implicitly "factual" arguments. And lastly... Do you hate liberals or conservatives? Or do you just really like stirring arguments with everyone?
I prefer the beauty, splendor in the mountains of southwest Oregon. The peace, harmony, tranquility felt in the forest, is unequaled, imho.
I see all the plantlife folks have already mentioned & the sweet smell of wild Lilac bushes, sweet peas, wild flower that appear to be orchids, wild strawberry, black berry bushes, giant ferns, Azaleas. Alders grow wild anywhere thar is water. Meadows of colorful wildflowers.
I spend quite a bit of time exploring the BLM lands for their beauty.
I know a lot of people who actually prefer the east side for the sunlight dynamics. While it's true that Medford gets hot in the afternoon for 3-5 weeks a year, it's quite cold for 30+ weeks a year.
As one who works outdoors 50 weeks per year, that sounds somewhat like Portland up here, where the average July and August temps are like 82 degrees with virtually no rain for 8 weeks.
Medford has an average temperature of 81 in June, 91 in July, 91 in August and 83 in September.
With an average high of 70 to 72 in both May or June, I don't quite see wiggle room for 30+ weeks of cold weather.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk J
I prefer the beauty, splendor in the mountains of southwest Oregon. The peace, harmony, tranquility felt in the forest, is unequaled, imho.
I see all the plantlife folks have already mentioned & the sweet smell of wild Lilac bushes, sweet peas, wild flower that appear to be orchids, wild strawberry, black berry bushes, giant ferns, Azaleas. Alders grow wild anywhere thar is water. Meadows of colorful wildflowers.
I spend quite a bit of time exploring the BLM lands for their beauty.
The mountains are very nice down there. Although I don't like 6% downgrade, the drive through the mountains is very relaxing for me.
I prefer the beauty, splendor in the mountains of southwest Oregon. The peace, harmony, tranquility felt in the forest, is unequaled, imho.
I see all the plantlife folks have already mentioned & the sweet smell of wild Lilac bushes, sweet peas, wild flower that appear to be orchids, wild strawberry, black berry bushes, giant ferns, Azaleas. Alders grow wild anywhere thar is water. Meadows of colorful wildflowers.
I spend quite a bit of time exploring the BLM lands for their beauty.
It says I must spread some rep points around, my friend, before I can rep you again.
i was just in Medford yesterday doing some errands and there are some beautiful older neighborhoods there - up the hill above Bear Creek Park and near the hospital. Reminds me of the Mt Tabor/Hollywood/Sellwood neighborhoods in Portland. I was also in the "old" district, west of downtown, and there are some nice working-class neighborhoods with well-kept houses. There are definitely some run-down neighborhoods as well, but Medford is not a "wealthy" city, it's definitely predominantly working-class.
I prefer the beauty, splendor in the mountains of southwest Oregon. The peace, harmony, tranquility felt in the forest, is unequaled, imho.
I see all the plantlife folks have already mentioned & the sweet smell of wild Lilac bushes, sweet peas, wild flower that appear to be orchids, wild strawberry, black berry bushes, giant ferns, Azaleas. Alders grow wild anywhere thar is water. Meadows of colorful wildflowers.
I spend quite a bit of time exploring the BLM lands for their beauty.
i was just in Medford yesterday doing some errands and there are some beautiful older neighborhoods there - up the hill above Bear Creek Park and near the hospital. Reminds me of the Mt Tabor/Hollywood/Sellwood neighborhoods in Portland. I was also in the "old" district, west of downtown, and there are some nice working-class neighborhoods with well-kept houses. There are definitely some run-down neighborhoods as well, but Medford is not a "wealthy" city, it's definitely predominantly working-class.
My sister is thinking of relocating to the Medford area. We spent some time last week driving around the eastern side of town. We were both pleasantly surprised by some of the lovely neighborhoods. Lots of older, beautiful homes with huge old trees!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) including one of the few species of carnivorous plants. AND there are more evergreen species found in that region than in any other place in the entire world, including anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest.
