What areas around Medford are nice/affordable? What areas to avoid? Is White City trashy? (Portland: camp, living in)
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Location: 'Shangri-La 'mountains west of Wolf Creek, Oregon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdvaden
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.
"Sems to me Dec, Jan is usually the worst of our winter. Some days in Feb can be in the 70's".
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'm so used to driving my truck in the mountains, i don't brake, just usually downshift.
Heck, I'm almost afraid to post my opinion here, vicious!
I've been researching for our move to Oregon this summer. I lived in CA most of my life with the exception of Missouri for the past 3 yrs. We have no intentions of moving back to CA, but have family there & want closer without being in their back yard.
I think that Central Point, or Ashland are where I'll concentrate my search, maybe Lebanon (hubby has friends there). I am also checking into Medford too, I've been there & at least know where to look. Been to Eastern Oregon & didn't like it too much. We'll be visiting there & check out our city or town of interest then make our decision. I have Middle Schoolers, so that is our main concern. We know our outdoor interests will be good no matter where we decide.
I don't care what any of you say, Northern Oregon has much more beautiful scenery than Southern ORegon, but to each their own! Anyone with a set of properly functioning eyes can tell you how much nicer the scenery is here. The trees are thicker, the plants greener. Maybe, Southern Oregon has a larger biodiversity (I highly doubt it), but it sure has a lower concentration per sq mi of plant life. Just walk into any forest in Mt Hood Nat'l Forest and then into any forest in Siskiyou Nat'l Forest and see for yourself the great difference in wildlife and plant life. I never saw a mossy tree with ferns growing out of it until I moved north.. One thing I will say though is climbing to top of Mt Ashland from Lithia Park with snow is a surreal experience. The snow covered creeks are breathtaking. However, the snow covered rocks and forests around the Columbia Gorge easily blows it away in winter scenery.
Did somebody here actually say they love the beauty of the invasive and repulsive species of blackberry bush that grows all over Oregon?
If you want the best view in the Pacific NW, besides Larch Mountain, take a trip up to White Salmon, WA and see a giant Mt Hood covered with snow in the backdrop of steep cliffs rising above the Columbia River.. I tell you, words cannot describe this beauty and it will leave you speechless.. You will never find such an amazing viewpoint with such drastic contrasts in one blink of the eye in Southern Oregon or even the whole state of California. Perhaps Yosemite, can be a rival, but thats it.
The only exception here is the Oregon Coast, but the Oregon coast is not Northern or Southern Oregon, it is, what it is, "The Oregon Coast". Getting over those mountains to the coastal range, living in Medford, is no easy trip and not something you can do all the time, especially in the winter.
As far as flowers, my parents always told me on their trips to Portland how amazing it was to see Rhododendrons growing everywhere. HOw heartbreaking would it be to be in a place with no Rhododendrons..
Mt. McLoughlin?? Please, that mountain is fun to climb, but really is nothing compared to any of the mountains in the Cascade Range. The Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Mt Hood, Mt Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker.. Little McLoughlin is a mere hill.. And the snow melts faster on McLoughlin due to higher temps down south.
In the summer, Southern ORegon is very hot and full of smoke from the burning mountains. Northern Oregon is very comfortable in the 80s and 90s and only with a moderate amount of forest fires. Heck, only like 5 or 6 years ago (I forget exactly), over 1 million acres of some of most beautiful forest in SOuthern Oregon around Cave Junction burnt to a bloody crisp.
As far as the guy talking about clean air.. OMGosh, have you ever done a thorough examination of the pollutant concentrations in Rogue Valley to the WIllamette Valley (including Portland)? I didn't think so.. Because, Rogue Valley smog levels are on par with Fresno and other highly polluted areas. I was amazed at the brown haze you would see entering Medford from Grants Pass. Lots of factories in Medford and no where to exhaust that smoke in that very steep mountain valley.
Ashland is a great place to visit, but live there?? You will get bored, unless you are an old hippy with deep roots there. If you don't mind wild and crazy hippy parties where people dance naked around the fire, then Ashland may be a place you will enjoy. I know from personally experience, from attending some of these parties, in my younger days.. As far as more normal people, Ashland's night life and amenities get old so quick and you will be stuck in Dreadford more than you wish.
One thing I did love in Ashland, was climbing Mt Ashland and seeing Mt Shasta on a clear day. Clear days are generally few in Ashland, despite the propagandists claiming falsely how sunny it is.
Take my advice, Go North.. If you want sun, move to Reddding.. You have more sun and Shasta and the Shasta-trinity Nat'l Forest right in your backyard.
Last edited by Mr.SmithW; 05-15-2011 at 03:44 PM..
With all due respect, I don't see your point. Oregon as a state is very beautiful, and I would never go to post repeatedly in an inquiry about, say, LaGrande, and start talking about how southwest Oregon is so much better. Of course NW Oregon has beautiful places, and it is greener. But by that yardstick why not move to Puget Sound? Even greener and more beautiful. I agree the Columbia Gorge is beautiful, but have you checked out the N. Umpqua? Canoed the Klamath Marsh during the breeding bird season? Rafted the Rogue? If I want green, lush forests, I need only go north into the Umpqua Basin or west into the Smith River watershed to see mossy hemlock and cedar forests or redwood forests. I can go south into the Shasta Valley to get a slice of Montana. I can head to the Trinity Alps to get granite as white and naked as Yosemite, see crazy plant diversity on the serpentine soil patches of the Eddy Range, or the most diverse conifer forests in the WORLD in the Russian Wilderness. There is not single superior shade of beauty, or a single superior place to live.
We are fortunate to be having these debates, because the whole state is beautiful in a fascinating variety of ways. For instance, I am trying to get out to Lakeview area this summer, just to see that high desert and wetland country. I like that area precisely because it has a unique beauty that I can appreciate, but it is not overrun, except by pronghorn.
I don't care what any of you say, Northern Oregon has much more beautiful scenery than Southern Oregon, but to each their own!
I get around the entire state, so the north and south are both my own. Seems it may depend on where people go to explore and what they like, but I would find your point indefensible in a debate.
New world's tallest pine we found last January west of Grants Pass. Taller than any redwood in Muir Woods and a 6 foot diameter trunk. We found other pines and Douglas fir in the same area up to 8 and 9 feet diameter.
The southern Oregon coast looks just as nice as the north Oregon coast for the more part.
And although the mountains are different, the Siskiyous, for example, are just as interesting and scenic as northern peaks and ranges.
Whereas the north has the Columbia River Gorge, it does not include Crater Lake in southern Oregon.
So there is no practical way to say that one is more scenic than the other.
I don't care what any of you say, Northern Oregon has much more beautiful scenery than Southern ORegon, but to each their own! Anyone with a set of properly functioning eyes can tell you how much nicer the scenery is here.
Hey, I love Southern Oregon's beauty, it's like comparing a fine ounce of silver to a fine ounce of gold.
The coast is the coast.. IMO, nothing in the world can compare to the Redwoods. However, Cape Perpetua IMO wins as far as coastal scenery goes in Oregon.. The Olympics, The Sound and Hoh Rain Forest, obviously give Washington the reward for coastal scenery of the Pacific NW.
Please don't include Northern Cali into this debate.. This was about Southern Oregon.. The Trinity Alps are in California.. Yes, NOrthern California is truly awesome and in a class of its own. I would say Shasta's beauty rivals that of any mountain, as well as the California forests. Southern Oregon, just doesn't host the amazing landscapes you will find in Northern California, nor the lush forest scenery you have in Northern Oregon. The jagged peaks of the mountains of the North make for some awe-inspiring scenery that Southern Oregon doesn't have. Does this mean Southern ORegon is not beautiful? No, it is quite..
Dang, I know we are getting off the topic. But, despite all the hidden gems in Southern Oregon, you can be assured you are far from them all living in Dreadford (aka Medford). In Medford you will have to drive at least 30 minutes before you are in any area with redeeming scenery. In Portland, you can drive 30 minutes east and already see Multnomah Falls.. I don't know about the rest of you, but some of us have too busy of schedules to do long 2 hour trips around the state to find amazing scenery. The drive to Crater Lake is no picnic either.
Dang, I know we are getting off the topic. But, despite all the hidden gems in Southern Oregon, you can be assured you are far from them all living in Dreadford (aka Medford).
Well, I don't want to continue a NW vs. SW Oregon debate. I like both, and I like that they are different. But I must say that if the OP wanted to live in Medford and environs, N. California is very much our home range. The State of Jefferson!
I get around the entire state, so the north and south are both my own. Seems it may depend on where people go to explore and what they like, but I would find your point indefensible in a debate.
New world's tallest pine we found last January west of Grants Pass. Taller than any redwood in Muir Woods and a 6 foot diameter trunk. We found other pines and Douglas fir in the same area up to 8 and 9 feet diameter.
The southern Oregon coast looks just as nice as the north Oregon coast for the more part.
And although the mountains are different, the Siskiyous, for example, are just as interesting and scenic as northern peaks and ranges.
Whereas the north has the Columbia River Gorge, it does not include Crater Lake in southern Oregon.
So there is no practical way to say that one is more scenic than the other.
Nice photos..!
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As far as more normal people, Ashland's night life and amenities get old so quick and you will be stuck in Dreadford more than you wish.
