Is Grants Pass "odd"? (Medford, Bend: mortgage broker, loans, smog)

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by TribalCat

I was reading a thread about Southern Oregon (I've forgotten which one), and the poster was talking about the different towns. He wrote that Grants Pass was "odd". Is it?

Here's my little list of odd questions:

Is it a liberal town? Not really

Are they tolerant of different spiritual traditions? I'm not sure what you mean.

Are there any health food stores there? Yes

Is there a market for alternative medicine in GP? I really doubt it. People there seem to cling to the old school medical stuff, and consider others to be hippyish.

What's going on with the closing of public libraries in that area? That seems scary to me.

Lack of funding. The powers that be abused the funding and now they're paying the price. The already over-taxed citizens didn't want to carry the funding on their backs.

Does the temperature really reach 90 degrees, and for how long does it stay that high? It's not uncommon to reach 105 to 110 one or two weeks max - if that long. It can hover in the high 90's for a few weeks though.

Is it dog-friendly? Are there hiking trails that dogs, horses and bicycles are allowed on nearby?

As dog friendly as any other town I guess. I don't think animals are allowed in stores, if that's what you mean. Yes there are hiking trails about a 40 minute drive or maybe a little less away. Some people own horses, but don't bring them into town. I never saw any bicycle lanes while I lived there. I wouldn't recommend driving them downtown, the traffic is too bad.

Would it be hard to get around town on a bicycle? Not if you stay off the main streets. Otherwise yes, you will get hit - there's too much traffic. It gets very cold in the winter so using a bicycle for your only source of transportation would be limited.

Does it stay green year-round? The mountains stay green year round. Most trees in the city stay green year round. Some areas may turn brown during the summer months.

In the winter, do the roads get very icy, and are they well maintained? Yes the roads do get icy. They used to do a fairly good job putting sand on them. I don't know about now due to the lack of funding.

Are there any local Country music stations? I don't know about local, but I'm sure you can get reception from a Medford station.

Is there a seedy part of town, or areas that should be avoided? South west.

Is a lot of new construction being built green? No and if there is, it's being built by a private individual. They're not all that concerned with the environment there and make fun of those who are.

What is the terrain like? Is GP on the bottom of a valley or in the foothills, how close are the mountains, how forested is it? It's in a valley leading up to the foothills, surrounded by mountains.

What kind of wildlife could I see there? In town probably not a lot. In the country surrounding it, I've seen bears, tons of fish, cougars, turkeys, ducks, blue heron, geese, lots of deer, bobcats, fox, squirrels, eagles, skunks, snakes, beavers, otter, and maybe a few I missed.

I'll probably have more questions later

I moved from the Grants Pass area last March after living there for 3.5 years. There's not much to do, the shopping isn't all that great as far as department stores, the layout of the town sucks - only one bridge to cross over the Rogue River into town, high crime rate of break-ins and theft due to the major meth problem, lots of homeless people hanging out in the park downtown, very few jobs, and the ones that are there pay very low. I didn't think the town was very pretty either. Southern Oregon is a depressed area, in a major financial slump, with a corrupt good ole boy government.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by ladysrodgers

I moved from the Grants Pass area last March after living there for 3.5 years. There's not much to do, the shopping isn't all that great as far as department stores, the layout of the town sucks - only one bridge to cross over the Rogue River into town, high crime rate of break-ins and theft due to the major meth problem, lots of homeless people hanging out in the park downtown, very few jobs, and the ones that are there pay very low. I didn't think the town was very pretty either. Southern Oregon is a depressed area, in a major financial slump, with a corrupt good ole boy government.

There are 3 bridges to go to and from town. 2 are one way, and the other is both directions. A fourth is in the works.
How many city and county meetings did you attend?
Did you get involved in the political system?
What are you doing to make Texas a better place. Or is there no crime, homelessness, or drug abuse in that area?

freedom

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by freedom

There are 3 bridges to go to and from town. 2 are one way, and the other is both directions. A fourth is in the works.
How many city and county meetings did you attend?
Did you get involved in the political system?
What are you doing to make Texas a better place. Or is there no crime, homelessness, or drug abuse in that area?

freedom

Well yes, one going in each direction on the bridges. Where is the third bridge? The one on the way to WalMart? If so, I meant going to downtown. Where is the 4th going in?

Don't start in on me about the politics......everyone knows what it is. The only ones in denial about it are the ones involved in it. Besides, I lived in Jackson County but had a Grants Pass street address.

The percentage ratio of meth users and their related problems is by far larger because of Grants Pass being so small. It is what it is, and it's growing.

What I do or don't do in Texas, is off topic.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by newlife7

hello everyone..

i am considering moving to this area, and have been reading the threads, but it is very confusing...

i am moving from SC the heart of the bible belt, and the last thing i want is to move into another bible beating town. i don't care if someone believes bible or not, but after living here for 7 years, i just can't live where the bible rules the land and the people.. even those who do not believe!

some of you say the town is liberal, some say it is fundamental christian... which is it? It's neither, it's inbetween.

will i be outcasted at my job for not taking part in prayer every morning You can't be serious?

(prayer i believe is something done privately in ones home and not in a workplace or school, or, if wanted to, then prayer should be done in private with others who also wish to do so and not where people who believe differently have to be involved with it, take it to a private room and have all the prayer you want, but don't do it where i or others and their children have to be subjected to what we don't believe or agree with and don't judge us for our views.. )

will i be treated like a piece of furniture because i don't accept jesus as my savior? (i was ignored to the point where even common courtesy didn't exist, wasn't even said hello to as common greeting in the workplace) Ummmm did you make it a point to let your co-workers know how against it you were? If so, that could have been a factor.

are peoples freedoms such as who one can marry governed by church and government? Are you sure you're even living in the USA??

no, i'm not gay, but i believe no one has the right to say who can marry who... down here in the south, people live in fear of their god and are fascists working to eliminate the separation of church and state...

i do not want to live with this type of mindset ever again.. so please, can someone be clear on what type of mindset rules and governs grants pass?

i love freedom, and i have no objections to others believing what they feel within is correct .. but i have every objection when any group wishes to cohere all individuals or outcast them...

down here, i can't go shopping on sunday mornings... the church rules regardless of anyone else's belief...

i have been really falling for grants pass, if i move here, i will eventually want to live in walking distance to the downtown area... What exactly is it you're falling for? It doesn't sound like you've done much, if any, research on it.

i am hoping this is a friendly town as some have said.. and is open minded enough where i will find like minded people to create long lasting lifetime friendships with.

my other concern about grants pass, is that because it is in a valley, surrounded by mountains.. is the air pollution a problem? or does the valley get enough natural ventilation to be of fresh air?

also, i've read something here about the roads in winter.. is it not feasible to live in grants pass and if needing to, work in medford? are the highways really closed at times in the winter?

thank you.

No offense, but from the sound of your post, you might be better suited to a different area.

[Take_The_Train]

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

Grants Pass would be a great test-case or micro-example that reflects many of the state and national problems.

1-Religious intolerance....insert the word Theocracy here.
2-Anti-tax crusaders - Refuse to fund anything associated with education, but always happy to fund bigger and more prisons rather than being proactive on the front end. They won't even fund the need for rural district school buses just so kids can get to school, much less educational needs and programs so lacking there.
3-Poor land use planninig, Grants Pass/Josephine County lead the state in land use claims and land use violations. It's planning department was in a sambles when I lived there. I filed two blatant land-use violation claims myself when I lived there. The city is laid out like someone took a deck of cards and threw them across the valley floor and hoped for the best. There was/has been very little thought process in regards to growth and development there. The eniter Rogue Valley is in denial about its impending water supply and water quality issues.
4-Destruction of great old buildings. With the exception of one or two blocks, all the rest of the great old buildinigs in Grants Pass have met the wrecking ball.
5-Little or no middle class, too few opportunities for youth or young people.
6-City/county run by 'good ol boys' and nepitism. Builders and developers have a rubber-stamp city council and county commissioners. Middle and lower income residents have no say in the decisions that affect their lives.
7-Little or no affordable housing...to buy or rent. I was very fortunate to have been able to own my home there.
8-Fundlemental change in demographics. Fewer and fewer young people can afford to stay/live in Grants Pass. UNfortunately, this his taking place in many small towns, but is much more prononced in Grants Pass. I was in my mid-late 30s when I lived there and I felt like one of the youngest people in town. Grants Pass is becoming the Sun City of Oregon.....55 and older only.
9-Grants Pass is not a real and diverse community, but rather a place for one to cash in their over-inflated equity from someplace else to retire and not have to bother with civic engagement or supporting fundamental services that are needed for those who grew-up there and that are trying to remain in the place they call home.

Exactly! You are 100% correct on all nine issues.

[Take_The_Train]

Originally Posted by freedom

Chrisruns2far says:


Do you have an example of this intolerance? Every religious denomination is represented here, there are atheists and evolutionist. There are those that say their belief is the way, but that is a global position. You can go anywhere and experience that.

Is that why the New Highschool was built, adding a bond of 43 million dollars to our tax bills? As to the buses you are flat wrong, there are rural buses for every county school Laidlaw is the contractor for this service, my Father in law is a bus driver....doh! No money for schools? Oregon spends $7,700 per student, the National avg. is $5,500. My property tax is $4200 per yr. $315 dollars of that goes to running the county. The rest goes to education. It costs us less than $700 per yr. to homeschool our 5 children ($140.00 ea.), and they are all far advanced compared to their Pub school peers. If anything the Public school system is over funded.

Now this I agree with, the Planning depts. are top loaded with no growthers, which is why property is so expensive here. Supply and demand. Violations are in every county and city in every state. It comes down to interpretation of code. The city is surrounded by mountains, it has a limited grid due to terrain. The most screwed up roads are under state control.
Our water issues are due to enviros tearing out a gravity fed damn, in return for a electric pump system. So people are opting out of the irrigation district, and drilling more wells, thus not having the water table replenished by the gravity flow system that the river provided. Our water quality is some of the best in the nation.

Name one. I've been here for 15 yrs. and vacationed every yr. for 20 yrs before that, and have never seen one old building torn down, in fact they continually remodel and restore them. We have a historical commitee that makes sure of that. Some actually need to be razed, but they won't allow.

Wrong, this area is made up of middle class. How do you think they afford all these expensive homes. Youth activities are abundant, 4H, sports, outdoor hiking, biking, rafting, fishing, wakeboarding, dirtbiking, horsebackriding, hometown events, theater, movies, and even bowling. The youth for the most part are very active and creative. We have the largest sports club in southern Oregon (Club Northwest). They have raquetball, swimming, gymnastics, full weight and aerobics, tennis, volleyball, Kids center the list goes on and on. I sure would not want to live in the town that you have painted such a dreary picture of.

What yrs. did you live here? I wish we had a rubber stamp. Everything has to go to commission, it is a slow, expensive and cumbersome event. I have been working on two subdivisions of 5 lots or less for over a 1 1/2 and still have 6-9 months before we can start the ground breaking. All due to the consideration of the residents that have no say...of which a month is added to the process in order to have the notifications go out to the neighbors with no say, in order that, surprise, they have a say. And they Say, and say, and say, until they are satisfied. County and City operate this way..so people do have a say.

I rent two properties at a $500 loss per month. Rent is cheap here compared to land prices, rentals are abundant. Most rental issues have to do with the tenants, not the owners. Affordable housing is rather difficult in an area where Gov't charges $20,000 for permits and fees before one stick is put up. Land zoning is so strict there are very few buidable lots, again supply and demand.

You need to visit again in order to get an accurate picture of Grants Pass, rather than just making outdated assumptions.

Do you know what the demographics are in Grants Pass? Do you have any idea how many families live here. First indication, school population. They are filled, and have built new schools every few yrs since I have lived here. I think you are confusing Grants Pass with Ashland. Where schools are closing due to low demand. NO children.

You must be one of the Californians who came here with money and bought up investment properties and cheap land. Only to turn the investment properties into overpriced DUMPS and to see how many overpriced homes you could squeeze onto that cheap land. Chris's post was right on.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by Take_The_Train

You must be one of the Californians who came here with money and bought up investment properties and cheap land. Only to turn the investment properties into overpriced DUMPS and to see how many overpriced homes you could squeeze onto that cheap land. Chris's post was right on.

No, Im one of the Californians that came up here and went on food stamps and the Oregon health plan, had 3 of my 5 children on the states dime, then got my contractors license, started painting houses, and then doing remodels, and then building mansions on hilltops and on rivers, and wherever and whenever I felt it was prudent. All the while making sure my wife was at home to love and raise our children. Oregon is awesome and I have paid back 10 fold what I received from state aid.
You should read someones history before stepping in it.

freedom

[newlife7]

Originally Posted by ladysrodgers

Originally Posted by newlife7 View Post

will i be outcasted at my job for not taking part in prayer every morning You can't be serious?
yes, i am.

will i be treated like a piece of furniture because i don't accept jesus as my savior? (i was ignored to the point where even common courtesy didn't exist, wasn't even said hello to as common greeting in the workplace) Ummmm did you make it a point to let your co-workers know how against it you were? If so, that could have been a factor.
not anything that wasn't just normal, such as declining offers to go to recruiting sessions, or not taking part in praising the lord every instant something nice happened. i didn't bring in any statues of my religion or hang pictures on the walls or make my co-workers listen to radio shows of preaching the gospel of my religion.. but i did close the door when they did, and i did ask for the radio to be turned down when i couldn't take any more of it, and i didn't google and ah over all the artifacts of their relgion that hung on the walls and decorated their desks.

are peoples freedoms such as who one can marry governed by church and government? Are you sure you're even living in the USA??yes, in case you haven't noticed it's being made against the law for two people who love and honor each other to be married simply because they are not a male/female couple.

no, i'm not gay, but i believe no one has the right to say who can marry who... down here in the south, people live in fear of their god and are fascists working to eliminate the separation of church and state...


i have been really falling for grants pass, if i move here, i will eventually want to live in walking distance to the downtown area... What exactly is it you're falling for? It doesn't sound like you've done much, if any, research on it.it's beautiful, and the climate is right for me, and i have done tons of research on it, i don't understand why you make a comment such as that.. you think because someone finds the place to their liking and are falling for it they haven't done the research? or course, i can't tell about the mindset of the people without asking about it. but i can tell that you seem to hate the place, i am here looking for opinions on the people of the area.. trying to find unbiased opinions, or at least a little objective. you can't help anyone looking into an area if you hate it so much all you can do is spit on it and tell people if they are falling for it that they havent' done any research. i enjoy quiet places.. full of earth and i love natural areas, and small towns. i enjoy a mild winter climate. the area is simply beautiful, what's not to fall for?

i am hoping this is a friendly town as some have said.. and is open minded enough where i will find like minded people to create long lasting lifetime friendships with.

my other concern about grants pass, is that because it is in a valley, surrounded by mountains.. is the air pollution a problem? or does the valley get enough natural ventilation to be of fresh air?

also, i've read something here about the roads in winter.. is it not feasible to live in grants pass and if needing to, work in medford? are the highways really closed at times in the winter?

thank you.

No offense, but from the sound of your post, you might be better suited to a different area.

why? you give no reasons for this.. it's obvious you personally hate the place, maybe you have a grudge against it or something, but you give no reasons why i would be better suited elsewhere? are you saying a person cannot form lifelong friendships in this area?

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by newlife7

why? you give no reasons for this.. it's obvious you personally hate the place, maybe you have a grudge against it or something, but you give no reasons why i would be better suited elsewhere? are you saying a person cannot form lifelong friendships in this area?

I didn't see you say anything other than you're falling in love with it, no comments either way. That's why I questioned what you said.

It seems like your complaint is being around people with religious convictions. If that's the case, you might have a problem with Grants Pass. It's not quite as you described above, but if you go around voicing what you did above, to people in Grants Pass, I doubt you'll have a hearty reception.

I don't know how to copy the rest of the portion of your reply, or I would address your comments there.

I don't have a grudge against Oregon at all.....it's just an economically depressed region with few job possibilities. And, what few jobs are there, don't pay squat.

The only thing the state has going for it, is it's beauty, and that will be gone before too many years, due to over-development. Medford is far from a beautiful city though. It's brown, has smog, the streets are poorly laid out, has way too many one way streets, and is dirty looking, has a high crime rate, has a zillion meth freaks, etc., etc., etc.

Grants Pass is greener, but has even fewer job opportunities, it does have the meth problem, and the crime rate is high. It has a high unemployment rate at 9.2%.

From what your original post stated, it doesn't sound like you would get along any better with the people there than where you're coming from.

And no, same sex marriages aren't legal.

[freedom]

Grants Pass has a 9.2% unemployment rate? Can you tell me where I can see that statistic?

The whole state as of Jan.1 will have a system of Domestic partnership licenses. Basically marriage without the word.
And I think that it is a sad day for Oregon.
Freedom