Is Grants Pass "odd"? (Portland, Beaverton: equity, real estate, showing)

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by John Cova

All the public libraries in Grants Pass and the county are closed. Does that give you a clue about the area.

Better closed libraries than closed minds.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by bobmulk

Oregon is NOT going broke. As for the library funding issue, the voters decided not to pass the funding levy. My understanding from reading up on the issue is that they had too many libraries for the population base and it was not feasible economically to fund them--not for every little burg that existed. They are currently working on a plan to be more realistic in how they fund the libraries and the people are working on that. The problem was more typical of government not listening to the people. Now the people are getting involved and things will be corrected.

Boo..yah!!

3 point slam dunk for bobmulk.

[Pharaoh07]

My best friend and I drove down to Grants Pass to explore it for a week. We loved it so much, we both swore we would live there eventually.

It's just a NICE town overall. Of course, I don't know what the community is really like, but we felt very comfortable and at-home there. There are some really nice areas, and it seems like there is a doctor of some sort on every corner.

Grants Pass is surrounded on almost all sides by mountains and then has one of Oregon's wildest rivers running right through it. You can leave the town from all sides and find abundant hiking and cycling opportunities. There's also the Oregon Caves not too far away.

Only problem is it's an oasis in the middle of nowhere (well, save for some small towns). And the highway gets very icy in the winter and I frequently hear of it closing for at least a few days each winter.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Pharaoh07

Grants Pass is surrounded on almost all sides by mountains and then has one of Oregon's wildest rivers running right through it. You can leave the town from all sides and find abundant hiking and cycling opportunities. There's also the Oregon Caves not too far away.

The Hellgate Dinner Cruise on the jet boats is well worth the money. A word of warning, though. They serve free beer at dinner, but it's non-alcoholic. I guess they don't want people puking all over their jet boat when they cut cookies in the river. You might want to pack a flask of fortification. Dinner is all you can eat chicken and ribs, with sides.

[rtg143]

I've lived in Grants Pass for a long time. The only part that can flood is near the river. The town has lots of elevations. From the river north to the freeway, (1.5 miles), it goes up about 2 or 3 hundred feet. In the last 15 years, it hit flood stage 2 times.

The roads always clear during the day. The passes in and out of town have been closed for a few hours sometimes in the winter, mostly at night.

When it gets to 90 or 100, it's dry and doesn't hit that temp. until around 3 to 5 PM. Then it starts to cool down and by morning it's around 60.

The Library is going to open with less government help.

[mdvaden]

Coming from Ruch in the Applegate Valley, I had been taking a shortcut at Murphy to bypass Grants Pass to get to the redwoods and ocean.

But the past few months, I've enjoyed the route through Grants Pass enough to skip the shortcut, which is slightly shorter, but may not be faster.

The Grants Pass area has an inviting feel to it.

[CalculusE.]

Originally Posted by John Cova

All the public libraries in Grants Pass and the county are closed. Does that give you a clue about the area.

All it means was the county over spent on libraries for every town in the area, including remodels, new buildings etc. that got built but no one uses or some that never got built, the money getting wasted. People voted the last fundraiser tax down because it was clear the county/cities were managing it badly. It was good money after bad. Its part of the growing pains of the rogue valley area and typical government mismanagement.

[chrisruns2far]

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?

Are they tolerant of different spiritual traditions?

Are there any health food stores there?

Is there a market for alternative medicine in GP?

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

Does the temperature really reach 90 degrees, and for how long does it stay that high?

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

Would it be hard to get around town on a bicycle?

Does it stay green year-round?

In the winter, do the roads get very icy, and are they well maintained?

Are there any local Country music stations?

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

Is a lot of new construction being built green?

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?

What kind of wildlife could I see there?

I'll probably have more questions later

I lived in Grants Pass for three years, moving there was the biggest mistake of my life. My family and I where so happy to move away from their. I have lived in many places and traveled all over the world and I feel that Grants Pass/Josephine County are very disfunctional to say the least. I can answer all your questions.

Here's my little list of odd questions:

Is it a liberal town?

NOOO, it is very very conservative. There are a few liberals around, but they are very few and far between. I had a African American friend of mine come visit me there, when he filled up for gas as he was leaving, someone approached him and told him that he needed to get out of town, that his kind are not welcome here. Needless to say, he never came down to see us again.

FYI, Josephine County in which Grants Pass if located is the ONLY county in the State of Oregon that has never swung Democratic. They even voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964 .(I'm a history buff)

Are they tolerant of different spiritual traditions?

No, if you are not a Christain, you will be hard-pressed to make friends and be welcomed into the community. When I was there, members of two of the big churhes decided to lead a boycott on a couple of businesses that the deemed not Christian enough.

Fundamental Christianity is the overwhelming and dominant theme in Grants Pass.

Are there any health food stores there?

None when I lived there, but there was a good smaller grocery store there that carried a decent selection and supply of organics.....but the name escapes me at this moment.

Is there a market for alternative medicine in GP?

Grants Pass had a couple of alternative care practitioners and they where good. Not sure if it would really support much more.

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

The vast majority of Grants Pass and Josephine County residents are of the anti-tax mindset and do not support anything for the public benefit if it will in any way increase their property taxes. I worked on behalf of the library levy that was voted down in 2002 and the most common argument that I recieved from people is that only "Mexicans and poor people use the library, why should we fund that". The only levy that passed in my time there was for Police.

A large part if this is due to the fact the over 90% of new residents are equity-rich California retirees and they generally due not support local needs, they just look at Grants Pass as a cheaper place to retire than California.

Does the temperature really reach 90 degrees, and for how long does it stay that high?

It is OVER 90 degress for 3-4 months and goes over 100 degress about 15-20 days each summer. We had highs of over 105 a couple of times each summer including one day of 109 at the county fair. It is very HOT all summer long. None of the statistical date you read on the Grants Pass Climate is accurate. Add 6-8 degrees to any data that you may come across.

Simply put, we all hated the summers in Grants Pass, even the mountains baked in heat.

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

It is fairly dog friendly. All the good hiking trails are at least a one-two hour drive away....we found this to be a major dissappointment. There are a couple of trails close to town, but still somewhat limited. Grants Pass is not at all bicycle or pedestrian friendly, no one seemed to know that pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks and I had a pick-up truck intentionally run me off the road one morning while I was out running....this happened on to me twice at different locations.

Would it be hard to get around town on a bicycle?

Se above, they do have a couple of bike lanes but not many and the drivers do not like sharing the road with bicycles.

Does it stay green year-round?

The mountains are mostly evergreens, so they stay green your-round. The valley floors get brown and parched unless you water things at least every other day as it never rains all summer long....just HOT!

In the winter, do the roads get very icy, and are they well maintained?

Winters are very mild, but there is a lot of fog that hangs in the valleys. The roads very rarely get icy and it only snows 2-3 times a winter.

Are there any local Country music stations?

Don't know that one, I only listen to NPR on the radio. By the way....for what ever reason, it was very hard to pick-up the signal for NPR?????

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

YES, Meth is a HUGE problem in southern Oregon and in Grants Pass. Do not live in the southwest part of town, that is where most of the meth/crack houses are located.

Is a lot of new construction being built green?

Very, very little, if any.

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?

The closest mountains have NO public access or trails, as it is private land or BLM land with no trail systems. The closest National Forest access points are about one hour from town.

What kind of wildlife could I see there?

All kinds in the forest. Lots of deer and wild turkeys live in and around the town. Elk come down to the valley floors in winter.


Based on the questions you ask, I would not move to Grants Pass. I hope you find my input useful. There are many other places that will have more positive answers to you questions.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

I lived in Grants Pass for three years, moving there was the biggest mistake of my life. My family and I where so happy to move away from their. I have lived in many places and traveled all over the world and I feel that Grants Pass/Josephine County are very disfunctional to say the least. I can answer all your questions.

Here's my little list of odd questions:

Is it a liberal town?

NOOO, it is very very conservative. There are a few liberals around, but they are very few and far between. I had a African American friend of mine come visit me there, when he filled up for gas as he was leaving, someone approached him and told him that he needed to get out of town, that his kind are not welcome here. Needless to say, he never came down to see us again.

FYI, Josephine County in which Grants Pass if located is the ONLY county in the State of Oregon that has never swung Democratic. They even voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964 .(I'm a history buff)

Are they tolerant of different spiritual traditions?

No, if you are not a Christain, you will be hard-pressed to make friends and be welcomed into the community. When I was there, members of two of the big churhes decided to lead a boycott on a couple of businesses that the deemed not Christian enough.

Fundamental Christianity is the overwhelming and dominant theme in Grants Pass.

Are there any health food stores there?

None when I lived there, but there was a good smaller grocery store there that carried a decent selection and supply of organics.....but the name escapes me at this moment.

Is there a market for alternative medicine in GP?

Grants Pass had a couple of alternative care practitioners and they where good. Not sure if it would really support much more.

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

The vast majority of Grants Pass and Josephine County residents are of the anti-tax mindset and do not support anything for the public benefit if it will in any way increase their property taxes. I worked on behalf of the library levy that was voted down in 2002 and the most common argument that I recieved from people is that only "Mexicans and poor people use the library, why should we fund that". The only levy that passed in my time there was for Police.

A large part if this is due to the fact the over 90% of new residents are equity-rich California retirees and they generally due not support local needs, they just look at Grants Pass as a cheaper place to retire than California.

Does the temperature really reach 90 degrees, and for how long does it stay that high?

It is OVER 90 degress for 3-4 months and goes over 100 degress about 15-20 days each summer. We had highs of over 105 a couple of times each summer including one day of 109 at the county fair. It is very HOT all summer long. None of the statistical date you read on the Grants Pass Climate is accurate. Add 6-8 degrees to any data that you may come across.

Simply put, we all hated the summers in Grants Pass, even the mountains baked in heat.

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

It is fairly dog friendly. All the good hiking trails are at least a one-two hour drive away....we found this to be a major dissappointment. There are a couple of trails close to town, but still somewhat limited. Grants Pass is not at all bicycle or pedestrian friendly, no one seemed to know that pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks and I had a pick-up truck intentionally run me off the road one morning while I was out running....this happened on to me twice at different locations.

Would it be hard to get around town on a bicycle?

Se above, they do have a couple of bike lanes but not many and the drivers do not like sharing the road with bicycles.

Does it stay green year-round?

The mountains are mostly evergreens, so they stay green your-round. The valley floors get brown and parched unless you water things at least every other day as it never rains all summer long....just HOT!

In the winter, do the roads get very icy, and are they well maintained?

Winters are very mild, but there is a lot of fog that hangs in the valleys. The roads very rarely get icy and it only snows 2-3 times a winter.

Are there any local Country music stations?

Don't know that one, I only listen to NPR on the radio. By the way....for what ever reason, it was very hard to pick-up the signal for NPR?????

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

YES, Meth is a HUGE problem in southern Oregon and in Grants Pass. Do not live in the southwest part of town, that is where most of the meth/crack houses are located.

Is a lot of new construction being built green?

Very, very little, if any.

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?

The closest mountains have NO public access or trails, as it is private land or BLM land with no trail systems. The closest National Forest access points are about one hour from town.

What kind of wildlife could I see there?

All kinds in the forest. Lots of deer and wild turkeys live in and around the town. Elk come down to the valley floors in winter.


Based on the questions you ask, I would not move to Grants Pass. I hope you find my input useful. There are many other places that will have more positive answers to you questions.

Chrisgone2far

I am so glad that you moved, and are now completely happy where you live now.

As to most of your assertions and opinions, they are plain false.

We are 50% conservative with a mix of independant and liberal.
Californians do make up the largest sector, so what! No where near 90% have you read these boards, they come from all over. And they are welcome to keep coming. Rich or not............Jealousy is not becoming....
Temperatures do reach 90 and 100, but never for 3-4 months. More like 3-4 wks.
All of the major grocery stores carry organic products and there are no less than 10 places to buy health food and fresh locally grown organic vegetables and fruit in G.P. I would list them but that would be advertising, anyone wanting a list can PM me.
There are bike lanes everywhere, and like everywhere else cars next to them.
There is a trail that is being designed to go from G.P. to Ashland. Most of it is built.
There are thousands of acres available for Horseback riding. Mountain trails, river trails, and millions of acres of BLM land to explore.
Some of the best hiking in America is along the Rogue River, and seeing as it runs right through G.P. unless you are disabled it would take you all of 10 min. to get on one of them.
You can drive 20 minutes out of town and be hiking on the trail through Hellsgate canyon, and walk all the way to the coast if you wish.
We do get fog, but it is not everyday nor every year in G.P. the weather here is different from yr to yr, season to season.
Oregon has been so agressive regarding the Meth problems of this country, it leads the way in awareness and removal of Meth from its streets. The situation has been blown way out of the realms of reality. Other states and areas have much more to worry about than G.P. regarding drugs.

Your comment regarding your black friend (if true) could happen anywhere, and you don't know if the person lived here or was passing through, we are on the I-5. We accept all friendly good people regardless of ethnicity. To paint a picture of Grants Pass as racially disfunctional is irresponsible and quite rude.

freedom

[chrisruns2far]

I respectfully stand behind all of my answers as grounded in facts, in particular those regarding the climate and hot summers.

Grants Pass/Josephine County has the highest level of domestic violence of any county in Oregon and it also has by far the most meth/crack contaimenated homes (#1 for the last six years) of any county as listed and documented on the state website </TITLE> <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html><link rel="stylesheet" href="wrapper/agency_pinot_v3.css" type="text/css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../wrapper/oregonGov_v3.css" type="text/css"> <title>Drug Lab Information

On the surface, Grants Pass may seem like Mayberry, but behind its facade it is the most intolerant and conservative place I have ever lived in.