Life in Chiloquin or Prospect (camper, living in, move)

[Terryj]

Check out this link, there allot of info: Crater Lake info? - My CoolWorks

[k.stvns]

Thanks, Terryj. I read that in a prior post I had sent. It was very helpful.

[cagirl57]

Anything new about life in Chiloquin? Most posts seem to be as old as the last time I visited 3-4 years ago. I have some acerage in the Spague Pines (Subdivision?) and hope to build my retirement home within 5 years and be in it within 8-10 for the foreseable future. I plan on fishing and horseback riding when I do get there.
Was unaware of the police services, or should I say Lack there of... will I be safe hmmm, makes me think if I'm on the right track or need to rethink.

[PNW-type-gal]

Not sure where Sprague Pines is - though I'd guess it is in the general area off Sprague River Rd, to the north and east of the town of Chiloquin. Chiloquin proper is a very poor area with a large share of problems.

The thing to remember about the area is that it is a remote, "do for yourself" area - you'd be looking at 45 minutes to an hour to the closest town services (grocery, doctor, etc) and even that closest "big" town is on the limited side.

Klamath County, outside the city of Klamath Falls, is served by volunteer fire and ambulance departments (in most cases) and the Klamath County Sheriff. The Sheriff's office is based in Klamath Falls and there is no actual patrol (unless you live in the South Suburbs, which is another story entirely). They respond to calls based on availability, urgency and distance. There are not more than 2-3 deputies on, MAX, at any time (there are hours of no service or only 1 deputy), to cover the 6,000 square mile area.

It does snow in the winter, this winter has been particularly heavy and we've been having an extended cold snap. It was -5 in Sprague River this morning, according to my weather page (+12 by my house, about 15 miles to the west). The county plows the single main county road in the winter and everything else is your responsibility. While we do get more sun than just about anywhere in Oregon, this is not a sunny state by the standards of the areas of the west to the south of us. We get about 220 days of sun a year, with the wet and cloudy days concentrated December-April. It is high desert here (around 4,000' feet), and very dry - the intensity of the higher altitude sun takes people by surprise.

For a lot of people, the remoteness, the space, the solitude and the "live your own life" aspect is heaven. For other people, not so much. Whether it is for you or not, you'll have to decide. I'd recommend renting something in the summer, seeing what you think about the concepts involved. There isn't any hurry to buy, land and home prices aren't moving in the more rural parts of Klamath County.

[cmabc123]

I'm looking at land in Chiloquin area and saw this thread where it said there was no shopping services in town. How big is the Family Food Center? From google maps it looks to be pretty good sized (certainly no standard grocery store). Isn't it large enough to make do for basic groceries rather than traveling to K-Falls?

cm

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by cmabc123

I'm looking at land in Chiloquin area and saw this thread where it said there was no shopping services in town. How big is the Family Food Center? From google maps it looks to be pretty good sized (certainly no standard grocery store). Isn't it large enough to make do for basic groceries rather than traveling to K-Falls?

cm

There are two (very small) markets in Chiloquin, both pretty much the size and style of a gas station market. There are basic things in boxes and cans and a very limited supply of frozen items. In the larger of the two, the "produce" section is mostly potatoes and onions and is maybe 4' of shelf space. The prices are outrageous as well, at least half again as much to double the prices in Klamath Falls.

It'll do if you've forgotten something very basic (and they actually have it) rather than driving 35 minutes to town.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Chiloquin is fine. It's very tiny. A few houses, a pretty good, although expensive little country store with a hot deli. The last time I was there, there was a small burger place that served good burgers.

There is a bridge in the middle of town that seems to always have a few drunks hanging out. It's not a place where there is any work but that doesn't matter if you are retired or have other income.

When you live that far away from town, you learn to drive to town only once every 4-6 weeks and do all your errands in one trip. There is good shopping and a hospital in Klamath Falls, which isn't as far away as the moon. Lots of people in the USA live that far from a town and shop in that way, and they survive just fine.

Because the town is so tiny, the majority of the people around that area are on small acreages outside of town. It's very rural.

I've owned land there that my family used for fishing vacations. A change in work schedules left it unused so I sold it. It's a very attractive area.

I liked going into the country store. Not for major shopping but to get sodas or deli. it's typical country store. Everyone is friendly and you catch up on the gossip. Favorite topic is how the fish are biting.

[PNW-type-gal]

Huge difference between a summer vacation and being a full time resident. The question was: "Isn't it large enough to make do for basic groceries rather than traveling to KFalls?" and the answer is still "no."

The increase, in the last two years, in petty crime around the main area of Chiloquin is appalling. All small towns have some problems with this, but the local increase has been huge.

A local couple started a little internet coffee shop and after being broken in to twice in a year, gave up. Pacific Power is removing all of the streetlights because they city council won't pay for the lights that keep getting shot out and Pacific Power is tired of replacing them. The community center and library have had windows smashed out and last year all of the glass doors and windows in the entry were smashed out, which cost around $5k to fix, since the hinges and frames were damaged. The box area of the post office was vandalized, boxes damaged, mail stolen, windows smashed.

[Steve Pickering]

My Brother-in-Law took a full time year round job at the lake. After a year the isolation was just too much.

[WolfBoy914]

I'd look at Prospect a whole lot more seriously than that part of the Basin...