Klamath Falls, OR and Surrounding Area (Medford, Bend: real estate, rent, low crime)

[JenniferO]

Hi,

We're are planning a move in the very near future and were wondering about Klamath Falls, OR. We noticed that rent prices seemed really low...is there any particular reason for this or just our good fortune? And are there any other towns with low humidity (i.e. not on the coast), good access to public land, good scenery that anyone would recommend? Any thoughts, perspectives about the area would be GREATLY appreciated.

[Highwayman]

Keep in mind that the rent reflects the cost of living and the prevailing wage..In other words if the rent is say 300 dollars a month then the prevailing wage would be just as low...

[NOMAD]

But the waterfalls are nice

Priceless?

[Sandy B]

Klamath Falls is a great town if you don't mind lots of bugs in the summer and cold windy winters. There aren't many jobs, but people from CA are moving in droves there. They are raising the housing cost which is fine if you don't expect to work and make your house payments from your job.

[JenniferO]

Originally Posted by Highwayman

Keep in mind that the rent reflects the cost of living and the prevailing wage..In other words if the rent is say 300 dollars a month then the prevailing wage would be just as low...

Thank you for the reponse!

Right, I was aware of that correlation...I should have taken the time to word my question better. To me, with the Californian influx (as SandyB mentioned) driving house prices up, and with nearby areas growing quickly (Medford, for example), it seemed that rent prices (and wages, too, of course) were out of sync and I was wondering why. And I guess the answer is... that for some reason, even though people are moving there, new jobs and jobs with better pay are not being created. I guess my questions was really, "What is that reason?"

[JenniferO]

Originally Posted by NOMAD

But the waterfalls are nice

Priceless?

Always. I came from a town with lots of waterfalls, and I have to say that is one of the things that I have missed.

[JenniferO]

Originally Posted by Sandy B

Klamath Falls is a great town if you don't mind lots of bugs in the summer and cold windy winters. There aren't many jobs, but people from CA are moving in droves there. They are raising the housing cost which is fine if you don't expect to work and make your house payments from your job.

Thank you for the response--we appreciate the info. So, there really are lots of bugs in the summer? Mosquitos, mostly? Other than the bugs, lack of jobs, and rising house cost, what do you think makes it great?

[KidBlue]

Many of the Californians are cashing out when they retire and don't need to worry about employment.

[Nemo]

The biggest bug problem I have seen is the midges during the summer months. They are a little green fly, like a gnat. They don’t bite; they just turn the front of your car green, and the clouds of them are annoying. Don’t know about the mosquitoes; I guess they might be mixed into the green clouds. I never spent much time outside during the warmer months, so I never found out.

The main thing I love about Klamath Falls is the snow and cold weather in the winter. Since the town is at ~4K feet it snows every winter and stays fairly cold. As a student at Oregon Tech I never stayed around for summer, but I hear it gets quite hot (90F+).

What are you guys talking about with the falls? Are you talking about some little falls somewhere? In the four years I have lived there I have never seen any falls.

I must say the lake and animal life is quite a beautiful thing about the area.

[Ryan]

I'd definitely be looking east of the Cascades around Bend. Real estate is inexpensive. It's pretty and dry. There's a great college nearby. Low crime. Close to a plethora of outdoor activities. Plenty of employment opportunities.