Crime in Oregon (Eugene, Salem, Bend: insurance, violent crime, felony)

[showson1]

Hi all.
The family and I are looking to relocate in the next couple of years.
We live in San Diego, CA and have a 4 year old son and we just can't afford any place with a large enough property for him to run around and play in... plus play houses / tree houses are out of the question.

We're looking for something slower paced than San Diego, safer, where we can afford a good sized property and has good schools.

We've crossed a lot of places off the list and now we're looking at Boise, ID and the Rogue River, Jacksonville / Ruch Oregon area.

I've been doing all the research I can online and found that the city-data site is listing the crime rate in Rogue River as MUCH higher than Jacksonville.

The crime index for Rogue River is 205 and Jacksonville is 60.6 (for 2008).

For those of you that live in the area, does that makes sense?
It seems like something might be off there, but at the same time I know NOTHING about the areas other than what I've read online.

We're planning the first (of many if we like it) trip to check out the area in the fall or spring, but wanted to see what people thought here.

Also, any opinions on which area would be better to raise a small child?

Thanks for any and all input!

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

First of all, none of these areas is big enough for a statistically accurate crime rate. One major crime could easily skew the crime rate way up in any given year in these tiny towns. Often times reportage is keyed to zip code. The zip codes for these areas covers a much larger area than the town itself. Jacksonville is essentially a satellite community of Medford -- just about five miles west of downtown -- while Rogue River is essentially a satellite community of Grants Pass.
Jacksonville is not usually considered very affordable by southern Oregon standards. It is right up there with Ashland in terms of real estate prices and most of the lot sizes are fairly small. If you look up "Jacksonville, OR" on an on-line property search utility, you'll see all kinds of properties that are many miles away from Jacksonville. The problem, again, is that the 97530 zip code goes way past Jacksonville down past Ruch and into the Applegate Valley, and that's what the search feature looks at. Additionally, realtors love to use the term "Jacksonville" to describe anything west of Medford because of the appeal associated with the name. Look carefully at the locator maps to see where any given property is actually sited. A lot of them won't be in Jacksonville itself. That means being on a well, having a private septic system and all the rest...it's just rural Jackson County.

Understand that outside the major incorporated cities -- Ashland, Medford, Central Point, Grants Pass -- southern Oregon quickly becomes VERY rural. If you aren't handy with a chainsaw or wouldn't be comfortable dealing with cougars prowling your property, wells that go dry in September, Saturday morning shotgun practice at your neighbors' place down the road, and poison oak growing all over your backyard, you should stick with the cities. County services -- including law enforcement -- have been cut to the bone. You have to be rather self-sufficient to live in rural Jackson County. You can't call the Sheriff every time there's a domestic dispute or you hear gunshots close by; they won't come out for non-emergencies. A lot of folks from SoCal try and overcompensate in vacating the urban rat race when they move up here and find themselves reeling from State of Jefferson culture shock. In view of the public school systems, Ashland would undoubtedly be the best place to raise a child. There are quite a few kids in Jacksonville, too. All of southern Oregon, though, is becoming more and more a haven for retirees.

[cheaptrick]

I have lived in the area before, but do not now.

I would guess the biggest reason for the disparity in crime rates is the disparity of economic means. Jacksonville is a little more expensive than Rogue River with much greater incomes. When you have a more affluent tax base and neighborhood, obviously you have better funding for police and an all around better "class" of local.

Another factor may be Rogue Rivers proximity to I-5. JAcksonville is a little off the beaten path, whereas RR is right on the main highway. That might allow for more criminal activity.

Most outside of RR would advocate for Jacksonville. I know it is one of the better school districts (maybe even the best) in the Medford area. Not saying that RR is a bad place, it is actually kinda quaint and peaceful in surrounding landscape.....but I think meth may have a more prominent place there than other areas in the valley.

[showson1]

Thanks a lot.
I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple of days and we've kind of crossed RR off the list, though not completely.

Right now we're leaning toward the Jacksonville / Ruch area.
Although we're relocating from Southern California, I'm FROM the suburbs in NJ.
Not quite as rural as Ruch and the outskirts of Jacksonville, but far enough out that we were self sufficient.

We're kind of looking at Ashland as well, but I'm a little concerned that it seems like a LOT of people are relocating to Ashland.
That's good and bad.. more money being spent, but I don't want to end up getting stuck in urban sprawl (again) in another few years.
Again, Ashland is not completely off the list, just taking things in all areas into consideration... not the least of which is job markets.

Thanks for the comments so far.
If anyone has anything to add please feel free!

[cheaptrick]

If you don't mind a commute of 25 mins, and you want good schools/surroundings, look into Shady Cove. Very small town on the river heading east towards Crater Lake, but very peaceful.

No shopping or medical services to speak of, that would have to be Medford. But quiet, safe and serene. And affordable too.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by showson1

Thanks a lot.
I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple of days and we've kind of crossed RR off the list, though not completely.

Right now we're leaning toward the Jacksonville / Ruch area.
Although we're relocating from Southern California, I'm FROM the suburbs in NJ.
Not quite as rural as Ruch and the outskirts of Jacksonville, but far enough out that we were self sufficient.

We're kind of looking at Ashland as well, but I'm a little concerned that it seems like a LOT of people are relocating to Ashland.
That's good and bad.. more money being spent, but I don't want to end up getting stuck in urban sprawl (again) in another few years.
Again, Ashland is not completely off the list, just taking things in all areas into consideration... not the least of which is job markets.

Thanks for the comments so far.
If anyone has anything to add please feel free!

It is fairly obvious that you haven't been to any of these places. You could hardly compare the *suburbs* of New Jersey to the rural areas of Southern Oregon. Ashland is not going to be in the midst of urban sprawl anytime soon. Rogue River is a VERY safe community.

That said, I wouldn't want to raise a child in Rogue River OR Jacksonville because they are such rural, isolated communities. Beautiful and very pleasant, but rural, isolated, and homogeneous. Ashland would be a better bet. Especially if you're considering somewhere like Boise (wayyyy bigger than the Medford/Ashland area).

[showson1]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

It is fairly obvious that you haven't been to any of these places.

Well yes, this was stated in the original post that all the research has been online so far.
We're planning a trip to visit my parents in Eugene in November and then driving down for a few days.

Thanks for the input all, it seems like safety wise, we'd pretty much be OK in any of these areas.

[ConeyIsBabe]

I live in Rogue River and think it is an excellent, quiet, low stress, low crime, convenient community for a retired senior citizen (that's me!).

For a young family with a school-age child, IMHO Ashland has more to offer. In fact, if I had it all to do over ~~ I'd buy property in Ashland ~~ but Rogue River has its advantages for someone with my lifestyle!

[rsdotson]

I don't know how true or reliable the numbers are, but I just found a great website that lets you easily compare crime rates in various cities. I was surprised that Sherwood, Oregon has an extremely low crime rate so that is where I plan on looking for a house to buy if we can afford that area. I'm new to the greater Portland area and am temporarily renting a house in Troutdale. The website is:

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Note: I previewed this post but the BB-code doesn't seem to work. Is there something I should read or a checkbox I need to check in order to use other than plain old text? Thanks.
Edit: NEVERMIND. The "Preview Post" was not displayed properly, but the actual message with proper formatting seems to be Ok when it is actually posted.

Edit2: Oops. I just noticed the post I replied to was about three years old!!! Something I will try to remember to check for in the future before replying.

[Connie J Lewis]

Having lived on the Oregon Coast for the majority of my life now, Coos Bay/ North Bend in particular... I can tell you the crime rate IS HIGH! WAY TOO HIGH! Remember - we're 100 miles removed from virtually anything, so LOTS goes down here that quickly gets recategorized. I recently read of a 3rd DUII on a corner in town, and since the city spent foolishly to prevent more drunks from running the light (hey... maybe they forgot these are drunks), the report was found under "mischief and theft". Not everything is as it appears. I recently attended a neighborhood watch meeting, and the new crime cropping up (drug related usually - drugs are rampant here) was alarming. In ALL our neighborhoods.

If you're looking for safe, drug free, or as close to it as possible... I can't recommend our community right now, that's for sure. And we have not been nearly as fortunate with quick police response - I guess we're on the wrong side of town???

And... think of it like this: If you're in Portland, you know there is crime, and you generally know which areas are "known" for more of it. If you live in a community of less than 20K people and crime rises quickly... most everybody becomes "at risk". I felt safer in San Francisco than I do in our own home town most of the time. And I'm not kidding even a little.