Best small towns in Oregon on a budget? (Eugene, Medford: rent, mortgage)

[vnodak]

Hi--Am leaving this place in about a year and a half and plan on retiring. Lived in Oregon for 30 years before I moved to the Seattle area. In Oregon I lived close to the coast. We were thinking about the Medford area. We love the Rogue river area. Since we are retiring we need to be close to services and all. From Ashland to Grants Pass seems to be a lot of options. We may do some part time work but mainly just hang out. What places to avoid--what places are nice--sometimes small towns are less desirable and sometime not---cost of living(I imagine Ashland is more)---best medical care---crime rates---heavier traffic---slower pace area---cleanest---central point for all of area. What do you recommend---no kids, no schools are important. Any info would be welcome and I am familiar with the area but it has been 15 years since I was their. Thanks

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by vnodak

Hi--Am leaving this place in about a year and a half and plan on retiring. Lived in Oregon for 30 years before I moved to the Seattle area. In Oregon I lived close to the coast. We were thinking about the Medford area. We love the Rogue river area. Since we are retiring we need to be close to services and all. From Ashland to Grants Pass seems to be a lot of options. We may do some part time work but mainly just hang out. What places to avoid--what places are nice--sometimes small towns are less desirable and sometime not---cost of living(I imagine Ashland is more)---best medical care---crime rates---heavier traffic---slower pace area---cleanest---central point for all of area. What do you recommend---no kids, no schools are important. Any info would be welcome and I am familiar with the area but it has been 15 years since I was their. Thanks

But it really depends on what type of place you are looking for. Ashland is indeed quite expensive - not double the nicer parts of Medford, but significantly more. I like the little town of Talent, which has a main area off of Talent Ave, just west of Hwy 99 and far enough from I5 that highway noise isn't an issue. Phoenix is more "strip-mall-like", laid out in a line on Hwy 99 and just doesn't strike my fancy the way Talent did. Other than that, there are several areas in East Medford that I like, east of I-5 and south of McAndrews. The problem there is noise from both hospitals, plus as you go up the hill and further east, nothing is really "walkable" - there is an Albertson's on Barnett and N. Phoenix Road, and a little shopping center (with a great Chinese food place called Bambu).

West of I-5 is dicey - there are some lovely old homes, but there are some heavy crime areas over there that account for a large percentage of Medford's crime problems. I have an internet subscription to the Medford paper ( Mailtribune.com - News for Medford, Ashland, Jacksonville and Southern Oregon ) which includes a link to the "Crimemapper" website.

A lot of people like the Central Point area - I'd prefer to be on the south end of town so I can avoid that Crater Lake/Hwy 99/Riverside mess.

[Steve Pickering]

Check Central Point out carefully. The gang issues and illegal situation is growing.

[PNW-type-gal]

Hmm, let me be clearer - I was saying that I would rather be on the south end of Medford than the north end of Medford toward Central Point. I don't know much about Central Point (or White City, for that matter), other than the homebrew shop we bought beer supplies in has closed (one of a long string of businesses in a couple of blocks right there that are now closed). Fortunately, there is Grain and Bean, a beer- and wine-making and coffee roaster supply, right on Crater Lake across from Providence. I think they have cheese-making supplies, too, but I haven't tried that. Yet.

[Steve Pickering]

Wow. White City. Now there is another place to avoid.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Wow. White City. Now there is another place to avoid.

I don't even think I have been through White City (whatever there is of it), other than the corner I turn onto Crater Lake Parkway coming off of Hwy 62 from the east.

Somewhere up there, though, maybe by Table Rock, is a rock and gem museum I keep meaning to track down.

[Steve Pickering]

The museum is worth seeing.

[srladyvc]

Thanks for all of the input re: small inexpensive cities near the forest to live in. I too am on a fixed income - am retired, take home $2200 a month, but I currently live in California and my rent is $1,375 a month for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath (not including utilities, phone, medical copays, etc.). So, purchasing a small 2 bed, 1 bath home (manufactured home is great - cheaper - some of them are really nice inside), in a smaller town, but near grocery stores, drug stores, medical offices and hospitals is important). I appreciate all of the input, I have done a ton of research on small cities in Oregon, and have not made a dent yet - still keep hearing about other small cities in OR that I have never heard of. I am looking to purchase a 2 bed, 1 bath (or 2 bath) home for less than $150K. If I can purchase a home, I can right off the taxed every year - and my mortgage would be much less that what I pay a month for rent now - and I would own the home - I am 69 y/o and I am sick of paying rent to these cheap landlords, and there is NO RENT CONTROL in California - so they can raise the rent whenever they want and as much as they want. SO Again, thank you for the input and keep sending new information about new small home towns where purchasing a home is cheaper and people are friendly and helpful to each other.
Senior Lady from Ventura County

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by srladyvc

Thanks for all of the input re: small inexpensive cities near the forest to live in. I too am on a fixed income - am retired, take home $2200 a month, but I currently live in California and my rent is $1,375 a month for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath (not including utilities, phone, medical copays, etc.). So, purchasing a small 2 bed, 1 bath home (manufactured home is great - cheaper - some of them are really nice inside), in a smaller town, but near grocery stores, drug stores, medical offices and hospitals is important). I appreciate all of the input, I have done a ton of research on small cities in Oregon, and have not made a dent yet - still keep hearing about other small cities in OR that I have never heard of. I am looking to purchase a 2 bed, 1 bath (or 2 bath) home for less than $150K. If I can purchase a home, I can right off the taxed every year - and my mortgage would be much less that what I pay a month for rent now - and I would own the home - I am 69 y/o and I am sick of paying rent to these cheap landlords, and there is NO RENT CONTROL in California - so they can raise the rent whenever they want and as much as they want. SO Again, thank you for the input and keep sending new information about new small home towns where purchasing a home is cheaper and people are friendly and helpful to each other.
Senior Lady from Ventura County

Baker City, where I retired to in Northeast Oregon has everything on your list.

Since it is a small town, the hospital, part of the St. Alphonsus system, while good, is primary care. For things like heart surgery, you are sent to Boise.

The winters are colder than in Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains.

https://traveloregon.com/places-to-g...es/baker-city/

https://basecampbaker.com/

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If you intend to finance a mobile home, you are going to be a bit hard pressed to find one where you own the land with it for under $150,000. If you buy a mobile in a park, you are right back to paying rent every month as you pay your lot rent.


Banks will not finance older mobile homes. New ones aren't that cheap. You'll need a substantial down payment to finance a mobile home.


The good bargain mobile homes on their own land are older mobiles, so they are all cash deals.