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Old 08-28-2016, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
200 posts, read 607,738 times
Reputation: 86

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Hi all,

I am an early 40 something w/two school age children & my (Navy pilot retired) husband has been recruited by a regional airline in the PNW area which would transfer us to the Medford, OR area from Albuquerque, NM
(thank God, any place is but Albuquerque).

While, what I've seen on websites of Medford looks beautiful, I am clueless about the culture, schools, & the general vibe of residents. Also, different parts of this town/area. Please feel free to direct message me based on your experience, if needed. I'd appreciate the good & bad. I need to know what we're getting ourselves into. While I have family ties to Eastern WA, I have only passed through this part of the country once while moving back from to Asia to the US.

I've heard OR is one of the most beautiful places, but I don't know what to expect. House rentals in the Medford area look cheap, so that's a plus!

Just a little background on me. I am a Caucasian, college educated, stay-at-home mother. Politically, very moderate right, and secular, but my husband more left. We like skiing, hiking, different cuisines, art, music, & meeting new people. We're not church-goers/club joiners. More than anything, I am concerned about the schools. That's at the forefront. I encountered some good schools on Zillow & some more mediocre to poorly rated schools.

Feel free to share your experiences.

THANKS!!
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Old 08-28-2016, 11:40 AM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,752,391 times
Reputation: 10783
Much like Albuquerque, you can find all the political spectrum in the Rogue Valley, including the strange parts where the right and left bend around and meet back there in the way back. Generally, city areas are more liberal and the areas outside the cities more conservative, but that is just a general statement.

Out in the Applegate you tend to get high-end wineries, lately a fair number of pot farms and the part of the world that never left the 60s - "hippie" enclaves, community housing, a lot of back-to-the-land people. There is some beautiful organic produce that comes out of that area and the summer farmer's market and farm stands are wonderful.

In other areas you get the "don't tread on me", no taxes (but please send the firefighters that I don't want to pay for to protect my house during wildfire season), abolish the Fed.

Sometimes you have all of the above, side-by-side.

The Albuquerque metro area is around 900,000 - you would be moving to an area less than a quarter that size that is relatively isolated from other "big" cities - there will be things you can find in ABQ that you won't find here, simply because of raw population numbers. Portland is 5+ hours drive away, San Francisco is 6+ hours drive away (although, as you probably know, there are also multiple daily flights to those destinations, among others). You won't find New Mexico cuisine here and while there is SOME fine dining, it tends toward "casual fine" - the Pacific Northwest is not much for suit-and-tie formal.

Given your stated politics, I'd suggest staying out of Ashland - unfortunately for you, that is where some of the best grade schools are. You might look in parts of Central Point, East Medford. I don't know what your budget is, but "cheap" here is relative, there are definitely bad parts of town (although you won't see the bars on the window quite as often here as you do in Albuquerque) and that is probably where you have been seeing cheaper rentals. In general, stay out of White City (the former WW2 Camp White, named after General George White) and West Medford right around the city. There are parts of West Medford that can be nice - down by South Medford High, out Main St past the Blackbird, toward Jacksonville, but it is almost a street-by-street thing.

Boundary exemptions, I am told, are hard to come by, so be sure that wherever you land is directly in the school district you want.

Rentals here tend to be tight. The vacancy rate is down in the low single digits and landlords can afford to be picky. Given your credentials (transferring in with a solid job) and likely good credit history, you should be able to find something - but not until you are actually here. The transition in is always hard, you might think about sending your husband ahead, establishing a local presence first.

This is an outdoors-oriented culture - the Pacific Trail, which goes from Baja to Canada, passes directly through the area. The local parks and trails and the mountains, rivers, lakes, beach, high desert are important to campers, hikers, hunters, rafters, kayakers. There are concerts from small local events to larger events at the Britt Festival, Southern Oregon University, the Craterian Theater, the Rogue Theater in Grants Pass and soon the Holly Theater in Medford.
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Old 08-28-2016, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
200 posts, read 607,738 times
Reputation: 86
Thanks for your feedback! While I did list my political views, I think I gave the impression that I was or involved in or concerned with politics, which I'm actually really not. I'm very moderate. So I don't mind liberal or conservative. I'm just not looking to be converted into anything. I was just stating that bc I've found sometimes it gives people an idea of how someone will fit in somewhere.


So I'm guessing Ashland is what I've heard people describe as (I apologize for the stereotype, I try to avoid labels, sometimes it's hard) "crunchy-granola?" We like "crunchy-granola!" That works for us!




I also don't mind more conservative folks, we're just not religious.


What we're trying to get away from is crime. Which is fairly rampant here.


We're about 4 hours away from the CO border & while pot isn't fully legal (only for medicinal purposes), it's pretty decriminalized. So I get that whole scene, just not into it.


Giving up Mexican food will be hard, but I lived w/o it in SE Asia & Virginia. So we'll survive. How far is Ashland from Medford?

Last edited by anelizk; 08-28-2016 at 03:15 PM..
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Old 08-28-2016, 02:25 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,752,391 times
Reputation: 10783
This is not a low-crime area - that said, it isn't a high violent crime either. The most common crimes are related to the meth/heroin/opiates/homeless issues - stealing things from unlocked cars, garages, houses, yards. There are also burglaries (generally of vacant or empty houses, a true "home invasion" robbery is rare). Drugs are a pretty big issue here, directly related to the years of high unemployment, the decline of the good job right out of high school industries (which were in the logging and lumber production areas).

It's true Ashland is "crunchy granola" - but it goes a lot further than that. I'd describe myself as pretty lefty, but there are segments in Ashland that are WAY too far left for me. It does have the best grocery stores, as far as selection of unusual and "niche" items (Shop N Kart, Market of Choice, Ashland Co-op). I live in East Medford and generally shop Fred Meyer (a Kroger store - somewhat similar to a WalMart in that they also sell clothes, furniture, electronics, housewares). Supposedly the remodel start this winter and they are expanding the grocery section and cutting back the other departments.

Religion is more a private thing in the Pacific Northwest. Many people do belong to churches, but it isn't something most people discuss. Yesterday I was at a pot luck and one of the women there mentioned she had a church function to go to after. Someone asked her what church she went to and she mentioned one of the Unitarian churches and the questioner said that she went to a local Methodist church and that was the end of the conversation. That is generally as far as religious conversations go.

I've actually been to the Unitarian church in Ashland more times than I have been in a church in the rest of my life - the acoustics are great and they frequently hold acoustic music concerts there.

The Rogue Valley runs from Ashland at the southern end (about 16 miles north of the California border) to Medford (about 15 miles north of Ashland) to Central Point (directly adjacent to Medford) to Grants Pass (about another 30 miles north). Jacksonville, White City, Eagle Point, Gold Hill, Rogue River are smaller cities scattered alongside. Medford is the largest city, about 80,000.

We have a cool, cloudy, wet winter from about Nov-March, a short spring, a long hot summer (10-12 days over 100 on average) and a lovely fall. We get about 18" of rain a year, almost all of it in the winter or beginning of spring and very little in summer and fall. That can vary by elevation - the airport on the valley floor is 1,335' and the main area in Ashland is up about 1,850'. We can get some bouts of snow, ice and fog. Snow isn't usually more than a dusting to a couple inches and doesn't last long. Clouds can last for weeks, although there is usually a short sun break - December and January are the coldest, wettest months.
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Old 08-28-2016, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
200 posts, read 607,738 times
Reputation: 86
Thanks for clarifying about the crime...I guess most places aren't low crime anymore due to the opioid/meth crisis, which is fairly invasive. It's horrific in the ABQ/NM area also but there's also lots of violent crime. Particularly against young children. That's what's most difficult about living here. I guess, I'll have to learn to live w/non-violent crime in general.


Glad religion isn't a big deal & private, was just trying to find out if we'd encounter a "conversion mentality." I can do Unitarians...LOL!


Trader Joes & Whole Foods (can't afford WF's) are popular here as well the Kroger subsidiary Smiths. We don't have a Fred Meyer.


We have enclaves of hyper-liberal in ABQ, but glad to know about Ashland's community. ABQ has a very temperate climate with hot summers but a decent Monsoon season & not a bad snow season, though it's choppy. So the Medford/Ashland climate sounds doable.


Am thinking of having my husband go on ahead & get a feel for the community before we make the move.


What about natural disasters? Thanks again!
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:03 PM
 
9,446 posts, read 6,530,815 times
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I think religion will be a non issue; it's not at all like the South.

Ashland and North Medford have a large percentage of college educated residents, thanks in no small part to the University and two hospitals.

Ashland has a world class Shakespear Festival every year, and the lovely outdoor Britt Festival hosts a large variety of world class entertainment. There is also a gorgeous old theater in Medford which has been totally gutted and offers great live performances. Jacksonville is 15 min south, and is a quaint little village with interesting shops and restaurants. Applegate Lake is about 30 min further and is a fun place for kids to swim and cool off in summer. (No stores there, so take your snacks and plenty of drinks as it gets HOT)

The area is primarily Caucasion, but there is some variety of ethnicities and a growing Hispanic population.
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:44 PM
 
Location: Sebastian, Florida
677 posts, read 869,864 times
Reputation: 2468
We moved to the Medford area in April and we really like it here. I enjoy living in a place where everyone says hello or waves to you from their cars. The whole area has a small town vibe, even Ashland. Your husband should love flying out of MFR. I'm a retired flight attendant and it's such a treat to fly out of an airport like this, so small and and no lines or hassles.

I would check out Jacksonville. It's very family oriented and about 15/20 minutes to the airport.

Don't know about schools or rentals, but I'm sure someone else does. I think it would be a great place to raise a family.

When we were doing our scouting trips, we stayed at the Homewood Suites in Medford. Clean and affordable.

Good luck! Feel free to DM me if you want to know anything else about our relocation.
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:52 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,752,391 times
Reputation: 10783
Quote:
Originally Posted by anelizk View Post
Trader Joes & Whole Foods (can't afford WF's) are popular here as well the Kroger subsidiary Smiths. We don't have a Fred Meyer.
There is a Trader Joe's, but no Whole Foods. Shop N Kart is sort of a budget warehouse Whole Foods (although the prices aren't quite budget warehouse store level) and Market of CHoice is sort of a mini Whole Foods, although since it is right by Southern Oregon University, it also has "student chow" thrown in.


Quote:
Originally Posted by anelizk View Post
We have enclaves of hyper-liberal in ABQ, but glad to know about Ashland's community. ABQ has a very temperate climate with hot summers but a decent Monsoon season & not a bad snow season, though it's choppy. So the Medford/Ashland climate sounds doable.
There are good things about Ashland, but one of the big negatives is that houses are about $100,000+ more than even the nicer areas of Medford. If you go up on something like Zillow and put in single family home between $250,000-$350,000, you get 84 homes in the Medford city limits. Do the same for Ashland and you get 8 houses. Bump the top dollar up to $550,000 in Ashland and you get 78 houses. I know you were planning to rent, but you can assume rentals will be priced with that disparity.

There is no monsoon here, it is pretty much dry from May through October.





Quote:
Originally Posted by anelizk View Post
What about natural disasters? Thanks again!
We are on the Ring of Fire here and the Cascade Mountains are volcanoes (some are considered extinct, some are more of a danger from slope collapses and mudslides than eruptions) from Mt Shasta/Lassen in California north into British Columbia.

Earthquakes from the NW trending faults are possible pretty much anywhere in Oregon, although they tend to max out in the M6-6.5 range. Earthquake codes have been adjusted over the years and NEW builds have a lot of earthquake protections in them - older buildings not so much. Chimneys, reinforced masonry, slab stone walls are the biggest concerns, although some older structures are also not well bolted to their foundations.

Beyond that, this coast from Northern California through Washington State is part of a series of interlocked tectonic plates called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. These locked plates can unlock and cause an earthquake, which can be very large (M9). In the past, the resultant tsunami has pretty much flattened the coastal areas, dropping former fresh water lakes and trees well below the surf zone. In the Medford area, we are mostly at risk from a large shake (we would likely be between 100-500 miles from the epicenter) and the potential for infrastructure collapse (N-S electric grid, water/sewer disruption, I5 bridges).

Depending on who you read (and my degrees are in geology, so I have read a lot and worked with several of the leading geologists on this), these earthquakes have happened every 250-500 years and we are 316 years past the last one. The physical evidence for multiple events is very strong and the general consensus is that there has been no major structural change to the plate boundaries since the end of the last Ice Age (there have been at least 7 events since then), so there is no reason to think it WON'T happen again. It is just the "when."

I do have emergency supplies and when I camp at the coast I always know the route to higher ground. It doesn't stop me from living here, nor does it stop me from camping in low-lying areas on the coast.
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:25 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,588,415 times
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The Ashland culture is pretty varied. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival actually won a Tony from the NYC theater crowd, which gives you an idea of how excellent it is. There are several smaller theater venues in Ashland. Theater tourism is the town industry. This has brought along a lot of Californians, who have priced the locals out of the real estate market. There are hard feelings because of that. The city park, Lithia Park, was designed by the same guy who designed Golden Gate Park, and it is a gem, with swans swimming in mirrored pools. People get upset because they can't run their dogs there, for obvious reasons. There is a huge homeless population in Ashland, thanks to all the handouts from the tourists. Since the population ranges from lunatic fringe liberals to lunatic fringe conservatives, there is a lot of political conflict. Ashland is also the only place in Oregon you will find a sales tax.

The pot farms out in the Applegate Valley are real commercial farms, growing for the state liquor stores. The climate of Southern Oregon minimizes mildew on the plants. Harry and David stores are from Medford https://www.harryanddavid.com/?flws_rd=1, and historically there is a lot of pear production in the surrounding valley.

Your power company will be Pacific Power and Light (Pacificorp), which offers a $50 credit on your bill if your power is out over 24 hours. Natural gas is Avista, and will only be available in urban areas. Internet will be cable, except for Ashland where they strung the whole town with fiber a few years back. In rural areas without cable, you will be back to DSL or satellite internet. I second the suggestion to look at Jacksonville. It's a little more upscale than Medford, but not as expensive as Ashland.
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:37 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
200 posts, read 607,738 times
Reputation: 86
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulippsy View Post
We moved to the Medford area in April and we really like it here. I enjoy living in a place where everyone says hello or waves to you from their cars. The whole area has a small town vibe, even Ashland. Your husband should love flying out of MFR. I'm a retired flight attendant and it's such a treat to fly out of an airport like this, so small and and no lines or hassles.

I would check out Jacksonville. It's very family oriented and about 15/20 minutes to the airport.

Don't know about schools or rentals, but I'm sure someone else does. I think it would be a great place to raise a family.

When we were doing our scouting trips, we stayed at the Homewood Suites in Medford. Clean and affordable.

Good luck! Feel free to DM me if you want to know anything else about our relocation.

Thanks a bunch! This post made me really happy! Don't know what it is about Albuquerque, but you let someone go ahead of you & there's never a wave or "thank you." Not to say that people aren't nice here...just hardened I suppose. Anyway, your post was very helpful! I'll take you up on the DM if I have any questions!
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