Schools in Klamath Falls (Portland, Medford: housing, travel, work)

[Hytenla]

I have friends in Klamath Falls. My son is in 8th grade and would be in high school next year. My friends kids are in elementary school. So I am wondering if anyone can give me perspective on what it would be like to move there for my teenager? We live in Bloomington IN which is big ten university town that is pretty diverse but very transit.

[live4kidz]

I have lived in Gladstone Oregon (western-wet part of the state) 3 yrs. now - but am an Oregon native who has lived more than half my life outside of Oregon. It's hard to get used to the damp/wet cold climate, but we had an awesome summer weather pattern in 2006. One I'll never forget. Husband's work has taken us to CA, TX, NV, UT and back to OR - 3 yrs. ago. I have a cousin who has been with law enforcement in Klamath Falls for many years and is now retired. I recall his saying that for youth, it may be difficult to live in K-Falls with the lack of diverse activities. It can feel a bit 'cut off' from the 'rest of the world'. To get to activities that would be attractive to many teenagers, you'd have to drive a good distance to probably the Ashland/Medford area, from what I understand.
It really depends on what your teenager likes to do. If exploring, hiking, camping, fishing, horses, and other activities like that are appealing, then there would be plenty of adventures right there in your own backyard! They have the Spectrum Mines in Plush, Oregon - just a few miles out of K-Falls, which atracts alot of people mining from gem stones, especially the Sunstone. Teens aren't always drawn to the same things. . . .like us adults. . . . there is a local college, OIT, some interesting educational communities in K-Falls and also a couple of major employers. From what my cousin says, there is alot of ranching around the K-Falls and outter lying areas. Hoping that someone else jumps in here with some more info for you. I don't know anything about the school system there. I do wish we'd moved to a smaller community when our children were growing up - but we had to live in a large metro area because of my husband's work. We are considering a move to Klamath Falls some time in 2008 and are planning a couple of trips down there to spend a little time and check things out. See how it feels. We've been there for 2 days is all - and that was about 4 yrs. ago. Otherwise, we would just drive through K-Falls on our way from Utah to Portland, Oregon - as an alternate, less hectic route - more scenic - than the usual freeway travel provides. Good luck!

[Cornerguy1]

First of all, Klamath Falls isn't Bloomington, Indiana either in size, inclination or activity level. LOL

Geographically, Klamath Falls in located in a Basin which has an elevation of about 4000 feet. The Cascade mountains immediately to the west (10 miles) rise up to 9,000 feet while the Oregon High Desert begins just to the east of the Basin.

A previous poster mentioned cold, wet Oregon weather, but climate is a matter of perspective.

Klamath Falls is actually a very dry area with only around 13 inches of precipitation annually. Spring and fall see some rain, but amounts are measured in fractions of an inch rather than whole inches. A rain fall of 2 inches would be a major catastrophe. Summers are very sunny, dry and hot with temperatures in the high 80's and low 90's. Thankfully, humidity levels are in the 20%-40% range so you don't get that muggy, smothered feeling of an Eastern summer. Winter temperatures are comparable to Bloomington and maybe a little milder. Snowfalls are interspersed plenty of sunny days, so a Klamath Winter is actually quite pleasant when compared a Great Lakes winter.

Klamath Falls has 2 public high schools in town: Klamath Union which is located toward the downtown core and Mazama which is more suburban. Keep in mind, though that Klamath has a population of about 35,000, so even downtown has a small town feel to it.

A third high school, Henley, is located a couple of miles to the south east of town and serves the rural population in that area.

As mentioned, activities for teenagers would likely be outdoor and school centered due to the number of recreational opportunities available. All the high scholls have comprehensive athletic programs for those inclined to participate. Klamath doesn't have a large mall where teenagers can congregate. Perhaps most important for kids is for them to have a social circle with which to associate and there are plenty of kids in Klamath to choose from. I'm sure video game sales in Klamath are just as strong as anywhere else in the country. LOL


Klamath offers far more facilities than an eastern town of its size would. This is because Klamath is by far the largest population center for a 50-mile radius. This accounts for the well-equipped hospital, large box stores (WalMart, Home Depot), variety of grocery stores (5), and various smaller specialty stores. It also accounts for the wide variety of restaurants available, from fast food to fine dining.

Basin Transit operates an affordable and fairly comprhensive public transit system throughout Klamath falls.

Decent housing is still available in Klamath for $200K.

Klamath has an airport which offers several flights a day to Portland, while the airport at Medford (70 miles) offers flights to Los Angeles, San Fransisco,Seattle etc. Klamath is also on the main Amtrak line.

Klamath still retains a small-town America flavor and, personally, I wouldn't hesitate to raise a family there.

If you'd like some photos of Klamath, contact me by private message and I'll be happy to send them.