Bugs and Relo to South or Central Oregon (Medford, Bend: houses, school)

[Amazonia]

Count me another California looking across the border for a new address. I was all gung ho on Bend except that I will have to return to the Bay Area monthly and that 9 hour drive is a little daunting. Then I heard Bend has mosquitoes! I don't do bugs. 'skitoes, flies, yellow jackets. It occurred to me that a website with a critter rating for each area would be a great idea.... But I digress.

Candidates have been Grants Pass (heard it is a tad hick) and Ashland, which true to reports here is more pricey than Bend and surrounds. What about little Talent right between Medford and Ashland? My other thought is that area gets hotter than I would like. I prefer sun although snow is okay as long as it is not grey outside but those 90 degree days may be a bit much for me. I liked Bend because it was like taking home with me - Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, REI - but with snow and lots of housing on large lots (and I will at least say the developments, while on small lots the houses look cute). But I don't like crowds and I understand it is getting crowded there. A friend said Sunriver was awful and so crowded in the summer. Still have two kids (9 & 13) who would like a social life, an ex-husband who has to come to keep custody intact and he needs a woodworking shop, and I need at least an acre to keep a couple of horses and a number of dogs. I also notice a lot of poor spellers in the ads and as a writer, I will want people in town who are reasonably articulate. I thought I was liberal until I found out I was really libertarian so I want somewhere where the government is out of my business. We home school so the quality of local government education is moot.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated and I would love to know about the bugs in the various mentioned areas! Thanks so much.

[backdrifter]

Talent is a bit hick too. I'd say definitely more than Grants Pass, which actually isn't too bad in the city itself. There's no REI or Trader Joe's, but there are a few natural foods markets. Ashland would be a great town if you can find somewhere in your budget. The whole Southern Oregon area tends to go more libertarian and to a certain extent that is reflected in the local government.

As for bugs, Grants Pass does have its share in summertime. Mosquitoes are really only a problem around dusk though, and even then they're not a huge problem.

Hope that helps some.

[Bendite]

There are direct flights from Redmond to San Francisco, so you wouldn't have to drive. I am not aware of a particular bug problem here in Bend, though there are mosquitos around the lakes and we have spiders, ants and other little critters - they are, after all, a part of nature, and we live in a rural part of Oregon. From my house, we have seen rabbits, coyote, quail, deer, eagles and bobcat and evidence of at least one cougar. For that experience, I can tolerate an occassional mosquito bite. I'm not sure Bend is right for you though - we do sometimes make mistakes typing, and some of us even might have poor spelling - you certainly wouldn't want to risk being exposed to that

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Bendite

From my house, we have seen rabbits,

I hope that one of the rabbits isn't BUGS bunny. Judging by the way he talks, my guess would be that his spelling is probably terrible, too.

Eh, what's up, doc?

[Amazonia]

Ah, thanks for the input. Creatures are fine, buzzy things that dampen quality of outdoor life are not. The errors of which I spoke were way beyond typos. I am dyslexic and proof everything I write numerous times and I totally get making typos (good bless spell check). And I love engineers who are notoriously poor spellers.

[CharBon319]

I wouldn't recommend Grants Pass. We lived there 30 years and finally moved away a few months ago. It's too hot in the summer, although the winters are mild! As for bugs, they're everywhere. We mostly had problems with spiders (a lot of Black Widows), earwigs, and ticks. There is a lot of traffic congestion because of poor planning, not that many places to shop, Josephine County politics leaves a lot to be desired and the county is going broke. Property taxes are the cheapest in the state. Because of that, there are few county services, i.e. no library, limited sheriff patrols, etc. Wow, I sound like doom and gloom. The aforementioned is just my personal opinion.

On the up side, it is very pretty there.