Relocating (Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg: real estate, low crime, schools)

[welltravelled]

Hello everyone.

I am looking to relocate my family and was wondering if any areas of Oregon have the following.

Low Crime
Decent Schools
Good Health Care
Decent Cost Of Housing
Clean Air, Water and Soil
Sunny most of the time in summer, spring and fall
not to cold in winter and not to much snow
lots of things to do for a family with a 13 and an 18 year old
will excepts a mixed marriage...(hispanic women (born and raised in us) and white male)
beautiful scenery...oh wait..nevermind...your state is gorgeous!
all this in a town no larger then 30k

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by lutarian

Hello everyone.

I am looking to relocate my family and was wondering if any areas of Oregon have the following.

Low Crime
Decent Schools
Good Health Care
Decent Cost Of Housing
Clean Air, Water and Soil
Sunny most of the time in summer, spring and fall
not to cold in winter and not to much snow
lots of things to do for a family with a 13 and an 18 year old
will excepts a mixed marriage...(hispanic women (born and raised in us) and white male)
beautiful scenery...oh wait..nevermind...your state is gorgeous!
all this in a town no larger then 30k

Assuming your weather requirements are the single most important factor, I think you'll have to look at the I-5 corridor between about Roseburg and Grants Pass. Further north or along the coast would be too cloudy. East over the Cascades would be too cold. Maybe weather isn't the most important? If not, that would open up more communities, but you would have to put up with clouds/rain or snow/freezing temps.

One other area that comes to mind is Pendleton. I really don't know a lot about that area, but often in the winter I see that the temperatures are very comparable to western Oregon (i.e. in the 50s or even 60s some times). That's not to say that they are always like that, but it strikes me as being warmer than I would expect. If I'm way off base about this, I hope someone will chime in and educate me.

[Nell Plotts]

The weather in Pendleton can be brutal in the winter. Scratch that place off the list.

[EnricoV]

You're not going to get "not too cold in winter" along with "sunny most of the winter," at least not in Oregon. The cloud layer is what keeps the temperatures up in the winter. Take that away, temperatures drop.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by jjpop

Assuming your weather requirements are the single most important factor, I think you'll have to look at the I-5 corridor between about Roseburg and Grants Pass. Further north or along the coast would be too cloudy. East over the Cascades would be too cold.

I think that advice is correct in its essence (only the southern portion of western Oregon might qualify), but I would argue that the I-5 corridor between Roseburg and Grants Pass is far more likely to be plagued by a thick scud of heavy fog between late autumn and mid spring than is the eastern side of the Rogue River Valley from Medford to Ashland. A location above the valley floor in Ashland or east Medford might get you above the fog. The RRV's summers are not as temperate as they are farther north, however. Temperatures above 100 are not uncommon there from July to September.

You might look at some of the higher elevation towns in Butte and Tehama Counties, California such as Paradise or Magalia. No town with fewer than 30k will have "lots of things to do for a family"...at least not from the kids point of view.

Finally, let me point out that you're looking for the same thing that EVERYONE is looking for. The reason that certain cities become unaffordable is that they are highly desirable. Real estate demand for housing in those markets cause push-pull inflation to limit access to those who can appease the COL gods with money.