Ashland... (Portland, Eugene, Medford: real estate, 2009, condos)

[TOMTGB2]

Can anyone tell me about Ashland....good and bad. Thanks!

[karlsch]

Go back to the Oregon forum main page.

At the top right you will see "Search This Forum."

Click on it and search for Ashland.

You will get enough results to keep you reading for a long time.

[TOMTGB2]

Thanks but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, maybe if I am more detailed with my questions...forgive me, it is a little long...
I am a SAHM with two kids, a boy 6 and a girl 2, and my husband and I are looking into moving to Ashland. We are looking for a place that offers both cultural and outdoor recreation and it seems like Ashland has both to offer. We traveled to New England and loved the towns there but think it is too far from our families in California/Arizona and when I saw a picture of downtown Ashland I immediately was reminded of a small town in New Hampshire. What is the town like? Does it offer things to do for the kids and for the family? I am a former High School English teacher so the Shakespeare festival appeases to me greatly. Are there many medical centers in the area, my husband is in the medical field. What is the weather like? We currently live in the desert so our temps are about 120 in the summer and 50 in the winter and we would like to live somewhere with four seasons and I have dreams of planting a garden that can sustain plant life in it =) The housing market seems a little pricey there, are there any small surrounding communities that could be worth considering? My son is a huge sports fan and plays soccer, football, basketball, and baseball, are there leagues for him to join?
Sorry for all the questions but choosing where to raise a family is a daunting task..

One more thing...we live in a tiny town (pop. 5,000) and understand that the cultural and recreation opportunities that we want are found in larger towns but would still like a town that offers a small town feeling. People are nicer to each other when they are going to see each other again, does Ashland have this going for them?

[westvillemama]

Originally Posted by TOMTGB2

Thanks but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, maybe if I am more detailed with my questions...forgive me, it is a little long...
I am a SAHM with two kids, a boy 6 and a girl 2, and my husband and I are looking into moving to Ashland. We are looking for a place that offers both cultural and outdoor recreation and it seems like Ashland has both to offer. We traveled to New England and loved the towns there but think it is too far from our families in California/Arizona and when I saw a picture of downtown Ashland I immediately was reminded of a small town in New Hampshire. What is the town like? Does it offer things to do for the kids and for the family? I am a former High School English teacher so the Shakespeare festival appeases to me greatly. Are there many medical centers in the area, my husband is in the medical field. What is the weather like? We currently live in the desert so our temps are about 120 in the summer and 50 in the winter and we would like to live somewhere with four seasons and I have dreams of planting a garden that can sustain plant life in it =) The housing market seems a little pricey there, are there any small surrounding communities that could be worth considering? My son is a huge sports fan and plays soccer, football, basketball, and baseball, are there leagues for him to join?
Sorry for all the questions but choosing where to raise a family is a daunting task..

One more thing...we live in a tiny town (pop. 5,000) and understand that the cultural and recreation opportunities that we want are found in larger towns but would still like a town that offers a small town feeling. People are nicer to each other when they are going to see each other again, does Ashland have this going for them?

So. OR native here, lived in Ashland for a total of 15 years, so I feel qualified to answer your questions. Keep in mind though, I haven't been there in five years now, so some things may have changed.

Ashland is a nice place to raise children, if you are fairly liberal and have a source of income that is in a feild which isn't reliant upon service industries of any sort, or upon a strong economy. You said your dh was in health care-- there is a small hospital in Ashland proper, and two major medical complexes in the county seat, which would be Medford. I cannot speak directly to job availability or pay scale, unfortunately, but I cannot imagine that health care would be any different than other industries across the state in that there are long lines for any well-paying job, and that well-paying in the state of OR is considered mediocre by the standards of many, many other places. I could be wrong about that particular field, though, for sure. It's worth some heavy research on your part before making a decision to relocate, because Ashland is EXPENSIVE. So increasingly expensive in recent years in fact that so many families haven't been able to make it that there have been closings of at least two elementary schools, due to lower to middle income families not being able to make ends meet. It's so unfortunate, because families are the backbone of any decent community, you know? I fear that many who are left either can't afford to move or have enough money that the COL doesn't phase them. So there's that factor. We're one of the families who had to leave due to financial constraints, btw.

That said, I miss my adopted hometown. It definitely has that small town feel. You will see the same people wherever you go, and that's nice in a way. Always someone to chat with, be you making a quick trip to the grocery store or just checking the mail! If you live in the city proper, it is an extremely walkable place. The bus system is reliant upon Medford Transit, so the busses are infrequent and don't go many places, but I lived there with a small child and no car for years. Had to walk sometimes, which was fine because Ashland is very safe. VERY safe.

It's a college/theater town. The entire town (no kidding here) revolves around the OSF and SOU campuses-- every small business, every service, city gvmt, every industry just about is focused upon capturing those almighty tourist dollars. There's not much which caters to the locals. Whether or not one can get used to that is subjective, and it is a small source of bitterness within the community. Small, but tangible.


Some nice things:

The winter lights festival
Free Green Shows at OSF
Britt Festival is in Jacksonville, just a skip away, for music shows
Halloween downtown for kids-- there is a costume parade and all the shops hand out treats to the kiddos. So cool. The kids love it!
Mere steps away from all sorts of outdoor activities, year round, including skiing, rafting, hiking, etc.
Sense of community and many social contacts, easily found and made.
Proximity to nature and location overall is amazing. Gorgeous. Watershed forest on one side of town, dry, rolling grasslands on the other side. It's cool.
Odd people. I think that's a plus, at least!
Commitment to progressive living within the people of the community.

Some not so great things:

Parking sucks. I repeat, parking suuuucks. Live in town, and walk.
Did I mention that housing was incredibly expensive?
Did I mention that the job market is insane?
The schools aren't awesome. They aren't bad, but don't believe the hype you will hear, they have their administrative problems aplenty, such as maude forbid you have a special needs kid and actually want them to do more for your child than provide lip service. I could go on, but I won't. If you're part of the "in crowd," within the school system and your kids are both "normal" you'll do fine.
Water. Yes, it's OR, but water is scarce come the hot summer months. Act like it's the desert, don't waste water on your lawn or washing your car.
Fires. Forest fires started by lightning and dumb people. Air quality due to forest fires. There's fire somewhere just about every summer. Definite downer. (on the plus side, local fire depts. very well equipped to deal)
Odd people being priced out. I think that's a minus, at least!
Lip service to diversity, not exactly present outside the walls of the college and theater. Ditto for alternative liefstyles.
Very whitebread, upper middle class liberalist town-- which could be either a plus or minus, depending on your own personal views and style.

I love Ashland, miss it, and wish I could afford to go back. I like where I am now better for raising my family though, because although this place is very much like Ashland in many respects (replace OSF with Biltmore, for example) at least here there's jobs and the schools get good funding.

If you have any other questions about specifics, feel free to ask!

[timber mt]

Ashland is awesome. The worst thing [IMO] about about Ashland and all of southern Oregon is the job situation . Your kids will most likely move away to other regions for good jobs when they get older.

[Kathleenh54]

Okay, I'll bite. What does 'SAHM' mean?

We moved to Ashland from SoCal two years ago. Our high-school age daughter attends a private school in Medford.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, scrape together all the $$ you can and find a place in Ashland. Medford might be tempting but as an investment, Ashland is da place to be.

The town is lovely, as is the community. We are SO HAPPY we moved here and wished we'd done it sooner. All the good stuff you've read about the town is true. The bad stuff is probably true too but who cares, so you can't park your car during tourist season.

[exvalleygirl]

Just kidding. coundn't help but interupt your conversation......
SAHM = Stay At Home Mom ( ie: doesn't work outside the home)

[nanannie]

[quote=Kathleenh54;4603476]Okay, I'll bite. What does 'SAHM' mean?

We moved to Ashland from SoCal two years ago. Our high-school age daughter attends a private school in Medford.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, scrape together all the $$ you can and find a place in Ashland. Medford might be tempting but as an investment, Ashland is da place to be.

The town is lovely, as is the community. We are SO HAPPY we moved here and wished we'd done it sooner. All the good stuff you've read about the town is true. The bad stuff is probably true too but who cares, so you can't park your car during tourist season.[/QUOTE


Just wondered, does your daugher attend a private school in Medford because you are not happy with the Ashland school? Thanks.

[Kathleenh54]

Hi, Nannie, the answer to your question is 'yes'.

Exvalgal, thanks!

[roma3118]

I moved to Ashland with my family when I graduated high school in 1989. People were friendly, creative and vibrant. I wouldn't used those words to describe it anymore. Over the past 19 years, I have seen this town become the poster child of what a quaint, artsy, small town is supposed to be. Now it just looks like one and panders to the tourists rather than its citizens. Elementary schools have been closed down. Our library was closed down, and has barely reopened. It's extremely difficult for a family to live on one income, unless that income is pretty high. There are things to do here, but I wouldn't really call it cultural per se, not like there used to be, and not like you would find in any metropolitan area. Shakespeare is pretty much it. The Britt in Jacksonville has hit and miss lineups. And they are expensive. In order to take your child(ren) to a performance it will cost $29+ per child, and there is no break for small babies either. Also, people don't usually dance at the Britt. They sit in their seats, it's weird. First Friday Art Walk is a good idea in theory but is pretty banal. You won't find hip, cutting edge, emerging artists, but you will find safe watercolors, tons of glass and ceramics, landscapes, flowers. Your typical household ornaments. It's mainly an event for people to seem intellectual, drink too much wine, and make the "scene". The Schneider Museum at SOU is the only space to offer thought provoking exhibits. A lot of the live music generally ranges from hiphop, reggae, jazz and folk, usually in a bar. In the spring, there's the Ashland Independent Film Festival. There's maybe a handful of art galleries, more coffeeshops than necessary, a few used bookstores, overpriced and medicore restaurants. There aren't any kid/family specific restaurants. And the old people get annoyed if you bring a toddler/little kid anywhere. Nasty glares abound. There's a food co-op, that used to be cool and funky. Now it's overpriced and a mecca for the senior citizens looking for the fountain of youth. There's a Safeway, an Albertsons and then Shop N Kart, which is where most families shop for organic, locally-made, gluten-free, hormone-free food, etc. while not going totally broke. On Tuesdays and Saturdays are small growers markets. Saturday also has a crafter's market downtown, but it's touristy. We surprisingly have good bagels here.

Many of the young families now live in Talent. While Talent is on it's way to being a cute town (i.e. lots of growth because of it's proximity to Ashland and that you can buy a new/nicer home for the junker you'd get in Ashland), it's still pretty small. I know people who live in Talent, but take their kids to Ashland schools, which Ashland is cracking down on because it's becoming excessive. Talent Elementary is a decent school from what I hear, but the middle school is not. And a Talent student will have to go to Phoenix High, which is one step away from failing the No Child Left Behind Act. Medford has some good elementary schools, but again, the middle and high schools are sad. Both Medford high schools have had numerous expulsions due to weapons. South Medford has had recent drive-by shootings. If the previous poster is sending his/her child to St. Mary's, that's an excellent choice. While it is a Catholic school, which I am not, they offer the best education for this area. Your child would do well there. They have a fantastic program that really prepares their students for getting into and doing well in top colleges, while also promoting responsibility and community. I would send my son there, but I don't know if he would be accepted because of the differences in religion.

Ashland High School rates better than the Medford and Phoenix schools, but doesn't prepare its students as well as St. Mary's. There have been no recent weapons expulsions, if any. Recent AHS graduates are having tougher times getting into first and second choice colleges. Many tend to go to SOU and RCC. Ashland schools do have some interesting programs. There is the John Muir school, which is a magnate school for K-8. It focuses on the environment, the arts and experiential learning. Students spend a lot of time in the field. The high school has sustainability programs and the Wilderness Charter School, which is an environmental/sustainability program for 11-12 grades. By 2009, one elementary school is being basically rebuilt, two are being improved, as is the high school. Improvements to schools are happening county-wide. We just need to get the education part back up.

Ashland has a lot of sports programs for kids. Shakespeare offers a program for kids to participate in some performances. And there are many neighborhood parks with playgrounds. It's a pretty safe town to live in. The police are generally nice, polite and quick to respond if needed. The YMCA has the bulk of kids activities. There is a skatepark. The parks and rec dept. has seasonal programs that are worth checking out. As far as outdoor activities, there's the lake with a waterslide in the summer, lots of hiking/biking trails, camping, fishing. You can always trek up to Hyatt or Fish Lake, or out to the Applegate too. In the winter there's skiing/boarding at Mt. A, and iceskating at an outdoor "rink" in the park.

Town politics are pretty ridiculous here. I know of far too many longtime business owners/residents who have either moved away completely or just outside of city limits because of this. Ashland's mayor even lives in Talent. The city council is the bane of everyone's existence. We had an incredible police chief, who is a fair and honorable man. But they forced him out of his job because he didn't react in an aggressive manner in a situation with an aggitated mentally-challenged man. He didn't shoot him, so he was fired.

Housing is a joke. Affordable housing isn't a big concern here. Right now on the market, for about $350k you will get a house in need of substantial repair/updating, but will likely have a decent sized yard. Or you can get something newer and much smaller with no yard. Condos downtown and townhouses can start at $400k. A while back Ashland passed an ordinance to restrict the boundary growth of the town. Consequently, zero lot lines are big here. It's getting crowded. It's also easier to build a new place outside of city-limits to avoid the red tape and outrageous permit fees, rather than rebuild/repair an older home. Unfortunately, there are many old Ashland neighborhoods that are becoming very run down. I guess the good thing is that homes aren't selling well right now, so finally the over-inflated housing market is dropping. The job market is truly sad. I read recently that most Ashlanders are self-employed. For your husband being in the medical field, avoid Ashland Community Hospital. I worked there and was reprimanded for missing work due to documented medical issues. Pay isn't as high as Providence Medical Center or Rogue Valley Medical Center. Benefits at ACH aren't so great either. Because many of Ashland's surgeons have in-office surgical facilities, ACH isn't making as much money as it once did. And after a big renovation and building a new day-surgery wing, it's kind of hurting. They had a big layoff (firing) hospital-wide a couple of years ago. But, with all the old people here, medical care is one of the biggest businesses.

To see how schools rate - State School Report Cards - AYP and Report Card Download - Oregon Department of Education. Each city has it's own school district, except Talent/Phoenix.

Ashland School District - Ashland School District - HOME

The YMCA - www.ashlandymca.org

The "newspaper" - www.dailytidings.com.

Medford's paper - www.mailtribune.com.

I know I sound negative and bitter about Ashland, and well, I am. It greatly saddens me to see what's become of my favorite place on the planet. Now, I only live here because my mother is here and she's getting older. Otherwise, I would leave in a heartbeat. I worry about my son going to schools here, and how little opportunity there is. I fell in love with this place many years ago, unfortunately so did a lot of other people. The change they brought has only been good for the developers. As the true charm, creativity and open-minded community of what once was has become a false marketing tool for the real estate agents. There was a poster who mentioned your kids will likely move later on, and that's pretty much been true. Or they stay and really struggle because living on minimum wage here is so hard. This area also has a big meth/pot problem. And prescription drug abuse by teens is rising.

If you are really interest in Oregon, check out Eugene or Portland. They both are younger feeling, much less expensive to live in and the pay is better. Portland is also a surprisingly very kid/family-friendly city with lots to do. While there are good and bad public schools, there are more options to choose from. Many younger and former Ashlanders live there with their new families and are doing well. Something to think about. I know I have. It really looks great here, but it wears off when you're struggling to pay bills and live off one income while raising kids. It's stressful and scary. I am a fulltime student about to graduate and now a single mom as well. It certainly contributed to relationship problems. So, staying here for family may not be a financial option. I know some people might be upset that I don't share a rosey outlook on Ashland, but the tint wore off my glasses by all the bling coming in from California. When people ask me about Ashland now, I tell them it's a spread-out retirement home that looks like Disneyland for babyboomers and their elderly parents.

Just my two cents, or three or four. Good luck.