Thinking about Klamath Falls (Altamont, Lakeview: homes, employment, new construction)

[jesnlar]

My husband and I are thinking of possibly moving to the Klamath Falls area. We live currently in a very small mountain town so simplicity is our nature. My husband is a very active outdoors men (hunting, fishing...) He is a self employed painting contractor so I was wondering how is self employment there? I also homeschool my three children so the next question is how is the homeschool community? Any info would be great!

[PNW-type-gal]

Dunno anything about the home school community here (other than I know it exists).

The building industry here - as everywhere else - has slowed down quite a bit, but then there was never the same percentage increase (in cost or number of homes built) as other areas, so the slow down isn't as bad as other places. But it's definitely down from last year. Someone from out of area, without established contacts might have a little trouble starting off, but quality always rises to the top. Sometimes it's a slow and rocky rise, though.

There were a lot of new subdivisions developed, but not the hundreds and hundreds of homes types in other places. Jeld-Wen (doors and windows manufacturer) just had a bit of a layoff, mostly due to a nationwide slump. The cut in timber dollars hasn't hit Klamath Falls as hard as our neighbors to the west in the Rogue Valley, since we didn't have the kind of timber revenues they had in the first place.

It's an agricultural area (although I think most jobs here are in a service sector of one kind or another), very much a western feel, where the county fair and the rodeo still have a prominent place in culture. The outdoor life, whether it's hiking, camping, backpacking, hunting, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, is a major draw.

Climate wise, it's the north end of a large, "high desert" basin, trees to the north and scrub and sagebrush to the south. It's hot in the summer (highs low-to-mid 90s and rarely over 100) and cold with some snow in the winter (lows in the 20s and high teens, usually)

If you are looking for a smaller town, you might try Lakeview or Paisley: Klamath Falls, including the "suburb" of Altamont, is around 40,000 people.

[jesnlar]

Where we live subdivisions tried to take off but really never did. Mainly my husband does remodels and every now again new construction. He does have top quality work though...As far as the weather there it sounds exactly like the weather where we currently live...thanks for the info!!

[jesnlar]

anymore info would be great!!

[goldengal#7]

There is a lot to do in and around Klamath Falls! We have a lot of shops and good restuarants in town, and even Costco has been considering moving here. The hunting and fishing nearby is fantastic. Property values are a really good buy. We have an airport and Amtrack comes here daily. A very friendly town!

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

If you are looking for a smaller town, you might try Lakeview or Paisley: Klamath Falls, including the "suburb" of Altamont, is around 40,000 people.

Haha, yeah, the "suburb" of "Altamont" is basically a joke. My uncle worked for the Klamath County planning department and I never heard a word about "Altamont" till I saw it on Google Maps. At that time I realized that he and my aunt LIVED in "Altamont" (though they were inside the KF city limits).

[HRM2]

What ever you do. DO NOT move you or your family to Klamath Falls aka Klamabama. We've been stuck here for 11 years and are about to break free finally. Unless you are a Doctor, Lawyer, Railroad or Retired you can't afford housing here. I don't know where these people live around here that work normal minimum wage and up jobs. Many camp sites are full now due to people needing a place to live. You can NOT let your kids go play ANYWHERE without constant superivsion, not even to ride there bikes. People here generally drive like maniacs in the residential areas. The police don't patrol much. They make their money on the weekends busting DUI's and Meth labs. We can't let ours out of the back yard. Too many pedifiles in the area. Gang activity has increased greatly in the last few years. They are coming up from the bay area. Now we see gang signs painted in all parts of the city. The police department has a special task force for the gang activity problems. People here are generally hateful from the word go. The only people we've met in 11 years that are friendly and are trust worthy are the ones who are not from Klamath Falls and those generally do not stay long. If you are not in the "click" here or you don't have the right last name, you won't have a good experience living here. I tried like heck to like it here. I gave up finally. I'm not saying I hate anything, thats a strong word but I will say I've lost 11 years of mine and my familys life we will never get back by trying to make a go of this lost little place.

[HRM2]

Where are the shops and "good" restaurants located?

[PNW-type-gal]

Klamath is one of the least expensive places to live (in re: housing) in all of Oregon. Having said that, Oregon prices are lower than many other west coast states, but definitely more expensive than the inexpensive parts of the South and Mid-West. The economy was fairly slow (removing construction from the list) before the current recession and is sitting around 8%, which isn't wonderful, but is in line with small rural towns across the country.

And while I'm sorry that you and your family have a tough time, I don't believe that people here are "hateful" - that hasn't been my experience at all. Nor do I believe that KFalls has a big gang problem - not for its size and compared to other cities on the west coast.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I lived in K Falls for 7 years. I loved it! The town is a bit behind the times and very quiet. The surrounding areas are beautiful and there is excellent fishing & hunting. We home schooled as well for a while and there was a fairly decent support group for the kids. Eventually we placed her in a nice private school and all went very well.