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I would certainly not consider Ashland damp. Especially based on the amount of watering I need to do each summer. However, I do have a friend who moved up from the Bay Area, Ca. who thought it was grey most of the year. So, I suppose it is all relative to your expectations. Ashland's climate is much drier than Portland's. Getting a job will be your challenge here.
Hi,
Why is it a challenge to get a job in Ashland?
Is there a shortage of jobs, or, do residents not hire newcomers to the city?
I'm trying to find a progressive outdoors town that hires outsiders. I was born and raised in Seattle, yet a am considered a foreigner from the eyes of taciturn, introverted people in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. I'm too talkative during interviews (as we ALL are in Seattle/Tacoma/Portland), and considered too "brainy" in the Southwest. This happens to several of us who moves to Arizona and New Mexico from the West Coast, Upper Midwest, and Northeast. Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, personality makes a difference when trying to get a job in cities w/ recessions.
Coming from Seattle, would I be considered a foreigner in Ashland or other towns in S.W. Oregon (i.e. Grants Pass, Eugene)?
Ashland has a great climate, it's inland from the coast with less rain and marine clouds due to a rain shadow effect from the Siskiyou mountains. A friend of mine from Seattle spent the summer in Ashland and really enjoyed it. Having driven on I-5 many times between Seattle and San Francisco, I always liked approaching the California border because then I knew the sun would come out!
Is there a shortage of jobs, or, do residents not hire newcomers to the city?
I'm trying to find a progressive outdoors town that hires outsiders. I was born and raised in Seattle, yet a am considered a foreigner from the eyes of taciturn, introverted people in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. I'm too talkative during interviews (as we ALL are in Seattle/Tacoma/Portland), and considered too "brainy" in the Southwest. This happens to several of us who moves to Arizona and New Mexico from the West Coast, Upper Midwest, and Northeast. Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, personality makes a difference when trying to get a job in cities w/ recessions.
Coming from Seattle, would I be considered a foreigner in Ashland or other towns in S.W. Oregon (i.e. Grants Pass, Eugene)?
Ashland has a great climate, it's inland from the coast with less rain and marine clouds due to a rain shadow effect from the Siskiyou mountains. A friend of mine from Seattle spent the summer in Ashland and really enjoyed it. Having driven on I-5 many times between Seattle and San Francisco, I always liked approaching the California border because then I knew the sun would come out!
Ashland has 19,000 people, so it just won't have the job opportunities the much larger cities you list do. Depending on what you do for a living, it will be much more challenging to get a job.
Compared to other cities, Ashland has a high percentage of retirees from other areas, so the "not from here" syndrome is low. This is true of much of southern Oregon, from the coast to Klamath Falls. Being right on the Calif. border means that your neighbors and your customers likely are not only from California, but live in California.
No, it's not overly damp here in Ashland. We're much drier and sunnier than Portland and Eugene, but of course we get rain and gray days too. Our weather is similar to the Bay Area, but the cold is more extreme in winter (snow is totally new to me, but thankfully it just happens a few times in winter). I've been here a few years and I still don't have a proper winter jacket, but I should. I do actually have to wear hat/gloves and layers in winter, where I could get away without them in CA.
A huge number of us here in Ashland are from the Bay Area, CA. Also, many have come from Colorado. There is definitely not a problem with not being from here, though my landlord says you need to leave California back in California and don't bring the uptightness here. Fair enough. I notice a shockingly large percentage of people who are unable to spell, write well, or use proper grammar, compared with what I'm accustomed to in the Bay Area. I probably judge this a bit. I wasn't expecting it at all when I moved here.
If you're asking about Eugene and Grants Pass... Eugene is a nice place, and has something like 7-10 health food stores. Another college town, but bigger than Ashland. Lots of potheads (in my experience). Grants Pass... um, I'm sure it has its good points? I'm from the Bay Area and it always feels a little redneck-y to me, but many nice people live there too. I've only been there a couple times.
I personally love Ashland. We have great organic food, including a farmer's market in the warmer months and a terrific co-op year-round. Values are progressive, organic and natural in general, but you'll mostly see mainstream-looking people here. Some hippies, but not so much. I'm really happy that you don't have to dress well here. It's much more relaxed than the Bay Area was. People are really casual - maybe that is because Oregon is a poor state in general.
We have the Shakespeare festival for something like 10 months a year. We are both a college town and a tourist town (due to all the theater). This combination means a greater percentage of low-paying retail and food-service jobs, which the college students are more than happy to snatch up. This is what's behind the difficulty in supporting yourself here. If you had a problem in interviews because you're too talkative and brainy, I don't think you can blame job difficulties on the cities; that's your own thing. Ashland has many intelligent people, of course, but I think of this small town as more earthy than intellectual.
We have Mount Ashland and its slopes, plus lots of nature and hiking trails. If you're outdoorsy, you'll love this valley. Also, Lithia Park. Ashland has things to do, but is very small, so if you're from Seattle or another metro, you might get antsy or bored here. If you peruse the dating sites, you are likely to see some of those people out and about. And the same people circulate through the dating sites.
One gripe is I run into people a little more often than I'd like. Coming from a much larger place where I remained anonymous, this was an adjustment. My biggest gripe is getting through town, if you need to drive through it regularly. The speed limit is 20. Yes, clearly I have not left California behind. OTOH, if these are the biggest problems, that's not so bad, is it?
Last edited by Aloha~Nui; 12-12-2008 at 09:56 PM..
Reason: formatting
In winter Ashland gets more snow which doesn't register as much precipitation as straight rain. Medford gets more rain in winter levels.
Medford @ 1400 feet elevation vs Ashland @ 2000 feet makes a difference.
So in summer Medford has less rain, Ashland has more storms from the hills.
You can drive up the summit and it will be pouring from a storm.
So while they register the same 19 inch a year. It varies by those means from my experiences there. I have buddies in Talent and we love the region. But its not damp.
Is there a shortage of jobs, or, do residents not hire newcomers to the city?
I'm trying to find a progressive outdoors town that hires outsiders. I was born and raised in Seattle, yet a am considered a foreigner from the eyes of taciturn, introverted people in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. I'm too talkative during interviews (as we ALL are in Seattle/Tacoma/Portland), and considered too "brainy" in the Southwest. This happens to several of us who moves to Arizona and New Mexico from the West Coast, Upper Midwest, and Northeast. Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, personality makes a difference when trying to get a job in cities w/ recessions.
Coming from Seattle, would I be considered a foreigner in Ashland or other towns in S.W. Oregon (i.e. Grants Pass, Eugene)?
Ashland has a great climate, it's inland from the coast with less rain and marine clouds due to a rain shadow effect from the Siskiyou mountains. A friend of mine from Seattle spent the summer in Ashland and really enjoyed it. Having driven on I-5 many times between Seattle and San Francisco, I always liked approaching the California border because then I knew the sun would come out!
Sorry, just saw this request. Ashland is small and the economy is depressed, hence hard to land a job. But if you do, it is a great place. From Seattle? No worries! The only people I tire of are the Bay Area types who are usually rich and a bit self-satisfied, and because of the housing bubble, they can work part-time and own a $500k home and Beemer or two. But most of the town is from coastal California, so I am in the minority and my vote doesn't count for much! A brainy working stiff from Seattle would fit in just fine, and even might bring something new. Come on up, or down, or...? Talent is also a fun, funky little town these days. You might even see someone with an old beater car, or perhaps an ethnic minority, not many of either in Ashland these days.
Fiddlehead, can you tell me more about Talent? I drove through an over 55 community and was greeted by some old timers fondling golf clubs. It was not a bad little development but none too exciting. I only made one other turnoff. I think that was south on Valley View. The neighborhood seem pretty poor and run down. I guess I should have spent more time driving around. Thanks.
You're asking a bunch of ducks if it's too damp where they live. Do you consider pea soup damp? Sorry, but winters feature day after day of dense fog and drizzle. People without webbed feet consider that damp. Granted, summers are dry. And hot. I think the Rogue Valley has very nice weather, but as a frequent visitor, I'd have to say the winters are damp and dreary. My wife is from Medford, and I used to kid her that they need drop-off bins for sunglasses as you enter the state.
Fiddlehead, can you tell me more about Talent? I drove through an over 55 community and was greeted by some old timers fondling golf clubs. It was not a bad little development but none too exciting. I only made one other turnoff. I think that was south on Valley View. The neighborhood seem pretty poor and run down. I guess I should have spent more time driving around. Thanks.
Hi JrKliny,
When we moved to Ashland, we looked into Talent. It always seemed run down and trashy to us. However, with the housing bubble, Ashland quickly became out of reach for those starting out, and Talent received a big crop of young, energetic, creative people and they have improved the downtown and brought a lot of vitality. I think it has improved a lot, and is more interesting in a that way than Ashland. Ashland is almost exclusively wealthy people from elsewhere, typically coastal California. Talent has more of a mix, with local Oregonians, post-college hangers-on, hispanic families, teachers, artists,and plenty of wealthy Californians too, but more of a diversity of origins. Some nice little retirement neighborhoods too. Still not perfect by any means, but much nicer than when we hit the valley.
Fiddlehead, thanks for the info. I could get lucky and find a suitable property, but Ashland is probably beyond my budget. I guess I will need to look at Talent more closely.
Ashland Climate Similar To Coastal California and Sierra Foothills
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hubcap_halo
Hello,
I've heard Ashland is gorgeous. Considering a move.
But I can't do damp. Is it part of the deciduous rainforest that covers much of Eastern Oregon and Washington State?
Thank you?
Most of the Pacific NW is covered by a Douglas Fir forest with western red cedar and western hemlock. Decidious Red Alders and Bigleaf Maples are limited in their presence to moist areas and as successional pioneers after logging or construction. And, parts of the Willamette Valley and SW and Southern Oregon, where various Oak species cover the hills.
The vegetation around Ashland is incredibly unique and picturesque, as it consists of oak scrub and grasslands in drier, sunnier areas, and mixed conifer in moister, shadier areas. But that's a very broad generalization.
I'm curious about this, too, so here's what I just found:
Forest Service Map: Ashland and much of California as #19-Oakwoods, although there are conifers on the shady hills SW of town.
Recently, I tried to search on-line w/o success for hours for a really good Oregon vegetation map.
Anyone have a really good on-line Oregon vegetation map?
As for the weather, I also am curious about this. The climate formulae for Ashland indicates it's the warmer Californian Csa climate, vs. Csb in the rest of the Northwest!That's AWESOME! This Wikipedia Map shows a Csa yellow colored zone extending into Southern Oregon. The Koppen Climate Calculator would indeed indicate that Ashland is Csa since:
The second letter indicates the precipitation pattern — s indicates dry summers (driest summer month less than 30 mm (about 1.4"?) average precipitation and less than one-third wettest winter month precipitation)
The third letter indicates the degree of summer heat — a indicates warmest month average temperature above 22 °C (72 °F) with at least 4 months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F)
Group C climates are subdivided as follows:
Dry-summer subtropical or Mediterranean climates (Csa, Csb):[9] These climates usually occur on the western sides of continents between the latitudes of 30° and 45°. These climates are in the polar front region in winter, and thus have moderate temperatures and changeable, rainy weather. Summers are hot and dry, due to the domination of the subtropical high pressure systems, except in the immediate coastal areas, where summers are milder due to the nearby presence of cold ocean currents that may bring fog but prevent rain.
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OTOH, if these are the biggest problems, that's not so bad, is it?
Medford vs Ashland
