Choice between Grants Pass, Medford & Klamath Falls (Bend, McMinnville: find a job, school)

[Noreaster73]

Originally Posted by Scotty1

Noreaster73,
Anywhere you go in Oregon is good. I lived in Portland an Corvallis. I loved them both. You can't go wrong wherever you go in Oregon, though I prefer the coast line. However, I'm sure the job market there would not be good. Have you thought about Ashland? I loved that area also.
I left Oregon for Florida. I'd move back in a minute, but my wife hates the rain of 8-9 months a year. BUT, boy are the summers beautiful, with pleasant temperatures. Good Luck.
Scotty in Florida

Thanks, I'll definitly check Ashland out. Tell your wife she's a lucky woman, my husband tried to get me to move to Florida, but I won't go. It's beautiful,but way too hot. He'll just have to settle for visiting my parents there once a year!

[tilegirl]

You have sold me on Southern Oregon...

[BUBBA1994]

I've never beeen to K-Falls, but I've been to Medford and Grants Pass. Infact, I lived in Medford. IMO, Medford would be the best choice for you from all three towns you guys picked.
Besides, Medford has many things to do outdoors.

[Chrysaliswriter]

In reference to Christianity not being prevalent in southern Oregon, it's been our experience that the eastern half of the state, in general, is far mroe conservative and much more church-going than the western half of Oregon. The same can be held true for Washington state, from what friends and family in both areas have told us. We are favoring Klamath Falls for it's low cost housing and cost of living in general, as well as the clean air, abundance of natural beauty. Humidity is low. Sunshine is prolific, by Oregon standards, with nearly 300 days a year with sunshine. I have a cousin in Klamath Falls who has lived there with his wife for 36 years and raised 4 sons, all very successful in their careers. As one person noted, it is what you make of it, alot of the time. You have to make it by being the one to reach out and not waiting for someone to show up on your door step with a plate of cookies and a warm welcome! That may happen and we've lived in states where that has been a common practice. We have always been the ones to bring over the homemade breads and cookies to our neighbors when we moved into a new neighborhood in a new state with husband's job transfers!! We are hoping to get into Running Y Ranch and will be staying in a 2 bdrm chalet for a week to test it out. There is alot of inventory over there and several styles with several price ranges, all of which are much lower than a year or two ago! If anyone is interested in a retirement home, this could be the place. Pre-retirees? Buy now. Rent it out. . .make your purchase before retiring while prices are still low, if possible. This holds true for anywhere in the K-Falls area where housing prices, in general, are some of the lowest in the state, especially for an area with roughly 40,000 population, if you include Altamont. If you are trying to avoid the rain and humidity, K-Falls would be a good choice. We are looking forward to just feeling better again, which is why we are headed for mountain area with dry air and sunshine!! Now, I'll have to find a creative way to deal with midges in the summer months! We had June bugs in Fresno the 2 yrs. I lived there, and they would fly into your hair and freak you out!!! I'll never forget it. My dread is that the midges are pesty cousins to the June bugs!!! If anyone can elaborate more on these little buggars, I'd love to hear more detail on how to deal with them and what they actually do to bug people!

[Chrysaliswriter]

I believe the young couple in theire 20's that are looking for a smaller community, narrowing it down to Grants Pass, Medford and K-Falls, said they wanted a home for about $180,000. The only place of those 3 that I know you can get a decent house for that price is K-Falls. Another reason we are choosing K-Falls, having looked at GP and Medford, ourselves, and visiting the areas more than once.

[PNW-type-gal]

I live here and like it - but the "300 days of sun" things is pure Chamber of Commerce BS. Solar data shows the actual number is about 220-230 days of sun and part sun.

Of course, the CC might be counting any day for which the sun was glimpsed for at least 10 seconds, but I'd prefer not to mislead people.

This has been a VERY mild year for midges, for whatever reason - they really didn't start up until after the beginning of August and they've already tapered off (not along Highway 97 and the canals and out toward Running Y, where they are still in swarming columns that sort of look like the smoke coming out of Aladdin's lamp).

They come in three sizes (unfortunately the smallest size is smaller than most all window screening) with the largest being sort of mosquito-sized. None of them bite or sting, they're just annoying in swarms and a pain to wash off your windshield and the front of your car, especially driving in early morning or early evening. I've switched my bicycle rides to mid-day to avoid swallowing them. They are strongly attracted to light, including the lights inside your house. The local window shop claims to have a screening size that they can't pass through, but I've never bothered to see if it's true. Generally they are thicker toward water, so if you are looking at canal- or lake-front property, keep that in mind.

[angelbug]

Originally Posted by Chrysaliswriter

Now, I'll have to find a creative way to deal with midges in the summer months! We had June bugs in Fresno the 2 yrs. I lived there, and they would fly into your hair and freak you out!!! I'll never forget it. My dread is that the midges are pesty cousins to the June bugs!!! If anyone can elaborate more on these little buggars, I'd love to hear more detail on how to deal with them and what they actually do to bug people!

June bugs are beetles, and can be fairly large, but they're totally harmless. They are attracted to lights at night. Midges are tiny flies, some of which bite and can be a nuisance. The two are not related to each other.

If the midges are biting, a good insect repellent with DEET should help keep them away.

AngelBUG, an entomologist.

[angelbug]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

None of them bite or sting, they're just annoying in swarms and a pain to wash off your windshield and the front of your car, especially driving in early morning or early evening. I've switched my bicycle rides to mid-day to avoid swallowing them. They are strongly attracted to light, including the lights inside your house. The local window shop claims to have a screening size that they can't pass through, but I've never bothered to see if it's true. Generally they are thicker toward water, so if you are looking at canal- or lake-front property, keep that in mind.

In my previous post I said some bite, but you're correct that the swarming ones that you tend to swallow when biking do not. What I hate worse than swallowing them is getting them up my nose.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by angelbug

In my previous post I said some bite, but you're correct that the swarming ones that you tend to swallow when biking do not. What I hate worse than swallowing them is getting them up my nose.

If the local midges (Chironomus utahensis) were like the biting no-see-ums (Ceratopogonidae) I've run into other places, I wouldn't live here. When those bite (at least on me) they leave welts.

[angelbug]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

If the local midges (Chironomus utahensis) were like the biting no-see-ums (Ceratopogonidae) I've run into other places, I wouldn't live here. When those bite (at least on me) they leave welts.

Yeah, they are nast-eeee. I camped once on Assateague Island in Maryland and the Culicoides ceratopogonids were able to get through the mesh in the tent door. What a miserable trip!