Jacksonville- A good place to grow a Family and wine? (Portland: renting, houses)

[Dean Trails]

I have been looking for more information on Jacksonville. Any residents that can tell me about the area, weather, services, shopping and gang activity?
Do you have to go all the way to Medford to buy your groceries?

Does it have interesting things to do there? How far is the ocean?
Thanks for any help.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

One of my favorite little spots to visit. Very quaint. Very trendy. Very spendy. Very wine frindly.

Yes, unless you have unlimited money (or are just plain stupid) you have to drive to Medford to shop.

As to the coast, it's close as the crow flies, but to drive there takes close to 3-4 hours. It's not an option for a day trip from there.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

I have been looking for more information on Jacksonville. Any residents that can tell me about the area, weather, services, shopping and gang activity?
Do you have to go all the way to Medford to buy your groceries?

Does it have interesting things to do there? How far is the ocean?
Thanks for any help.

Anyone tell you that it's only 5 minutes or less from Jacksonville to Medford to buy groceries?

We just moved up to Beaverton from Ruch, in Applegate Valley - it has a Jacksonville address. It was 10 minute into Jacksonville, even from there, and in 5 more minutes, I could reach Albertson's grocery. If you want a Winco, that's another 10 minutes.

But from J-ville central, Home Depot and Costco are like 10 to 15 minutes once you know the roads.

Gangs? Never heard of such a thing in J-ville.

Weather? Hmmmmm?

There is a transition right there. Driving in from Medford, before starting the hill to Applegate Valley on Hy. 238, a transition to greener and more trees begins at J-ville. You can actually see it driving Interstate 5 if you head south and look to the west. The entire mountain to the right looks greener, but the hills to the east look more golden with less trees.

Medford is 19 inches of rain per year. I'm guessing Jacksonville to be about 24 inches, because at Ruch just 8 miles west, we were slightly over 27 inches.

We are currently renting the home on one acre there. Ruch is Medford School District, but has a really nifty 1-8 grade school. Our son loved it. Plenty of vineyards in Applegate Valley.

In the photo here, we're looking from Woodrat Mountain west toward Ruch. Our place is sort of in the middle somewhere.

The paragliders are in the sky all summer. I used one extra bedroom for an office, and watched them fly and take off from my desk, looking out the window toward the hill.

If you can afford about 1 extra gallon of gas per day if you need to drive back and forth for work, Applegate Valley is superb. If you can afford the somewhat more expensive houses, Jacksonville is cute and qaint. But if you want Vineyard property - I'm fairly certain that Applegate Valley is a likely candidate. That leaves Grants Pass a short drive away too. And the coast and the redwoods only 2 hours to the west.

As far as what the ocean and redwoods are like - swing by my profile and see if you can find your way to my oregon coast and redwood albums. I don't post the links usually.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by mdvaden

Anyone tell you that it's only 5 minutes or less from Jacksonville to Medford to buy groceries?

We just moved up to Beaverton from Ruch, in Applegate Valley - it has a Jacksonville address. It was 10 minute into Jacksonville, even from there, and in 5 more minutes, I could reach Albertson's grocery. If you want a Winco, that's another 10 minutes.

But from J-ville central, Home Depot and Costco are like 10 to 15 minutes once you know the roads.

Gangs? Never heard of such a thing in J-ville.

Weather? Hmmmmm?

There is a transition right there. Driving in from Medford, before starting the hill to Applegate Valley on Hy. 238, a transition to greener and more trees begins at J-ville. You can actually see it driving Interstate 5 if you head south and look to the west. The entire mountain to the right looks greener, but the hills to the east look more golden with less trees.

Medford is 19 inches of rain per year. I'm guessing Jacksonville to be about 24 inches, because at Ruch just 8 miles west, we were slightly over 27 inches.

We are currently renting the home on one acre there. Ruch is Medford School District, but has a really nifty 1-8 grade school. Our son loved it. Plenty of vineyards in Applegate Valley.

In the photo here, we're looking from Woodrat Mountain west toward Ruch. Our place is sort of in the middle somewhere.

The paragliders are in the sky all summer. I used one extra bedroom for an office, and watched them fly and take off from my desk, looking out the window toward the hill.

If you can afford about 1 extra gallon of gas per day if you need to drive back and forth for work, Applegate Valley is superb. If you can afford the somewhat more expensive houses, Jacksonville is cute and qaint. But if you want Vineyard property - I'm fairly certain that Applegate Valley is a likely candidate. That leaves Grants Pass a short drive away too. And the coast and the redwoods only 2 hours to the west.

As far as what the ocean and redwoods are like - swing by my profile and see if you can find your way to my oregon coast and redwood albums. I don't post the links usually.

Does this area get much sun? Even though the rainfall total is low it appears to not get as much sun. I am sure it isn't Portland but just wonderin?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

Does this area get much sun? Even though the rainfall total is low it appears to not get as much sun. I am sure it isn't Portland but just wonderin?

LOTS of sun. Gets hot in the summer.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

Does this area get much sun? Even though the rainfall total is low it appears to not get as much sun. I am sure it isn't Portland but just wonderin?

Your basic premise is correct. The Rogue Valley gets 2000-2200 hrs. of sunshine a year (that's 1000 hrs. less than Los Angeles by way of comparison and about the same as Portland). It might seem like an area that gets only half the rain of cities in the Willamette Valley should only get half as much cloudiness. It just doesn't work that way. The Siskiyou Mts. encumber the Rogue River Valley with a chronic air stagnation situation that tends to hold in the clouds, often with an air inversion on top. That isn't all bad; the low level of wind is one of the things that makes the RRV an attractive place to live. Almost as soon as you get on the other side of the Siskiyous and into Shasta County, California, there is much more winter sunshine. Southern Oregon does start to regain the sun earlier in spring than the Willamette Valley does, but it's nothing like the Sacramento Valley. Winter gloom is still a force to be reckoned with.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

Your basic premise is correct. The Rogue Valley gets 2000-2200 hrs. of sunshine a year (that's 1000 hrs. less than Los Angeles by way of comparison and about the same as Portland). It might seem like an area that gets only half the rain of cities in the Willamette Valley should only get half as much cloudiness. It just doesn't work that way. The Siskiyou Mts. encumber the Rogue River Valley with a chronic air stagnation situation that tends to hold in the clouds, often with an air inversion on top. That isn't all bad; the low level of wind is one of the things that makes the RRV an attractive place to live. Almost as soon as you get on the other side of the Siskiyous and into Shasta County, California, there is much more winter sunshine. Southern Oregon does start to regain the sun earlier in spring than the Willamette Valley does, but it's nothing like the Sacramento Valley. Winter gloom is still a force to be reckoned with.

Actually, Ruch where we still have a 2nd house, a Jacksonville address, does not fit the air stagnation scenerio.

Plenty of ventilation.

Probably why the paraglider club is on Woodrat Mtn. daily.

Evening and morning breezes, and often during the days.

Only part of Jacksonville is down in the valley.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by mdvaden

Actually, Ruch where we still have a 2nd house, a Jacksonville address, does not fit the air stagnation scenerio.

Plenty of ventilation.

Probably why the paraglider club is on Woodrat Mtn. daily.

Evening and morning breezes, and often during the days.

Only part of Jacksonville is down in the valley.

Isn't Ruch in the Applegate valley? So it has a much better air quality than the Medford area?