Roseburg or where???? (Grants Pass, Sutherlin, Joseph: for sale, real estate market, house)

[Rainclouds]

Ladyflyfish-
Have you considered SW Utah where it's warm and sunny most all year long? We relocated to St. George just over a year ago and love it here. There is also some great fishing (believe it or not) in the Virgin River. Cedar City is a great place which is North of St. George, Utah. It does get a little cold for about a month in the winter but not like you're used to probably in Montana. Then it warms up again and there is plenty of outdoor stuff to do down here.

Boise area doesn't get that much snow and it stays mild there. The rivers there are awesome too.

I spent 28 years in Washington and Oregon and the rain and clouds are just too dang depressing. In both states they have what's called and known to the area as Seasonal Depression or SADD which stands for something like Seasonal Affective Depression Disorder.

Weird, but a lot of people get it.

Hope this gives you some addtional information on where to consider moving or retiring.

[ladyflyfsh]

Rainclouds, thanks for your reply. I did take a look at St. George a while back when it was rated highly as a retirement destination. The problem for me is this: 1. I am trying to escape this super dry climate which is hard on me and everything else, 2. I need trees wherever I live and am not a big desert kind of person, 3. I need access to mushroom hunting as I've studied mycology for over 25 years and love to cook with wild gourmet edibles, 4. Flyfishing is not just a hobby but a passion and I absolutely must have it and plenty of it. 5. I need access to fresh seafood and produce year round. In essence, rain or no rain, I want to be closer to the coast again. I've done my stint inland and at high elevation. I'm currently at 4600 feet and St George is at 2761.

I've made up my mind Oregon is the place, it's just a matter of where in Oregon and I'm still hovering over the idea of Roseburg since it seems to have much of what I'm looking for, regardless of the political views. Hey I am living in Montana afterall, so I'm used to that!!! I like the close proximity to Eugene but without having to live in Eugene. Hey, the town where I live has a population a little over 1,000 people (200 census..I'm sure it's more now)

I like small town but it certainly doesn't need to be this small. I've done the big city circuit, from SF and Oakland/Berkeley to Seattle so that is out of my system now. I like access to the big city but don't want to live there full time.

Well, thanks again for everyone's input. This is really a great forum and I enjoy reading other posts as well. Quite informative.

[graylady]

I have to agree with Out Door Girl. Never heard of Center Point. But it does make me wonder if Ladyflyfish has checked out Southern Oregon, along the Rogue River, many great communities, Jacksonville, Applegate, Ashland, Gold Hill, Rogue River just to name a few, all of these areas have things to offer.

[fober]

Some nice things about Ashland, it's a college town, it's very liberal (if you like that), has incredible outdoor experiences surrounding the town, including Cascades to the East, and the Siskiyou range to the West. It gets a pretty dry climate, something around 18 inches of rain a year, and it almost never snows.

Ashland is mostly a retirement town when you dig into it's neighborhoods, it became a refuge zone for fleeing Californians in the 1980's and that trend has continued. It's expensive relative to the rest of the Rogue Valley, however that's because of what it offers. It's also cooler in the summer just a bit that the "hotter" bowl of Medford which has grown tremendously.

With the Rogue Valley you can look around and find lots of towns and price ranges, however Ashland is one place to dig into and see if you really love it.

[fober]

I think you are referring to Central Point near Medford, not Center Point.

[ladyflyfsh]

I see my original post here has been resurrected. I've now been several times to Roseburg and really like what I've seen. I've been looking for a few acres of land either with or without a house on it. (If anyone knows of anything, please send me a PM)

Having lived in rural SW Montana for the last almost 10 years, I feel ready for a change back to some semblance of civilization and closer to the ocean. Being an avid gardener I long for the 220 day growing season Roseburg has to offer. We're lucky here if we can get a total of 90 days before a nasty frost moves in and kills all the tomatoes before they ever had a chance. Even with the greenhouse I put in a few years ago, it's not long enough.

Ashland is a nice town but not what I'm looking for. Too expensive for one thing and I don't want the trendy cool place to live, just something a little bigger than where I am and the opportunity to find supplementary income when my business is slow. I love the close proximity to good fishing, prime mushroom hunting grounds and I'm actually looking forward to living somewhere that doesn't have such a DRY climate as we have here. Since I have to drive 60+ miles to decent shopping (Costco, Home Depot etc.) I won't mind the drive to Eugene if needed. But it sounds like Roseburg is getting most of these stores anyway so not as much need to drive so far.

Thank you again everyone for your input and keep it coming.

[Marko3]

Ladyflyfsh, I was originally born in Montana, and have relatives in Butte and Missoula, so I know what you mean by the frost and cold. I've lived in Roseburg for several years, left, and returned. So let me tell you what I think of Roseburg after 15+ years of living here. It's a small community, summers can surpass the 100 degree mark, but the Cascades are an hour away by car. In addition, to the west, the coast is about an hour away by car. So even on the hottest of summer days, it's nice to know you can escape the heat by heading up to the mountains or down to the coast. Roseburg has two rivers that flow through it, the North and South Umpqua. They connect west of town to form the Main Umpqua. Fishing is better on the North Umpqua, where you can expect to catch salmon, steelhead and trout. Eugene is the closest larger city, about an hour North on Interstate 5. During Christmas time, I find myself in Eugene often because retail shopping in Eugene provides far more options than Roseburg. However, Roseburg is growing, and has several large stores such as Wal-Mart, Staples, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. We have a small mall, with a Macy's. If you've been to the mall in Butte, the Roseburg mall is similar to that, but smaller. Eugene provides a relatively close outlet for shopping, but most things can be found in Roseburg. Ashland has a tax on prepared food, the only city in the state that charges this tax, so while dining out in Ashland, you feel as though you're in a different state paying sales tax. Being from Montana, and living in Oregon all these years, I'm not used to paying sales tax. Ashland is also relatively isolated, compared to Roseburg. Medford is about 16 miles away from Ashland, and is a larger city than Roseburg, but smaller than Eugene. Ashland also gets alot more snow than Roseburg. Getting over to the coast from Ashland is not as easy either, as there are not as many decent highways to the west without driving North on I-5 and out of your way before intercepting a westbound state highway. From an outdoor recreation standpoint, Roseburg and Ashland both have bike trails, hiking near by and rivers. Ashland is home to Southern Oregon University, and thought of throughout the state as a very liberal town. The Oregon Shakespeake Festival also draws many tourists into Ashland. Roseburg has a small community college. If you would like anymore information about Roseburg, photos, etc. Feel free to email me. Good luck with your decision.

[ladyflyfsh]

Marko3, great info. I've been several times to Roseburg and am searching for property as we speak. I am hoping to have my 2.5 acres and house sold here in MT soon so I believe Roseburg is the place for me. I was just discussing the similarities in population of Butte and Roseburg yesterday! I like the size of Roseburg which is about the size of Butte. I think the close proximity to Eugene will be great just like for me going to Bozeman to shop now. Although Eugene will be a little farther away. As far as outlying areas like Winston, Sutherlin Glide, Oakland, Myrtle Creek etc. how do they compare as far as livability...meaning, crime, population, that sort of thing? The odd thing is wells in your area. They seem so low flow by comparison. When I hear people say that 9 gpm is good, I shudder...my well here is 65 gpm. I am looking to live in the county, not city so will most likely need a well unless I have access to Umpqua Basin water. I also notice some places are approved for septic and some only sand filter. Can you explain any of this? How deep do you usually have to drill for water?

I'm looking for at least a few acres and it doesn't have to have a house on it...YET. I want to plant at least an acre of nut trees so not planning on developing the land, only for agriculture. I was even thinking if I found the right place, I'd consider living in a yurt for a while until I can build. I've been to the Pacific Yurts place in Cottage Grove. Pretty cool!

I'm getting excited about finally making my move and heading back to the coast. I've given Montana my best shot and I'm ready for change. The ag. project I want to do I can't do here in MT so time to move on.

Thanks again for your input.

[Marko3]

Ladyflyfish, glad you found my info informative. I'm not sure about well's, however, my mom is a real estate broker in Roseburg, I can give you her email if you'd like, and she can answer your questions about wells, and current available land. Of the out-lying "suburbs" of Roseburg, Winston probably has the highest crime. The entire area, including Sutherlin, Winston, Green, Winchester, and Oakland probably has a combined population of about 35,000, so yes, smaller than Butte population wise, but then a little more spread out. Overall, crime is not rampant at all in this area. Roseburg is the county seat, so the largest in Douglas county. The next largest city would probably be Sutherlin, which has a population of about 7,500. Winston is slightly smaller, and Myrtle Creek is smaller than both, probably around 4000 or so. Glide is very small, the town is basically a convenience store, post office, school and gas station. It's east of town, on the way up to Diamond lake and Crater lake. If you're looking for country, I'd suggest west Roseburg, out in Garden Valley. East towards Glide also has lots, and country living. If you go north or south, the lay of the land, along with I-5 kind of inhibit east and west expansion unless you make your way up to Sutherlin (12 miles from Roseburg) or Myrtle Creek (12 miles from Roseburg heading south).

[freedom]

Originally Posted by ladyflyfsh

Marko3, great info. I've been several times to Roseburg and am searching for property as we speak. I am hoping to have my 2.5 acres and house sold here in MT soon so I believe Roseburg is the place for me. I was just discussing the similarities in population of Butte and Roseburg yesterday! I like the size of Roseburg which is about the size of Butte. I think the close proximity to Eugene will be great just like for me going to Bozeman to shop now. Although Eugene will be a little farther away. As far as outlying areas like Winston, Sutherlin Glide, Oakland, Myrtle Creek etc. how do they compare as far as livability...meaning, crime, population, that sort of thing? The odd thing is wells in your area. They seem so low flow by comparison. When I hear people say that 9 gpm is good, I shudder...my well here is 65 gpm. I am looking to live in the county, not city so will most likely need a well unless I have access to Umpqua Basin water. I also notice some places are approved for septic and some only sand filter. Can you explain any of this? How deep do you usually have to drill for water?

I'm looking for at least a few acres and it doesn't have to have a house on it...YET. I want to plant at least an acre of nut trees so not planning on developing the land, only for agriculture. I was even thinking if I found the right place, I'd consider living in a yurt for a while until I can build. I've been to the Pacific Yurts place in Cottage Grove. Pretty cool!

I'm getting excited about finally making my move and heading back to the coast. I've given Montana my best shot and I'm ready for change. The ag. project I want to do I can't do here in MT so time to move on.

Thanks again for your input.

Excuse me for butting in,
Regarding wells, 9 gal. per min. will give you a potential of 13,000 gal per day, if it is pumped non stop for 24 hrs. I have lived with a 2 gal. per min. well and now a 30 gal. per min. well and it has had no effect on my quality of life, if you need thousands of gals. at a pop, then we have used 2,500 gal. storage tanks for vineyard and a very large garden, and never came close to using the whole lot.

Septic systems,
Standard septic is a tank and some leach field (size)- based on the number of bedrooms, 3 bdrm. usually 300-400 ft.
Sand filter has a 2 chamber tank, with a lined pit that receives liquid from the 2 stage tank (one side solids, other liquids) and is dispersed through a gradient of aggregates (sand, pea gravel, 1 1/2" round rock and PVC piping with holes drilled in consistently spaced intervals that allow the liquids to leach through the aggregate layers. Then it flows into a standard leach field that is usually half the size of what a standard septic system is sized for.

The biggest difference is the cost.
Standard system approx. $6,000.00
Sand Filter system approx. $12-15,000.00 depending on location and installer.
Sand Filters also require maintenance, ie; bottle brushing the PVC dispersement pipes to keep them clean of sludge. This should be done every few years (depending on volume and how much grease, and greens are put into your system.

freedom