Jacksonville makes Top 10 list of "cool" small towns (Portland: 2009, house)

[Steve97415]

A well-known publisher and location-guide rater -- whose name can probably not be mentioned here -- has included Jacksonville in the list of America's "Coolest" small towns.

America's Coolest Small Towns - Budget Travel

[mdvaden]

Yesterday, maybe, I heard that on the radio. The announcement also made mention of something sort of different from tourists.

Now, we have a home still, just over the hill with a J-ville address. We lived there for 3 years and just moved back up to Beaverton. When down there, there was that music festival much of the summer, and all kinds of tourists.

Could they have been referring to the type of tourist or tourism?

It's pretty mellow though most of the year.

[Fiddlehead]

What a crock. Jacksonville is a great little town, of course (love the Britt and forest park), but overhyped.

It has already been inundated with exurban folks, poseurs, and hipsters looking to pay $750k for a faux Victorian and walk around drinking $4 coffee. What part about that is cool?

Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but those sort of articles please noone except the realty boosters. Let's push homes prices to 15x time income! Yippee!

[Fiddlehead]

"The lifestyle drew xxxx and yyyyy, a chef and a commodities trader, respectively, from Sonoma five years ago to open Jacksonville Mercantile, where the shelves are filled with provisions like black-truffle-roasted almonds, meant to pair perfectly with a bottle of Quady North viognier. "

Sheesh, why does every nice town have to go this way in the West. If it is remotely nice, we have to fill it with overpriced foof from Boulder to Port Townsend to Napa to Santa Fe to...the crap is all the same.

How about Timmy "gutshot" Hernandez moved from Bakersfield to open Timmy's "Fire in the Hole!" Chili Dogs! Pints of Caldera for two bucks, or a 20 oz. beer bong for $3. Fries free if you have cajones enough for two dogs and a bong!

[Nina-in-Ashland]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

"The lifestyle drew xxxx and yyyyy, a chef and a commodities trader, respectively, from Sonoma five years ago to open Jacksonville Mercantile, where the shelves are filled with provisions like black-truffle-roasted almonds, meant to pair perfectly with a bottle of Quady North viognier. "

Sheesh, why does every nice town have to go this way in the West. If it is remotely nice, we have to fill it with overpriced foof from Boulder to Port Townsend to Napa to Santa Fe to...the crap is all the same.

How about Timmy "gutshot" Hernandez moved from Bakersfield to open Timmy's "Fire in the Hole!" Chili Dogs! Pints of Caldera for two bucks, or a 20 oz. beer bong for $3. Fries free if you have cajones enough for two dogs and a bong!

LOL. I'll take a chili dog & beer any day over black-truffle-roasted almonds. How cheesy.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Lots of Oregon towns/cities have made lists of different sorts. Thanks for the laughs on this post. It is sad when a town becomes "uppity" and expensive. Is that the definition of "cool" now? Is Sonoma that way now? I went to high school there and have fond memories of it. Anyway, if this list helps the economy of Jacksonville, then yeah!

[Hawk J]

I'm surprised Golden didn't make the list.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by Oregonbeachlover

Anyway, if this list helps the economy of Jacksonville, then yeah!

I hear ya. It is a tourist town, after all. And this is certainly better than, say, "Jacksonville among top ten most popular towns for KKK Conventions!"

[bluebird39]

RIP, J'ville.

I love the town, but after seeing what happened to Ashland after it made a big "top ten" list, I'm a bit sad. The kiss of death! One reason we left the Rogue Valley is that it was being over run by lots of people looking for the "perfect" place to live. Housing prices climbed to where we couldn't afford to live there, and the schools really started to decline. All of the new folks didn't seem to want to support schools...

That being said, we're soon to be returning to Oregon, after 3 1/2years in Northern Michigan, and I'm thrilled. This time we're headed for Pendleton. Shhh.... don't tell anyone. We can still afford a house there, the schools seem OK, good job for DH, even closer to family in Portland (another place that's changed SOOOO much!).

I must admit though, that after moving to a state that is bleeding residents and whose small towns are rapidly becoming ghost towns, my whole perspective on growth has changed dramatically. I don't see it negatively anymore. Our house here is on the market for 50,000 less than what we bought it for 3 years ago, priced very well, and we have yet for a single person to walk through the door to look at it after 6+ weeks.

Too bad about Jacksonville. I almost wish they'd get rid of these top ten lists all together.