FL family moving to Klamath Falls (Medford, Jacksonville: relocation, military, trip)

[insert_username]

My family is moving from Jacksonville, FL to Klamath Falls, OR in late July. My husband is originally from Klamath but hasn't lived there since 1995.

I'm interested in getting more info such as places to go, where to go to meet people, and what is the general attitude of the people.

Any advice or opinions are welcome

[Imperial1904]

Originally Posted by insert_username

My family is moving from Jacksonville, FL to Klamath Falls, OR in late July. My husband is originally from Klamath but hasn't lived there since 1995.

I'm interested in getting more info such as places to go, where to go to meet people, and what is the general attitude of the people.

Any advice or opinions are welcome

Aside from being the worst place I ever lived in... well I really don't have anything good to say about Klamath Falls.

The locals seem to hate outsiders, especially Californians. The town is usually dead after 5 or 6 pm.

It's growing with new businesses but only in a couple parts of town.

Some say the crime is high but to Californians it's hardly noticeable. I just think Klamath Falls is getting their peak crime because of the recent boom. I wouldn't worry about it getting any worse. Don't let the statistics fool you either. The city itself is about 20,000 plus another 20,000-25,000 outside the city limits but they love to combine everything into the city stats (pop. 20,000) for some reason even if the crime was committed several miles away. By making the population small, it appears the crime rate is high when it really isn't.

Places to go... there's Crater Lake to the north, Medford to the west, Klamath Lake, a movie theater, a couple strip malls. That's about it.

[Cornerguy1]

There is no doubt that Klamath Falls is "small town America", but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

If your husband was last there in 1995, he'll still recognize the place although there may be some new additions to the shopping landscape.

Klamath isn't a big city like Jacksonville, but WalMart and Home Depot have set up shop, so you can certainly find the necessities of life. Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Albertson's offer grocery shopping alternatives. Almost every fast food outlet known to mankind has an outlet in town. If you want cuisine without "do you want fries with that" service, Klamath offers a dozen decent restaurants offering different menus.

As far as meeting new people, that's a challenge whenever a move takes place. The obvious venues are through the workplace, but you may have a leg up because it's likely your husband will still have friends/acquaintances in the area.

I entered the Klamath social structure as "the Canuck" who had come down from Canada to shack up with his sweetie. I found most people to be quite pleasant and rarely had trouble striking up a conversation when the urge struck. Live and let live seemed to be the prevailing motto.

The largest adjustment for you may be the climate. Humidity, by Florida standards, in non existent which makes the 90 degree summer days very doable. Rain is also a rarity in these parts with the annual precipitation levels hovering around 13 inches/year. Cooler temperatures and snow in the winter will make a change for you as well. The plus is that winter temperatures aren't so cold as to be unbearable.

If you're resourceful, you should be able to find more to do than a road trip to Crater Lake.

Moore Park in Klamath Falls offers a well-treed venue right on Klamath lake for picnics or romping with the kids. The Ross Ragland Theatre in downtown Klamath brings in acts of surprising quality at affordable prices year-round; productions of Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz are slated for July and August. The Klamath County Fair will show up some time in August. My favourite cultural event was always the bull-riding extravaganza offered at the fairgrounds on New Year's Eve.

If you're more interested in the outdoors, opportunities abound. Lake of the Woods is a 30 minute drive west into the Cascades from Klamath Falls. A trip there in summer will get you some nice cool mountain air and the chnace to take a swim at the state park. In winter, the snow park serves as a launching point for access to miles of groomed snowmobile trails.

The Refuge, just south of Klamath, is a great place to take a hike and check out the eagles, geese, ducks, and pelicans. There are numerous fishing opportunities to had in small mountain lakes and the highly regarded Sprague River.


One note of caution. If the sound of low-flying fighter jets is annoying to you, then don't plan on living in the south suburbs near the airport. Kingsley Field is home to an Air National Guard unit flying fighter jets and then can raise quite a ruckus while taking off and landing.

Klamath Falls is not Jacksonville. It's small-town living. If you're in love with "big city" living, you mind find yourself disappointed, but if you're ready for a slower pace of life, this could be your Nirvana.

[Alexious]

Originally Posted by insert_username

...info such as places to go, where to go to meet people, and what is the general attitude of the people.

Any advice or opinions are welcome

Okay, here's the deal with Klamath Falls. You simply are going to have to go out of your way to meet people, make friends and create your own fun.

My wife and I recently live there for nearly 10 years. We had an advantage in that we both went to college there and so we had plenty of friends. I think that's what made all the difference in living there. So, do what you have to do to make friends. The obvious place to start is by hosting parties for your husband's coworkers and their families.

I would also suggest finding a place to become a "regular". Do you or your husband have a military background? The VFW and the Leatherneck Club are both very active. I'm not much of a religious person, but there are several large, active churches in Klamath where you could meet people.

Do you enjoy beer? One of the joys of moving to Oregon from back east is discovering the world craft brewing here. There are 2 good microbreweries in Klamath: Klamath Basin Brewing (The Creamery, downtown) and Mia's & Pia's (brewery and pizza place, south suburbs). I got to know the owners of both places personally and they became great places to while away the hours.

Again, the key to enjoying life in Klamath is to make your own fun. Sure, there are some cool events put on locally (this is an area where the city was doing better when we left) along with the beginnings of an active music scene. But the fact is that most evenings and weekends if you want to do something besides watch movies you'll have to figure it out yourself.

[GoingMadInOR]

I'll paste the same reply I gave another member regarding Kalamity Flats (my pet name for this dump).
****************************

Oy! Where do I start? Klamath Falls is a hell hole. Spent my whole life here and can not wait to leave. The nightlife consists of a movie theater and take your pick of a dozen pizza joints and as many Mexican restaurants. There are less than three decent places to get a nice sit-down meal, the bars are frequented by the same people with the same recycled wannabe bands, and for God's sake if I hear one more joint promoting karaoke singing I am going to go ballistic!!!!

I love the mountains, weather, and relative solitude of not being in a big city. However, this place is currently being flooded with snotty out-of-towners with cash to throw around. Now those who bust their butts for a living can not afford to buy property or a nice house. Rentals are dumps and almost no one will let you keep a pet at a rental. There is no industry or decent work in the area unless you are building houses for the rich. Most everything is retail so if you enjoy serving coffee, getting off work and having someone serve you coffee for the rest of your life, this is your place.

The huge lake on the edge of town would be awesome if it were not for the disgusting algae and agricultural runoff making the water so gross I will not let my dog swim in it. The town is mostly conservative but your worries about standing out with tattoos and such is nothing. Just about everyone I know has piercings or tats. No big deal.

The schools are terrible. The town is run by a couple dozen Richie Rich's who say what goes, what gets built where, etc. The hospital is known as "Murder West" (Merle West) although they have done renovations and changed the name to try to ditch the moniker.

I would continue, but I have to get back to my relocation search. I say come one, come all. That'll open up a spot for me somewhere where people actually have personalities and some ambition to progress.

[mefeelinfroggy]

Now you see I lived there for 33 years of my life and enjoyed it.

I dont think its fair to say that its a complete hell hole. Everyone has their idea of what they want to do, eat or find friends. I haven't heard anyone say there are many churches where you could find friends. Life doesn't have to revolve around going to the bars everynight.

See my Canadian husband loved it there too. After the winters we have in Canada going to Klamath Falls for the winter would be a relief of the cold.

So go online and read the Herald and News paper and that will give you an idea of things going on.
Herald and News: Klamath Falls, Oregon

Not everyone hates the place.

[reisingerj]

If You Change The Way You Look At Things,
The Things You Look At Will Change....

[bobmulk]

I would ignore "goingmadinor" because he obviously is incapable of being objective. It's his prerogative to dislike something, but I'm sure you're too intelligent to give much credibility to someone such as this. I would take his opinion with a boulder of salt.