Medford OR vs. Chico CA (San Diego, Ashland: sales, real estate, rental)

[lantzn]

Hello Everyone,
I'm considering a move from WA state to a dryer climate. I'm looking for about 2 acreas where I can have 2 houses and a shop. My daughter, her husband and 2 grandchildren want to go with us. I'm awine beer maker. I prefer the merlot, cab and malbec wine and wish to plant a small vinyard to make my wine from. I've research Medford OR which appears to be much dryer and grapes are grown. My daughter is really interested in what she reads about Chico CA. How's the grape growing in this area? The climates between the two cities looks similar accept Medford is a bit cooler in the winter. Nothing like western WA though.
Thanks

[Dragondog]

Chico will be hotter in the summer then Medford, and winters will be slightly cooler in Medford- with about the same amount of rain. Hope this helps- Medford in my opinion is a more pleasant place to live.

[Kingsnkali]

I'm a big fan of Chico. I think it's underrated. Nice college type town. Shady with nice older neighborhoods. Lots of young people. I don't know about the grape growing there. Seems it's more pit fruits, almonds and some Kiwi and Mandarins around and south of Chico.

The weather will be warmer in Chico. Maybe average 94/63 for highs and lows in July. They do get enough chilling for the plums, peaches and apricots in the winter (around 53/35 January) but I have no clue if that's important in grape growing. Rainfall is similar with the area getting maybe 25 inches to around 19 or so in Medford. The town of Medford itself is in a bigtime rain shadow being tucked on the backside of the coastal mountains with areas around it getting much...much more rain.

Chico is off to the side away from Interstate 5. Fewer trucks. Medford probably has more big box type stores and restaurants than Chico.

I think they're both pretty good towns. You could sure do a lot worse

[KidBlue]

Chico would be better than Medford for growing wine grapes because it would be warmer longer and not as cold in the winter. But there are many "boutique" wineries in Amador County and also El Dorado County near Fair Play. El Dorado Co tends to be quite expensive, but it would be easy to find a couple of acres that are affordable in Amador County and it is perfect for growing wine grapes.

You also can escape having to smog your car in Amador County!

[KidBlue]

I thought it was interesting that you want to leave Olympia to come to a warmer climate (but I can understand it for grape growing). I'm just the opposite, wanting to retire near Olympia on a couple of acres and two homes to escape a warmer climate!

Any advice you could provide on Olympia, Elma, Shelton would be appreciated.

[scallawag]

Sierra Nevada Brewery is in Chico, and they grow some hops right next door. Oroville has several wineries with vineyards, and is about 20 minutes away. Chico is flat, Oroville is up against a mountain, so you get a little more of that topography there. I would pick Medford over Chico. Houses are way overpriced in Chico still. They had the highest increases in the nation 3 years ago, and things are still too high, IMO. Oroville is not highly thought of in the area. You're either rich or poor, and not much to do besides the lake.

We've considered Ashland...it's beautiful, and right next to Medford. Love that Shakespeare Festival!

[jsmill]

I checked out Medford three years ago and found it to be a very nice town. The people were very friendly. There are several wineries in Josephine Co, near Jacksonville, which produce some excellent (IMO) wine. Medford is, or at least was, significantly cheaper than Ashland (only 15 minutes away on I-5), which has I believe some of the most expensive real estate in Oregon. Don't know if that includes the coastal towns but Ashland is expensive compared to Portand or Bend, which has exploded with retirees.

Medford may be cooler than Chico but not by that much. It is frequently over 100 degrees, at least on the days in July and August when I visited.

Good luck!

[notmeofficer]

North of medford in roseburg there is still some affordable land.. also I just googled eagle point and found a nice new home on 40 acres for 400k...
Chico is nice IF you want to deal with a college town..

I would pick Oregon hands down... even for grape growing,,,

Dont rule out northern sikiyou county just below the Oregon border.. some deals can still be found there for land/homes.. close enough to the five and Oregon for shopping no sales tax advantages

[lantzn]

Originally Posted by KidBlue

I thought it was interesting that you want to leave Olympia to come to a warmer climate (but I can understand it for grape growing). I'm just the opposite, wanting to retire near Olympia on a couple of acres and two homes to escape a warmer climate!

Any advice you could provide on Olympia, Elma, Shelton would be appreciated.

I came from San Diego to the Olympia area in 1980 at 20 years old. I've actually been living in Shelton since that time but most folks don't know where that is. Shelton (Mason County) is right next to Olympia but is colder and wetter due to being at the base of the Olympic mountains. The housing costs are lower then in Thurston County with a lot less expenses. Elma is very wet because it's close to the coast. I would never considering living there. If you don't mind the wet Olympia is a nice place. I was in an auto accident in 1999 and my back is bad because of it. It tends to hurt worse when it is cold and wet, mostly wet. I own 2 acres and a house in Shelton and will keep it for rental property. It's zoned commercial and is on the corner of one of the main exits into Shelton. It will be valuable commercial property once the city sewer expands to this area and I will probably sell it as such when the time comes. I work for the state in Tumwater right next to Olympia and have about a 25 mile commute one way. The traffic is next to nothing if you compare it with Southern Cal.

[lantzn]

Originally Posted by scallawag

Sierra Nevada Brewery is in Chico, and they grow some hops right next door. Oroville has several wineries with vineyards, and is about 20 minutes away. Chico is flat, Oroville is up against a mountain, so you get a little more of that topography there. I would pick Medford over Chico. Houses are way overpriced in Chico still. They had the highest increases in the nation 3 years ago, and things are still too high, IMO. Oroville is not highly thought of in the area. You're either rich or poor, and not much to do besides the lake.

We've considered Ashland...it's beautiful, and right next to Medford. Love that Shakespeare Festival!

I'm also a brewer and like the idea of SN Brewery. We have a lot of Microbreweries here as well.
http://cyberwerks.net/brewing/brewing.html