Thkng of moving to Ashland, Oregon from Asheville NC (Portland: hardwood floors, renters)

[AshvllGrl]

Hello,

My husband is considering accepting a job in Ashland, Oregon.

We like what Asheville, NC has to offer in the way of outdoor sports, music, and small owner operated business. But I have never liked the weather - too humid and overcast, and I could not find a job in my field wildlife biology.

We both are from the west (he Montana me California) and in our mid 40's no kids and would prefer to relocate out west.

What are the job prospects for a wildlife biologist/ecologist like within say a 3 hour drive of Ashland? Government, Consulting, nonprofit?
I hear Ashland is very expensive for home ownership so how does Medford compare? Can you purchase a nice home 2 -3 bed 2 bath on one decent salary (high $60's low $70's)?
What is the music scene like in the area (including Medford)?,
how is the trail running, camping, fishing, hiking, etc?
How many days are foggy vs sunny?
How active is the knitting/spinning/sewing community?

How much is Ashland like Bend- I ask cause I would move to Bend in a minute (job prospect or no job prospect) but don't know much about Ashland?

Thanks

[Nell Plotts]

Housing is definitely cheaper in Medford and the drive between Medford and Ashland short.

I don't live in the area so can't comment specifically on the music scene but as a knitter myself I am confident that you will find others that share your interest.

As you must know the employment market for wildlife biologists is small everywhere. Medford has a fair share of Federal and State agencies, I suggest you look there.

[hamellr]

Another option for Wildlife Biologist is Wildlife Safari in Winston (outside of Roseburg.) I'm not sure what jobs they have open, but it's worth a look.

Bend and Ashland area are totally different. Ashland is rainier, greener, more liberal, has more cultural opportunities (annual Shakespeare Festival for instance.) Bend is in the High Desert area, on top of old lava flows, and leans more conservative. To me, much of Bend still feels like a rural small town. Where Ashland feels like it's trying to be a utopia of a big city.

COL is higher in Ashland, jobs are going to be hard to find in both places. Bend is physically closer to Portland which has a lot of advantages, where Ashland is on the I-5 corridor so weekend trips to Seattle/Portland/San Francisco are all possible.

Scenery wise, I'd be hard pressed to put one location over another. They both have beautiful surroundings, but for different reasons.

[daddypants]

That's funny, I know people in Ashland want to move to Asheville.

There is the government wildlife lab on E.Main St. here in Ashland. I have a friend who works there. You should check it out. My sister-in-law is a biologist for the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in Northern California (in Redding) and makes a great salary (another option).

The average home here is about $325K-$350K. Decent homes are in the $400K+ range. No humidity here, great summers in the 80's and cold winters (40's Nov.-April). My son played a Little League game in the snow in mid April a few years ago.

[AshvllGrl]

$350 to $400 for a home! Holy Toledo!!! We have a beautiful and I mean beautiful but small 1000 square foot Craftsman Home with hardwood floors, high ceilings, radiant heat, gas stove, beautiful trim, fireplace, front porch, on a quiet dead end street in a great and desirable neighborhood, walking distance from downtown and per zillow our home is only worth $180K. We can do this on one salary. For $400K we could buy a heck of a lot more here in Asheville.

If Medford is as expensive as Ashland, it is definitely out of our price range, particularly if the job market is such that we are again limited to one income.

[Nell Plotts]

Medford is no where near as expensive as Ashland!! Ashland suffers from 'hip' and is a popular place from Bay Area retirees. Their homes, ordinary split levels built in the late 60s, sell for over $1M. Medford is not 'hip'.

[daddypants]

Originally Posted by AshvllGrl

$350 to $400 for a home! Holy Toledo!!! We have a beautiful and I mean beautiful but small 1000 square foot Craftsman Home with hardwood floors, high ceilings, radiant heat, gas stove, beautiful trim, fireplace, front porch, on a quiet dead end street in a great and desirable neighborhood, walking distance from downtown and per zillow our home is only worth $180K. We can do this on one salary. For $400K we could buy a heck of a lot more here in Asheville.

If Medford is as expensive as Ashland, it is definitely out of our price range, particularly if the job market is such that we are again limited to one income.

For $180K here in Ashland, you can get an 800 sqft 2 bedroom 1 bath house built in the 1800's that should really be torn down.

You can do what half the people who live here do, rent. The rent here for an average home is about $1200-$1800 a month. Many of the rentals are owned by bay area Californian's who are just waiting to retire. Some California friends of ours bought a house here 6 years ago, put renters in it, and just recently, retired and moved into it. My in-laws rent a house here and were told their lease will not be renewed this year because the California owner plans to retire and move here. They're heartbroken because affordable rentals here are hard to find.

[Asheville1]

Originally Posted by AshvllGrl

Hello,

My husband is considering accepting a job in Ashland, Oregon.

We like what Asheville, NC has to offer in the way of outdoor sports, music, and small owner operated business. But I have never liked the weather - too humid and overcast, and I could not find a job in my field wildlife biology.

We both are from the west (he Montana me California) and in our mid 40's no kids and would prefer to relocate out west.

What are the job prospects for a wildlife biologist/ecologist like within say a 3 hour drive of Ashland? Government, Consulting, nonprofit?
I hear Ashland is very expensive for home ownership so how does Medford compare? Can you purchase a nice home 2 -3 bed 2 bath on one decent salary (high $60's low $70's)?
What is the music scene like in the area (including Medford)?,
how is the trail running, camping, fishing, hiking, etc?
How many days are foggy vs sunny?
How active is the knitting/spinning/sewing community?

How much is Ashland like Bend- I ask cause I would move to Bend in a minute (job prospect or no job prospect) but don't know much about Ashland?

Thanks

Funny. When I retired in San Diego, there were two places I considered moving to; Asheland and Asheville. If you like Shakesphere, you'll love Asheland.

[elliebea]

Another option is Talent. It's closer to Ashland than Medford, and is much cheaper to live in. (About a 15 minute commute, compared to about a 30-45 minute commute, depending on where you live.)

I suggest visiting Ashland before making a commitment to it. (If you haven't already.)

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Asheville1

......... there were two places I considered moving to; Asheland and Asheville. If you like Shakesphere, you'll love Asheland.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.