Moving from Iowa to Ashland/Medford area. Advice? (Talent, Phoenix: rent, university)

[anp1107]

My boyfriend and I are moving from Iowa to the Ashland/Medford area because I will be attending Southern Oregon University. I just have a few questions:


1. Where is the cheapest place to live at in that area? Rent range ($600-$900)

2. What are the seasons like? In Iowa it's very cold and tons of snow in the winter and blistering hot and humid in the summer. With maybe a month of spring and fall. Can I expect the same?

3. How are the people/crime? We are very open minded. We are non-affiliated with a political party or church.

4. I am an outdoor education major. How are the trails/rivers? Are they easily accessible?

5. What is there for entertainment / places to eat out?

6. What places should we definitely visit when we first get there?

Thanks!

[tomcat 1]

Ashland is high-priced and a little elitist but pretty. Try Phoenix or Talent . Weather is very mild here compared to the Midwest. Damp and cool in the winter, hot but dry in the summer. Nearly every day in the summer is a bluebird day. Snow comes mostly to the higher elevations but the valleys do get some. People are nice for the most part but a little stand-off-ish. They come in all colors out here and most are open-minded some so much that their brains have fallen out. (just a joke...mostly). This is an outdoor lovers mecca ! hiking, biking, skiing hunting fishing, whatever. Extremely beautiful here. Entertainment? That depends on what you like. I don't care for a lot of the food here... especially what they call pizza. Crater Lake, The redwoods in CA, The Rogue river, Illinois River and Applegate River are all beautiful. Mt. McLoughlin is Beautiful and MT Ashland.

[EnricoV]

Because of the Shakespeare Festival, Ashland has quite a lot of entertainment for a town of its size, and some really good restaurants.

Looking at PadMapper, there are a number of listings for places in Ashland in your price range. I'd just suggest you try to arrive not with all the other incoming students (or actors) to make your odds of finding someplace in Ashland higher. Medford's going to be cheaper. But it's more of just a working-class town. Ashland's one of my favorite places. I'd try and find somewhere there.