Grants Pass vs Eugene. (Portland, Medford: to rent, buy, theater)

[oregonlove]

We are a young couple in our mid 20's-early 30's. We have no human kids but two of the four legged kind. We love the outdoors and we are looking for a place that will allow us to hike and play in the woods whenever we want; but within a 10-15 minute drive to the trails. And when I say trails I do mean dirt and not concrete walking paths. Right now we live in Montrose, Colorado and it is a half hour drive (at the very least) to any trails which is not convenient for us if we want to take the dogs on a hike before the day gets started. We also love to ride dirt bikes and would love riding trails fairly close by. Again, something where it would be easy to go for a small ride on a busier day.

We have been planning on moving to Oregon for some time now, we have visited a few times and fell in love with everything the state has to offer. We were originally focusing on the portland area but realized it's just too busy for us and would rather not want to live in the city. So then we started focusing on the Eugene area since that is where my dad lives. But recently a better job offer was presented to my husband in Grants Pass. We have never considered Southern Oregon before and I had my heart set on Eugene so I would like some information about Grants Pass.

One of the reasons why we love Eugene is how green everything is. We love trees and we want to see them all over the city no matter what direction we look in. And when I say green, I mean the lushness of everything; the moss on the trees, the green grass, that emerald color. Before moving to Colorado, my husband and I lived in Prescott, Arizona so we had trees but not like what Eugene and Portland have. It's high desert, lots of pine trees. Still very beautiful but we are wanting something different than what Colorado and Prescott have to offer. I have heard that Grants Pass and Southern Oregon aren't as lush as Eugene and Portland, is that true? How lush is Grants Pass? Are there trees everywhere I look? Because the town we live in right now does not have any trees besides the parks.

Right now the town we live in is a small, farming community. People here are very close minded and not very friendly is you weren't born and raised here. We are very tired of the way people are so close minded and old school. It's to the point that I was called a nazi once when I mentioned that I would love to experience living in another country. My husband and I do not want to move to another community like this. How is Grants Pass in this regard?

How dog friendly is Grants Pass compared to Eugene? Like I said earlier, our dogs are our kids and we do everything with them. Is it easy to rent a place with dogs? And speaking of rent, what is the average in that area compared with Eugene? We are probably looking for a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom, somewhat updated within the last 10 years, and a fenced yard.

As for entertainment, what does Grants Pass have to offer us? We aren't the partying type so we aren't looking for bars or nightclubs but we do enjoy going to the movies often as well as shopping at a mall from time to time. I'm sure by the population of Grants Pass, it has more to offer than Montrose but I thought I would ask anyway.

If anyone has ever lived in both Eugene and Grants Pass, which area do you like best and why? What are the differences and similarities of the two cities?

Thanks again for anyone's input. I'm just happy we are finally getting ready to move to what I think is the most beautiful state in the United States.

Also, if anyone has any pictures of Grants Pass please feel free to share them. Not many pictures come up when I searched online. Especially if you have those from around town.

[PNW-type-gal]

The Eugene metro area population is 351,000 plus about 25,000 U of O students. Grants Pass is about 35,000. If you are interested in things like nightlife and shopping, Eugene would be the choice. It is about a 2 and a half hour drive from Grants Pass to Eugene

Grants Pass does have the Rogue Theater, which frequently has large touring musical acts and there are a couple of clubs in town that feature local music, plus local wineries often have music, particularly in the summer. Most of the music venues are in Medford and Ashland.

Grants Pass is not quite as green as Eugene - Eugene gets 48" of rain a year, Grants Pass gets about 30" (Medford, further south, gets 18"). You can still find moss on trees, but in Grants Pass it will be more on the north side and less "all over" as it is in the Willamette Valley and the Coast Range. But there will definitely be trees everywhere you look in Grants Pass. Maybe with just less moss. .

[Hawk J]

Cherry Blossom trees in Grants Pass.


Dogwood Tree




Grants Pass Webcam downtown, Rogue River, Doggie cam, Kitty cam...

Grants Pass Daily Courier -- Downtown Web Cam

For 27 years we've happily lived in the mountains a short distance northwest of Grants Pass.
We've always loved Grants Pass, buy our vittles & goods there. Many folks care about the town & are proud to live there. We have come across many loving, caring, friendly folks with good hearts in GP area, actually the whole Rogue Valley & beyond. Take a look around Glendale, Azalea, Wolf Creek, Sunny Valley, Hugo, Merlin. There is a lot of beautiful forest s & waterways around.

Best of Luck to you on your Adventure...

[Steve97415]

There is a huge cultural difference between GP and Eugene. Being a university town, the populace in Eugene will be much better educated and progressive. The average resident age will also be significantly younger. Southern Oregon has a higher incidence of retirees. Grants Pass is in the State of Jefferson so there will be much more right wing/Tea Party influence and isolationist sentiment. One of the more conspicuous political signs seen in Grants Pass advocates getting the U.S. out of the United Nations.

Both Eugene and Grants Pass will be green from November through May. Grants Pass will start to show its more Mediterranean climate in June when the hills start to go from emerald green to a tawny tan. But you will also see a lot more blue sky in Grants Pass. Eugene is very green, but it's the relentlessly gray skies from October to June that keep it that way.

[Steve Pickering]

Some of your "Dog Friendly" questions depend on the bred. Pit and Pit Mixed get a different view.

[oregonlove]

Thank you all for the input. From what I am hearing and seeing I think I will love Grants Pass just as much as the rest of Oregon. I can't wait to finally move over there and start enjoying it!!

[rtg143]

It's my favorite place. Been here almost 22 years.

[Terryj]

I have lived in Southern Oregon most of my life and at the age of 64 I couldn't think of living anywhere else. I've also lived in Portland and Eugene, both of these cities are far to liberal for me. Most people who live in Southern Oregon enjoy their independence and the politics of the area reflect this. The climate in Southern Oregon is what draws a lot of people to the area, not as much rain as in the Northwest portion of the state but it isn't as arid as the Central portion of the state. Grants Pass has no mall but it does have the big box stores you'll find in most cities, it has an average hospital however the most serious problems are dealt with in Medford. Grants Pass has been designated as one of the "Trees Cities USA" yes, there are trees in GP.