wanting to move to Southern Oregon from Texas (Portland, Eugene: real estate, 2013)

[knpauley77]

we are a family of four that has lived in Texas for the pat 14 years - I am looking to relocate us to Medford/Jacksonville area about this time next year. I will be bringing my job with me so that won't be an issues but I want to know from those living there what to be prepared for.
1. I grew up just south of the Oregon border and am familiar with the climate
2. my son plays football and my daughter is a singer and actor - will medford be able to handle both of these needs (besides Ashlands Shakespeare festival what other youth or local theaters are there) what youth football organizations are there
3. what is the social climate like these days - is there a night life (country bar or dance hall?) how is the brewery scene?
4. what is the healthcare job market like (may have a military family following us after retirement)
5. what is the military veteran environment like? both me and my husband are veterans

TIA Y'all

[PNW-type-gal]

Country/Americana/Bluegrass is pretty popular, there are many local bands and then a bunch of touring bands who stop here. There is a country bar in Medford (Rocky Tonk) but I think it is 21+ and has a reputation for being rowdy but there is a huge line-dance group there. We have an excellent summer festival, the West Coast Country Music Festival, which is up in the Greensprings in a beautiful setting. We had, for a couple of years, a massive "mainstream" country music festival (I think attendance was 25,000 last year) but that went belly-up this last year, as the new owners proved they did not know what they were doing and they left town owing a lot of people money.

There are a couple roadhouse-type places but they mostly cater to rock/blues cover bands.

In the summer, there are a lot of wineries who host music events, with a broad range of style. There are also several microbreweries (I can think of around 10), although they rarely have music and a lot of them are at the on-site brewery and have a food truck for food. Some of the restaurants (Common Block in Medford, Stone Brewing in Ashland) brew their own beer. Growler bars, where a store has 20-40 rotating beers on taps available for on-premises drinking or filling your own growler and taking it home, are also popular, there are many inside grocery stores now as well. Remember that this is a hard-alcohol control state, you can only buy hard alcohol in state-franchised stores, not grocery stores.

I know both of the Medford high schools are large enough to have fairly competitive football teams. High school football is not the huge issue that it is in much of Texas and the south. There are plenty of opportunities for voice and acting venues, although I don't know what the school offerings are.

Medford has two large hospitals and provides the specialty medical care for small communities in Northern California and from the Oregon coast to the east side of the Cascades (pretty much a 150 mile radius or so). The hospitals are rated up to Level 2 Trauma, Level 1 is still an air ride to Portland and the much larger medical community there.

[texasdiver]

Regarding football. Medford has been one of the traditional powerhouses of HS football in Oregon. When I was a kid Medford had a single HS and the Black Tornado were the most feared and dominant team in the state for decades, mainly because they were one of the largest, of not the largest school in the state. Since then they've split into two schools and haven't been as domant statewide as some of the rich suburban and private schools around Portland such as Lake Oswego, West Linn and Jesuit and Sheldon, the big HS in Eugene.

Medford has Spiegelberg stadium which is one of the only if not the only HS stadium in the state that is built to Texas size standards with a capacity of about 10,000: https://greatamericanrivalry.com/gam...-medford-2013/

So if you want Texas-style HS football for your, son then Medford is about as good of a place as you will find in the state of Oregon.

As for your other questions. Medford is probably going to have about as much as you would expect for a city of its size in terms of youth theater. There is no major college or university in Medford so it will probably be lacking in some of the cultural amenities that you'll find in say Eugene or Corvallis. Both high schools are big and comprehensive so they will have all the usual arts programs that you would expect in a large high school.

Regarding health care careers and military retirees. I can't answer those questions.

[PNW-type-gal]

I know several people who have kids in various youth music, theater and dance groups - but I don't think they are part of a school program. Some of the programs are in Ashland as part of the Oregon Shakespeare program or Southern Oregon University, but there are also others scattered around the valley.

[WestGuest]

Texas is a diverse state- the dry desert of El Paso is the opposite of the humid Coastal areas such as Corpus Christi, Galveston or Houston. They all suck during the summer though.



The Eastern Parts of Washington and Oregon get little rain and they may be similar to the Western Half of Texas. They are also generally conservative -even more redneck and that appeals to some Texans.


There are places with significant Hispanic populations and being from Texas and visiting, I found if comforting to chat in Spanish when given the opportunity. I've heard there is a bunch of meth around Ashland Medford - and those summers are pretty warm.


Medford does have an airport and it did not seem flights there were too expensive from Texas - sort of like flying to Portland. Can that be right- I thought small airports were more pricey.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by WestGuest

Medford does have an airport and it did not seem flights there were too expensive from Texas - sort of like flying to Portland. Can that be right- I thought small airports were more pricey.

The MFR airport is more expensive than larger airports by 20-50%. Rogue Valley "International" (international freight, not passenger flights) has direct flights to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Denver - anything else is a connection, generally through whatever airline you are flying's hub (San Francisco, Denver or Portland). The cheapest mid-January flight from Portland to Los Angeles is $140, from Medford the same flight is $200+.

The last couple years we have done several flights to the east coast and found that using our local airport was $200-$500 per person more expensive and involved at least one connection - on the other hand, driving to a larger airport and staying overnight on both legs adds up as well.

[Larry Caldwell]

The Oregon Air National Guard is based in Medford, so there will be facilities for at least a few active duty personnel there. The Oregon/NoCal black helicopters fly out of Medford. The nearest full service VA hospital in Oregon is in Roseburg, about an hour and a half north, but I'm sure there is a clinic in Medford. You could call them and ask what resources are available.

Brew pub life is great. The area swims in IPA of various flavors. Menus list the bitterness ratings of the brews either in bottles or on tap. In the summer there are events all over at wineries, and the Britt Festival in Jacksonville runs outdoor concerts with dozens of artists. I saw Willie Nelson there a couple years ago, and Lyle Lovett this year. I haven't heard of any dance halls. They may be there, but it's not my thing.

I have a friend who is a music teacher at South Medford High. There are several choral groups, and at least one stage musical a year. As you note, Ashland is only 11 miles away, and that's a huge resource for a kid interested in theater. Rogue Valley Community College may be larger than Southern Oregon University. I don't know what is available at North Medford High or in the smaller surrounding communities. Once again, your phone is your friend. Just call and ask.

Football practice is limited by OSAA rules, so year-round football camps are out. Most larger schools have farm squads where they start players. Making it to the varsity before you are a senior is rare, before you are a junior is unheard of. In smaller schools he might get playing time as a sophomore. Winter sports are usually basketball or wrestling, with the beefier kids choosing wrestling. Girls have active basketball and volleyball leagues. Spring is baseball and track. Cross country is big. Oregon is a track state thanks to U of O, and Oregon State keeps winning college world series championships, not every year, but often.

[Silverfall]

I don't know how old your son is, but the non-school leagues here are generally run through PopWarner. I know there is a southern league, but I don't know where it is located. PopWarner goes up to age 16.

[Johnny Z]

Just about everything you were asking about are available in the Rogue Valley. Medford/Ashland have a great music and arts sceen, just about anything you can think of. Sports are pretty good and there is a VA Hospital in White City and another in Roseburg. Down side is housing and real estate is getting expensive.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by knpauley77

we are a family of four that has lived in Texas for the pat 14 years - I am looking to relocate us to Medford/Jacksonville area about this time next year. I will be bringing my job with me so that won't be an issues but I want to know from those living there what to be prepared for.
1. I grew up just south of the Oregon border and am familiar with the climate
2. my son plays football and my daughter is a singer and actor - will medford be able to handle both of these needs (besides Ashlands Shakespeare festival what other youth or local theaters are there) what youth football organizations are there
3. what is the social climate like these days - is there a night life (country bar or dance hall?) how is the brewery scene?
4. what is the healthcare job market like (may have a military family following us after retirement)
5. what is the military veteran environment like? both me and my husband are veterans

TIA Y'all

Have you looked into Eugene/Springfield?