Klamath Falls Forest Estates - Honest Opinions (Medford, Shady Cove: sales, real estate)

[OrdinaryDude]

Okay so I've looked through these forums and comment sections on YouTube and I've seen opinions about Klamath County (Klamath Falls, Bonanza, etc.) span the entire spectrum from lovely place with gorgeous natural beauty to hell hole with hill people in the woods that may kill you. I'm looking at buying a little over 5 acres of land in the Klamath Falls Forest Estates subdivision and I would love to hear from people who live up there or who may know some things about the community. I'm not going in blind. I just visited Klamath county. I also visited the subdivision and I walked the land I'd like to purchase. It really is breathtakingly beautiful up there! I could see that there is some truth to there being some shady folks up there, but I also saw folks up there with legit homesteads, nice homes, well kept properties, etc. Overall I had a lovely experience during my visit and kind of fell in love with the place (especially the natural beauty). Every exchange I had with folks up there was genuinely pleasant and warm. Klamath Falls is definitely a small town, but it had a certain charm for sure. I'd love to hear from people who are willing to give me legitimate pros and cons of living in the area, not just people who want to hate on it. I'm open to all opinions, I just want to know from people who have actually spent time there and can give me a real idea of life in the county. How many months of winter? Fire season? Is it as bad as I've read on some forums? The air was great when I visited recently. I spoke to the county planning department and although, yes, they require lots of permits, it does seem to be a pretty straightforward process once you've decided what you are going to do and you've done your due diligence (perc test, etc.) and you have a plan. Any and all productive praise/criticism of the county (specifically where I'm looking to buy land) would be super helpful and much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[NW Crow]

I assume you notice that the people who purchase land or were thinking of purchasing land there and who posted here tend to all disappear quickly. MAYBE someone will answer. But none did in a month. Neither a good sign to me.

More trips (3,6,9?) and more conversations with folks actually there should be far more useful than what you will likely get here new. Do more of that. And don't be in a rush. It appears some / many in a rush end up regretting it, though that is a guess based on folks trailing off and lack of happy ever after stories.

[OrdinaryDude]

I appreciate someone responding! haha! Yes, I agree with what you're saying for sure. I'm planning on going back in September. Thanks for your input!

[NW Crow]

More research is a good idea.

It is possible there are some happy endings in these cases or for non CD poster / movers. Not shared here, if they exist.

Maybe there is somewhere else folks talk about KFFE? I googled it and in first 50 -100 links it was all real estate sales except for this Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/pages/categ...3701599/posts/ that appears to not have had a post in 3 years.

5o make my earlier comment more specific, I checked the City-Data history for 9 people who started KFFE threads. Almost half stopped visiting after a single day, a couple after a few days, a couple after a few weeks. One made a visit after 6 months but stopped talking after a few weeks.

It certainly makes it harder. These were people looking for input like you and did not stay active here. For insufficient feedback or their story getting complicated or difficult.

There are some news stories worth finding and reading directly. Crime, Power plays or possible legalities in local business and politics, etc. (I tried to share some and urge caution with one of these brief visitors in private years ago but got no response.)

My knowledge of the area is limited to pass thrus and reading. At one time I had some possible interest in maybe moving into the area.

My basic advice is just be very, very thorough with your own research. In this kind of situation there are people who paint a rosy picture and / or deceive for their livelihood and others who go along to some extent to not rock the boat, to not dwell on the negative... and not hurt their property value however they feel about the place. Some of course may genuinely be pretty satisfied.

In person visits and some comparative consideration of alternatives make sense.

If you continue down this path, you have the option of being a provider of experienced perspective for others. If you have time for and interest in doing that.

[texasdiver]

Here is an article about that part of the country and some of the people who live there:

https://magazine.atavist.com/outlaw-...n-guns-murder/

[OrdinaryDude]

Wow thanks for all the info! Super helpful!

[OrdinaryDude]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Here is an article about that part of the country and some of the people who live there:

https://magazine.atavist.com/outlaw-...n-guns-murder/

Thanks for sharing that! That was a very interesting read.

I'm looking at land in a different subdivision not as deep in and closer to the town of Bonanza. Still, when I visited last time I definitely got a vibe that matched with some of the things described in the article. It's both part of it's appeal and also what makes it a scary place I suppose. Taylor was in over his head from the start and I think the first mistake was not really knowing what he was getting himself into and just jumping in unprepared. Without any capital I wouldn't even consider moving out there. Would be very hard living indeed. I saw plenty of people up there living like Taylor was (or worse) the last time I visited, however, I also saw people up there doing it right. People with developed land, manufactured homes, septic, wells, etc. If done right, it seems like it could be a beautiful place to build out a homestead. I really appreciate you sharing that article with me.

[Hawk J]

I remember reading that some folks changed their mind & bought a place closer to Klamath Falls, & some going around Shady Cove/ Medford area.

Best of luck to you, OD.

[Aspenspryte]

Hi Dude,
I was considering settling up there several years ago but changed my mind and bought a gorgeous acre near Lake of the Woods, instead. Unfortunately, health problems prevented me from completing my dream so I sold it and bought a house in Klamath Falls. Good decision. It is a beautiful area and still relatively affordable. About KFFE, there are some big things to consider.

Fire and water. There was a huge fire out that way called the Bootleg Fire last year. It was bad and hard to contain. People we're refusing to evacuate for fear they wouldn't be allowed back for a while and everything would be looted. The roads are rough, it's hard to get in and out, fires are more frequent and there's no water supply out there. Just something to think about.

And water. Well drilling in that area is expensive because you have to go really deep and it's going to get worse. We've made international news over our water issues. There is none for the farmers to irrigate because the lake levels have gone too low, so farms and homes are pumping more groundwater and that's running low in places, too. The state has paid for water and cisterns to be delivered to people in that area whose wells went dry. Some people are trying to dig deeper wells. It's not a good situation. We really, really need this extended drought to turn around.

Just some food for thought.

[Ruth4Truth]

I was going to suggest checking fire risk maps, and also checking the areas water sources, for water supply reliability, but I see someone beat me to it. Those are two things I check for anyplace I'm considering relocating to. For coastal areas, I also check sea-level rise maps.

The Klamath Falls area is fire-prone, unfortunately. Southern OR has had a terrible time the last few years with wildfires. Very sad. Honestly, these days, I can't imagine that wouldn't be on someone's mind, who's considering any forested area in the west coast states.