Looking for the best area to live in Medford (Portland: best town, house)

[Can't wait for Oregon!]

In Alaska we pretty much have 6 full months of winter, October through March. What is length of a Medford Winter vs a Bend winter? Thanks for the responses by the way! It is really hard to narrow things down without information from real people! I know when we visit in June everything is going to be gorgeous and that might skew our decision unless we get all the facts first!

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by Can't wait for Oregon!

In Alaska we pretty much have 6 full months of winter, October through March. What is length of a Medford Winter vs a Bend winter? Thanks for the responses by the way! It is really hard to narrow things down without information from real people! I know when we visit in June everything is going to be gorgeous and that might skew our decision unless we get all the facts first!

Good Mornin'...

Normally the coldest for Medford & Grants Pass area is Dec, Jan. We get an odd storm or cold spell once ina while but we also may get a few days in the 60's or 70's & Sunny. We could get a bit of snow thru April at higher elevations. I looked fer my place a long time here in the mountains. There is very little wind here. I wanted that...

Bend i've only driven thru a couple times in the summer.

Have a Great Day...

[bluebird39]

I have lived in both Portland and Medford in the winter time, and Portland is much worse. It's further north for one, so the days in the winter are shorter than in Medford, due to the latitude. plus it seems that as you drive South of Roseburg the skies open up and the sun comes out. Yes, there IS fog a LOT during winter there, so you might want to focus on Ashland or the Applegate Valley to get up in elevation to get out of the fog. Bend would be sunnier in the winter.

BUT, I'm not sure I'd recommend the schools in the Rogue Valley. Bend may be better for that. OTOH I'd be willing to bet that there is more of a Hispanic community in Medford than there is in Bend.

I have family who moved back to Oregon after Alaska because of the SAD. They moved to Portland and said it was much better than in AK.

Good luck.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea

If you are under the impression that the weather is drastically different in the northern and southern parts of western Oregon, you have been misinformed. There are marginally fewer rainy days in Medford, and significantly more hot dry days in summer, but the difference is negligible in terms of overall climate quality. Read this thread.

//www.city-data.com/forum/orego...ttle-area.html

I would disagree with this. Medford /Ashland is considerably drier than the Willamette and Umqua Valley, and of course the coast. I lived 3 years in Corvallis before moving to Ashland, and the difference is noticable and important to me. I was on the border with SAD there, but not here. We get about 25% fewer cloudy days, and probably 35% fewer wet days and a bit less than half the total precipitation than, say, Eugene. Also, Medford can get "warm waves" in the early spring with 70-80 degree temps that are rare in the Pacific Northwest. They don't last, but are NICE. It is still a cloudy place in midwinter, and can get foggy, particularly in Medford in December/January, but the shoulder seasons are much sunnier than further north. Also, we get some cold,drier winter weather,with a bit of snow, so you can wear a down coat, rather than a rain coat. I like that. NW Oregon just seemed wet, cloudy, and clammy for 8 months. I found it a bit tedious, but not terrible or anything. The summers here are hot, but we have mountains all around to hike up into. Lowlands turn brown and dry, like California, in summer. We do not have the lushness of NW Oregon. So a nice trade off, depending upon your preferences. Bottomline, S. Oregon is a very mild four season climate, with a few too many clouds in winter and some blazing sun in summer, but overall a healthy,enjoyable climate.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Can't wait for Oregon!

In Alaska we pretty much have 6 full months of winter, October through March. What is length of a Medford Winter vs a Bend winter? Thanks for the responses by the way! It is really hard to narrow things down without information from real people! I know when we visit in June everything is going to be gorgeous and that might skew our decision unless we get all the facts first!

In simple terms, Bend is more eastern Oregon, which is pretty much a cold zone in the state. Its a nice town.

Southern Oregon cities are really into their sports and football if that matters.

Do you like going to the ocean, a lot? If so, Bend is quite remote. If you want to ski - great area.

Grants Pass would be my top choice right now for southern Oregon, between climate and city. Medford is too dry for my taste. Similar with Ashland. If you drive toward Medford, all of a sudden the hills become more grassy and the trees very few. Although the hills to the west are more green, because there is about 10 inches more rain there. If I was to live in the Medford area again, I'd pick the west side of the town because the shade of the mountains keeps that side a bit cooler later in the day.

The ocean is about 2.5 hours from Medford, and about 1.5 hours from Grants Pass. The redwoods are also an hour and a half from Grants Pass. And there are a lot of nice homes available.

Central Point is a decent town next to Medford.

Spokane, WA, might compare to Bend, OR for climate. But the lifestyle may not be as comparable.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Originally Posted by mdvaden

The ocean is about 2.5 hours from Medford, and about 1.5 hours from Grants Pass.

Something's wrong with that calculation. Subtracting those figures shows it taking an hour to drive the 29 miles from Medford to Grant Pass on the freeway. It's more like 2 hrs. from the coast to Grants Pass, and from there, an additional 30-40 min. to Medford.

[JonMystic]

The best place to live in Medford is in Portland

Sorry, there is no great place in Medford.. But, I know outside of Medford there are some nice forest and mountainous areas which are beautiful. I did climb Mt McLoughlin a while ago and it was awesome.

BTW.. If you go to the store and need anti-freeze you may find it is in short supply in Methford..

[backdrifter]

To answer your question... Bend's winters last longer than Medford's do and they're colder, but with a bit more sun perhaps. Medford definitely is still going to be very overcast most of the winter, even though it doesn't rain as much.

Medford has the unfortunate nickname of "Methford," yes, but it's not quite that bad. Not quite the worst town in Oregon. Not quite...

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea

Something's wrong with that calculation. Subtracting those figures shows it taking an hour to drive the 29 miles from Medford to Grant Pass on the freeway. It's more like 2 hrs. from the coast to Grants Pass, and from there, an additional 30-40 min. to Medford.

Take a JetBoat from Grants Pass to Gold Beach on The Rogue River...Mighty FAST.

hahahahaha





www.hellgate.com

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea

Something's wrong with that calculation. Subtracting those figures shows it taking an hour to drive the 29 miles from Medford to Grant Pass on the freeway. It's more like 2 hrs. from the coast to Grants Pass, and from there, an additional 30-40 min. to Medford.

I said "about". Close enough. So maybe an hour and fifty minutes from Grants Pass.

I like Hawk J's Jet Boat idea.

The property we lived at, is in Ruch / Applegate Valley. I could fine tune the drive to almost exactly 2 hours for most trips. Which happened to be every 2 weeks for me.