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But if you lived there 18 years, you must have enjoyed it a bit. No?
Just a bit. Or rather, I loved the outdoor activities there (the rivers, hiking, mountain biking) the fact that my Mom lived there (she got out too!), and the schools. Other than that I loathed it. Medford just lacks substance to me. And, no, it wasn't the rednecks, hispanics, I-5 bums or any of that.
I liked my little "bubble" I call it, though. My first "escape" at getting out of Medford, was moving out to Jacksonville for 5 years - and trying to only venture out to Medford on an absolute need to basis. So, I guess I can relate to Ashlanders (or is it Ashlandites?) own "bubble". I see it. They really do got it going on and will recommend that little town to the end. What I don't like is all the stereotyping. It takes all kinds and who am I to judge.
More on the schools in southern Oregon issue (our children went to J'ville elementary). We didn't realize how good we had it until we moved here to WNC in that regard. But aside from that we love it here. But, boy what a pull. It's the most diverse city in the south -- but in the heart of the Bible Belt, so there's the Baptist agenda here too. It has it's cutsie nicknames as well: Ashevegas (my fave), Hashville, Sheville (BIG LGBT community), Sedona of the South, Berkley without the Bay, mini San Fran, etc... Or, like Ashland on steroids. But as a whole we as a community are so good-hearted that we embrace it.
Or rather, I spent too much time trying to decipher if you hold maps and charts to back that ludicrous stuff up -- or how far south/north you've actually traveled. Venice? Santa Cruz? Berkley? Eugene?
Re-read what you quoted from my post, as you accidentally implied by quoting me that artists and Autistic and Aspergic persons should be discriminated against in Ashland. I'll come to your defense, since I know you didn't mean to say that. You clearly defined a seperate group of youth than who I was talking about. What I meant a broad category of liberal minded free thinkers who are unconformists from artists to academics to gays to the highly creative with autism and aspergers syndrome. Liberal Cities such as Seattle and San Francisco tolerate all of these groups; places in the Southeast and Southwest US do not.
And that's exactly who people are trying to find among the various cities in Oregon . . . and many are bohemians, GLBT, autistic, aspergic, artists, writers, buddhists, etc. Many people it seems who are non-conformists into music, art, and organic farming have aspergers syndrome.
Thanks CCCVDUR,
You are right. I believe people of all stripes and particularly those with organic disabilities should not only be accepted, they should be helped. And weirdness should be embraced. The ire in my post was directed toward the pseudoweird, and just plain derelict.
Just a bit. Or rather, I loved the outdoor activities there (the rivers, hiking, mountain biking) the fact that my Mom lived there (she got out too!), and the schools. Other than that I loathed it. Medford just lacks substance to me. And, no, it wasn't the rednecks, hispanics, I-5 bums or any of that.
I liked my little "bubble" I call it, though. My first "escape" at getting out of Medford, was moving out to Jacksonville for 5 years - and trying to only venture out to Medford on an absolute need to basis. So, I guess I can relate to Ashlanders (or is it Ashlandites?) own "bubble". I see it. They really do got it going on and will recommend that little town to the end. What I don't like is all the stereotyping. It takes all kinds and who am I to judge.
More on the schools in southern Oregon issue (our children went to J'ville elementary). We didn't realize how good we had it until we moved here to WNC in that regard. But aside from that we love it here. But, boy what a pull. It's the most diverse city in the south -- but in the heart of the Bible Belt, so there's the Baptist agenda here too. It has it's cutsie nicknames as well: Ashevegas (my fave), Hashville, Sheville (BIG LGBT community), Sedona of the South, Berkley without the Bay, mini San Fran, etc... Or, like Ashland on steroids. But as a whole we as a community are so good-hearted that we embrace it.
Glad to hear you like AsheVegas!
Medford is getting better. It reflects much of mainstream America in its high beam mediocrity, but I think it is gaining on Ashland and Jacksonville as a nice, progressive, community. Not progressive politically per se, but engaged and looking forward. And as Ashland and Jacksonville have become ffinancially out of reach for most people, many cool people are settling in Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. and shaking things up.
Having lived in the area on and off for 25 years, I felt it necessary to add my two cents...
The main problem with Southern Oregon, Medford in particular, is the spike in gang activity and hard drug usage/trafficking within the last 10-15 years. Many of the street and biker gangs have migrated up from Sacramento, the central valley, Oakland/San Jose and even LA.
Medford is also the central hub for meth trafficking in S.O and NorCal. I knew a girl in Clearlake, Ca which is serveral hundred miles southwest of Medford, whos supplier was fairly big time and cooked out of Medford.
We (the youth in the area) gave Medford it's nicknames Methcity, Methford and Muderville earlier in the decade, and one Medford youth even went on to write a poetry piece about the area and it's problems called Underground Economy. It took second place in a regional slam down in CA a few years ago.
Grants Pass is just as bad, if not worse.
And Ashland, although more upscale and sheltered, has it's problems as well.
Aside from that, the Rogue Valley isn't a terrible place to live. It just isn't that great, either. Certain areas have a high cost of living, while others are fairly standard. The weather is four seasons; hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Unfortunately though, the temperatures can often stay high during summer nights, which is very uncomfortable. The economy isn't great anymore. Teens and early twenty somethings used to have their choice of mall jobs and fast food jobs back in the day, but after returning to the area back in October I found out that jobs such as those are scarce and hard to come by now. Medford also lacks culture and individuality, much like most of the central valley in CA (Strip malls and chain stores and predominant and popular), and while Ashland is much more cultured and unique, the high cost of living and shrinking public services make it an unattractive place for middle class individuals and families to settle.
It's already been mentioned, but commuting into CA from Southern Oregon, or vice versa, is a pain in the ass. The mountain pass is one tough drive for the average joe who's sans a 4x4, especially in the winter. Yreka to Medford is about 50 or so miles, and depending the driving conditions, it can take you anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half or more to complete. Gas prices aren't as high as they used to be, but when you take in to account a five day a week commute to and from, it can certainly add up (not to mention the cost of maintaining your car. that's a pretty rough drive).
I've stayed in Yreka, and while it is small, I liked it just fine. There's a walmart, a jcpenny, a couple grocery stores and losts of places to eat. It's a quiet mountain town with little to no gang activity, and the cost of living is very low by california standards. If you're going to be working on the california side, take advantage of the occasional major shopping in OR, but ultimately live in the Yreka area.
Having lived in the area on and off for 25 years, I felt it necessary to add my two cents...
The main problem with Southern Oregon, Medford in particular, is the spike in gang activity and hard drug usage/trafficking within the last 10-15 years. Many of the street and biker gangs have migrated up from Sacramento, the central valley, Oakland/San Jose and even LA.
Let me add 2 cents so we at least come closer to a dollar.
We just moved back to Beaverton near Portland, after 3 years near Medford. Any gang or drug use in the area is minor and inconsequential, in my view. And I've spent enough years in the fringes of society in the past to understand.. Medford, and even Grants Pass, don't have a "problem". There may be some gang members, and there may be some drugs, but its not in the league of "problem". Culturally, that area is still one of the most culturally clean regions in the state.
One upside about areas like Grants Pass, is that citizens can still enjoy like, walk softly, and carry a big stick so to speak. There are so many peaceful nice folks in Grants Pass who also carry big sticks, that the overall nature of the area is pretty darn stable.
The drive time seems like one of the bigger issues for most folks if commuting state to state.
On the other hand, winter is not all year, and work days are not all week. And roads are not snowy all work days in the passes. So winter driving is an issue that is big to some drivers and small to others.
When I drive the passes, night or dark versus day and light was more important to me. I don't like driving in snow at night.
Hi, see burgundy responses and questions below. Great post.
The main problem with Southern Oregon, Medford in particular, is the spike in gang activity and hard drug usage/trafficking within the last 10-15 years. Many of the street and biker gangs have migrated up from Sacramento, the central valley, Oakland/San Jose and even LA. Medford is also the central hub for meth trafficking in S.O and NorCal.
It was readily apparent driving in Medford and also Eugene that both cities have huge meth problems. Which one do you think is worse?
We (the youth in the area) gave Medford it's nicknames Methcity, Methford and Muderville earlier in the decade, and one Medford youth even went on to write a poetry piece about the area and it's problems called Underground Economy. It took second place in a regional slam down in CA a few years ago.
Do you know where this would be on the net if anywhere? There's a recent book called "Methland" about the epidemic.
Grants Pass is just as bad, if not worse.
Incredible. Sounds like there are no small towns without a meth problem, and that book Methland explains why.
And Ashland, although more upscale and sheltered, has it's problems as well.
What problems does Ashland have? Is it better and safer than Medford and Eugene?
Does Ashland have a meth problem? I will not move anywhere with a meth problem, after having my vehicle almost stolen by a meth addict who almost died in the car while wiring it.And, living in two former meth labs in Albuquerque and Flagstaff.True stories.
Medford also lacks culture and individuality, much like most of the central valley in CA (Strip malls and chain stores and predominant and popular),
I thought the same thing driving through there - Medford seemed remarkably similarvery much like towns in the Central Valley.
I've stayed in Yreka, and while it is small, I liked it just fine. There's a walmart, a jcpenny, a couple grocery stores and losts of places to eat. It's a quiet mountain town with little to no gang activity, and the cost of living is very low by california standards.
That's good to hear about Yreka (in far northern California). Thanks for your info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdvaden
We just moved back to Beaverton near Portland, after 3 years near Medford. Any gang or drug use in the area is minor and inconsequential, in my view. And I've spent enough years in the fringes of society in the past to understand.. Medford, and even Grants Pass, don't have a "problem". There may be some gang members, and there may be some drugs, but its not in the league of "problem". Culturally, that area is still one of the most culturally clean regions in the state.
Could you elaborate on what you mean by "culturally clean?" Are you referring to Traditional Family Values and Church Attendance? If so, you are correct, that's a good thing for a community. How are the schools in the area? Do they teach basic economics, or, spend time brainwashing students with global warming and the putative evils of clearcutting? And, for Liberal Christians, Ashland perhaps has some very liberal Churches attended by Obama leftists so perhaps there's something for everyone . . . as for Libertarian Free Thinkers, are we given an especially warm welcome, because it's the State of Jefferson?
I've stayed in Yreka, and while it is small, I liked it just fine. There's a walmart, a jcpenny, a couple grocery stores and losts of places to eat. It's a quiet mountain town with little to no gang activity, and the cost of living is very low by california standards. If you're going to be working on the california side, take advantage of the occasional major shopping in OR, but ultimately live in the Yreka area.
This is great advice. I'd personally move to Yreka, Ca. before I'd move back to Medford.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdvaden
One upside about areas like Grants Pass, is that citizens can still enjoy like, walk softly, and carry a big stick so to speak. There are so many peaceful nice folks in Grants Pass who also carry big sticks, that the overall nature of the area is pretty darn stable.
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Have always found Grants Pass (people) to be genuinely nice and down-to-earth.
Could you elaborate on what you mean by "culturally clean?" Are you referring to Traditional Family Values and Church Attendance? If so, you are correct, that's a good thing for a community. How are the schools in the area? Do they teach basic economics, or, spend time brainwashing students with global warming and the putative evils of clearcutting? And, for Liberal Christians, Ashland perhaps has some very liberal Churches attended by Obama leftists so perhaps there's something for everyone . . . as for Libertarian Free Thinkers, are we given an especially warm welcome, because it's the State of Jefferson?
The area had a strong feel of family values and politeness. That's how it felt moving there. Personally, I like the west Portland suburbs or Medford area.
Actually, it's not the State of Jefferson, since there is none on a map.
Were you taught in school that a "State of Jefferson" exists? In Medford or Portland, the schools don't teach the existence of a State of Jefferson, in the same way that they don't teach the existence of a Bigfoot.
If it were possible, I'd be curious as to which happens first: establishing an actual State of Jefferson, or the discovery of a Bigfoot.
You would have to define "putative evils of clearcutting" according to your opinion, before that aspect could be addressed. But I don't recall our children mentioning homework about forest management or global warming while we were down there.
Here's one article that overlaps clearcutting. How does that line-up with your definition of "clearcuting"?
Because clearcutting can cause complex consequences. In that park, clearcutting raised sediment in the river. That reduced spawning areas and fish population. That in turn affected the habits of bears (may not be mentioned in article), which in turn chew on young redwoods, hindering the recovery of that tree species in the hills. That's one aspect of it. Now I don't know if that kind of detail is taught near Medford, or up around Portland.
Our son's teacher just happened to have just moved down from Beaverton also. He really liked the district as a teacher of 8th grade.
Hi, see burgundy responses and questions below. Great post.
The main problem with Southern Oregon, Medford in particular, is the spike in gang activity and hard drug usage/trafficking within the last 10-15 years. Many of the street and biker gangs have migrated up from Sacramento, the central valley, Oakland/San Jose and even LA. Medford is also the central hub for meth trafficking in S.O and NorCal.
It was readily apparent driving in Medford and also Eugene that both cities have huge meth problems. Which one do you think is worse?
We (the youth in the area) gave Medford it's nicknames Methcity, Methford and Muderville earlier in the decade, and one Medford youth even went on to write a poetry piece about the area and it's problems called Underground Economy. It took second place in a regional slam down in CA a few years ago.
Do you know where this would be on the net if anywhere? There's a recent book called "Methland" about the epidemic.
Grants Pass is just as bad, if not worse.
Incredible. Sounds like there are no small towns without a meth problem, and that book Methland explains why.
And Ashland, although more upscale and sheltered, has it's problems as well.
What problems does Ashland have? Is it better and safer than Medford and Eugene?
Does Ashland have a meth problem? I will not move anywhere with a meth problem, after having my vehicle almost stolen by a meth addict who almost died in the car while wiring it.And, living in two former meth labs in Albuquerque and Flagstaff.True stories.
Medford also lacks culture and individuality, much like most of the central valley in CA (Strip malls and chain stores and predominant and popular),
I thought the same thing driving through there - Medford seemed remarkably similarvery much like towns in the Central Valley.
I've stayed in Yreka, and while it is small, I liked it just fine. There's a walmart, a jcpenny, a couple grocery stores and losts of places to eat. It's a quiet mountain town with little to no gang activity, and the cost of living is very low by california standards.
That's good to hear about Yreka (in far northern California). Thanks for your info.
This response is kinda long, so plz bear with me. Spelling/grammar is most likely less than perfect...
Truthfully, of the two cities (Eugene and Medford), I'm gonna to tip it to Medford in terms of which has the worser meth problem. The main problem with Medford is that it's a major cook site. Eugene has cook spots as well, but much of Eugene's meth is trafficked, which means it's brought in from other parts of the state and country. Medford makes for a better cook spot because of it's location within the valley, closeness to Northern California and smaller population. Eugene/Springfield is slightly older and much more populous, making it very undesirable to cookers. There's also a huge university there too, and most cookers know that Drug Enforcement tends to be a higher priority in communities with large colleges. When I was in Cottage Grove, a suburb of Eugene, I noticed that that area had a relatively significant meth and crack problem for a town of it's size (note that crack is cooked slightly differently in rural communities than in the urban, minority communities. It tends to be more potent and slightly more qualitive. Meth itself is, imo, just a more potent and expensive version of crack). South of there, you have Roseburg, which could be the worst Meth spot in the entire south state. Another thing about Roseburg is that it's a police city but for all the wrong reasons. Cops will sit and wait for people to speed along the I-5, catching handfuls of them in as little as a hour and ticketing people with no mercy for the smallest infractions. But the drug problem there is all but ignored, quietly swept under the rug. Douglas County is general is a terrible, unfriendly place to live.
I can post Underground Economy here if you'd like. Or I can send you the link.
I've stayed in both Arizona and New Mexico; Bullhead City and ABQ, respectively. I hated AZ with a passion, but NM was beautiful. Still, both cities have major MAJOR meth/crack problems that positively eclipse anything you'd find up in the Rogue Valley. I don't know if you've ever seen the show Breaking Bad, but it chronicles the story of a high school chem teacher who starts cooking Meth with his former student to subsidize his cancer treatment and leave his family money should he die. The show takes place right in the heart of ABQ, and does an excellent job of highlighting the area's drug problems. The show fell off a bit at season two, but season one was incredible and would receive my highest recommendation.
Ashland is a lot nicer than Medford and Eugene, but it simply isn't a pratical place to live if you're not well to do, a retired hippy, employed by the local tourism or the city itself...or any combination of the three. When I was younger, I used to take my skateboard to the downtown and cruise the incredible hills in DT ashland. I remember passing by, what I called, the Hippy Hill of Ashland (SF Bay Area reference). Kids would literally be sitting there smoking pot, right on the hill, and the cops on bikes would ride up and bull**** with em' like nothing was going on. Suffice it to say, theres drug usage in Ashland. Whether or not I'd deem it a problem is a whole different story entirely, and none of this even matters if you don't consider mary jane a drug. I think it's a drug, but i'd be lying if I said I never tried it. I've never, ever tried meth or crack. Hopefully that makes sense.
The central valley in CA is the pits. I knew a kid from Merced who had three junkies living on his street alone. The weather is terrible, the economy is bad, drugs and gangs rule the day, etc etc. I don't think Medford is quite as bad, but in terms of it's infrastructure, the city shares a striking similarity to pitsville, CA. If the area keeps growing at a solid rate in the way that it is, it's only a matter of time until Medford becomes Stockton California part II.
Yreka is great. The town itself is very friendly. My first visit there I spent a week, the second five days. I got a chance to go around town and visit the local shops, as well as the chain stores. My mom is a huge shopper, and she fell in love with the quaint little jcpenny store they have at Yreaka Junction. The entire store is the size of one department at Rogue Valley mall, but the staff is all very friendly and helpful. What's best, they have incredible clearance. The low traffic results in quality merchandise getting sent quickly to the discount racks. We picked up four polo shirts and a pair of jeans for less than 30 dollars. The price of one polo shirt at my local JCpenny was more than half of that entire amount. I should also plug Grandma's House restaurant, which is on the northwestern side of town. It's got a neat little theme, the food is great, it's very tourist friendly and the staff is nice. Same for Black Bear Diner, which is a staple of the Northstate.
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Meth-Ford
