Wanting to Move to Southwestern OR

I'd love to get some contacts in the area. I'm still in the looking phase, as we don't plan to move for two years... but I know that time will fly by and I want to get a feel for the area! I'm originally from AK and OR, so this will be moving back to childhood haunts for me. My Mom (and granmothers) are in in Klamath Falls. I want to be in a warmer, wetter area. I spent my childhood mostly in the Wilamette Valley, not sure that's where we want to move since I hear the air quality has only gotten worse. My Dad likes the Rogue River area, but considering what we want to do it might be too rural.

My plan is for our family to be mostly self-supporting, my husband-to-be is a blacksmith, I am a potter and gardener, my Dad is a farmer and beekeeper. So we plan to have a little farm and do a little of all those skills to support ourselves.

Hello, Sounds like you will create a wonderful life for your family. I only know I-5 and the coast area of Newport. I like the scenery around Medford.

Cedar
maybe you should check Brookings :) http://www.brookingsor.com/
when the snow & cold get too much for the people in Medford they visit Brookings
when it is miserably hot & over 100° in Medford they visit Brookings :)
Brookings is a Mediterranean climate most of the time

Dick

This message was edited Dec 30, 2010 9:41 AM

i have a good friend who's lived in Brookings for years and years. They like it a lot. I also have another good friend who moved there from Whidbey two years ago and couldn't wait to move back to whidbey. It was too grey for her all the time. I know that Brookings does not get much sun, even in the summer. Our friends there camp on the Chetko in the summer because just going a few miles away makes a difference between grey and sun. I could put you in touch with my friend who's lived there a long time. She works in the schools and her husband does fishing trips on the river.

If your dad is a beekeeper, you might want to consider an area with a lot of farms and orchards where he can 'rent' out his hives.

We vacation on the McKenzie River and love it there. I like the whole area between Eugene and Sisters/Bend. Ashland is another great Oregon town.

Cedar
the Rogue river valley is full of small farms
i have friends who have a small farm there
but they bring their horses back over to Brookings in the winter
too cold for them
but i don't think honey bees would survive in the coastal moisture
there sure aren't any around here only the kind looks like a bumble bee

Gwen
the lily capitol of the world is just a cpl miles down the road from Brookings
your friend must have been too close to the ocean for all of the fog
most of the fog is in the summer but burns off by noon
the majority of my friends who live there live above the fog line
as do i here :-)

as i have mentioned before i have a store (Antiques) in Harbor
just across the river from Brookings
so if any of you do visit please stop in and say hi

Dick

Thanks for your input! I have been leaning away from "right" on the coast. we want to garden, and so will need more sun.

I live a few miles west of Corvallis, and I would say that the air quality is fine here (especially compared to CA, where I lived before). I can't speak for Albany or Salem, but Corvallis never seems to have an air quality issue. The grass growers can no longer burn their fields, which was a major help in the summertime. However, the Corvallis area is among the more expensive areas in OR. My parents live in Bridge, OR which is South and West of us. It's around 15 miles East of Coquille, it's a teeny little town. I would say that it's much easier to find affordable property in that area. They also seem to get more sun. It's a lovely area.

Cederlil;
I live just outside then town of Rogue River, 1/2 mile.
Here is what in can tell you about our area. 7 miles to Grants Pass, 14 to Medford, both have good medical facility's.
Land prices are the best for what you get in way of rural farm property.
We have about 5-7 days of I00+ heat and about the same of freezing, 3-4 days of snow, Great Fishing,& Gardening. We have two irrigated acres ,garden ,bees,Chickens and grow beet seed, and are taxed at $1300 a year, If you are interested I can send you some info frome one of the Realtors.