anyone from Oregon or wa. in zone7a or b/

I want to move somewhere a little greener than the upperdesert we live in and not much snow , 4 seasons. Does it exhist or am I looking for another zone? another area. I like or and wa. cheaper housing with nearby conviences within a 15 min drive?

We have lots of people moving to our area because of the house prices are actually somewhat affordable here. I would say we have four seasons. The rain does take some getting used to. Monroe is about 15 minutes away and they have everything you could ask for as far as shopping goes. I love living here.

I`ll check it out.thanks

How about So. Oregon, We have seasons, mild weather, housing is a little high. Shopping is good. Medford has the big box stores , Ashland has great little shops, Grants Pass has some great shopping also. This area seems to be turning into a retirement community.

DebiV

The Olympia, Wa, area is cheaper than Seattle/Tacoma, has two universities, and no state income tax.

King County median home prices just came out at around $435,000 last week. Stay far, far away from King county. Traffic is awful and not going to get better anytime soon.

North to Snohomish County and beyond, you run into the convergence zone with a few more snowstorms, rainfall etc, but prices are better for homes/land. Olympia area would be nice. The whole western part of the state is nice!

I want to retire to Southern OR but can't convince the husband. Are there lakes to fish at there? Maybe I could lure him with that idea.....

Lakes in southern OR? Tons of them!!! I grew up in Klamath Falls and there are all kinds of lakes on Hwy. 140 between K. Falls and Medford.

Thanks MGH! What kind of fish- is that too much to ask? LOL

Hmmm....I'm no expert, but I know there are Rainbow Trout and Bass. Probably many others, but I would have to ask my Dad or my brother. I'll let you know.

So. Oregon is a great place for someone who loves the outdoors. Hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, rafting, boating, rockhounding, gold panning or just plain ole sightseeing ... :0

Southern OR has something for everyone. Rather you like the great outdoors or want to shop...garden. ETC

Enjoy. It is also affordable stil.

D

I looked up Roseburg and it was very affordable but I don`t know how far it is from shopping and movies etc. I liked the house prices and it didn`t look deserty. I don`t know about snow and all. I also am 44 and dh is 48 so all retirement community may not be so great, but better than gangs and tweekers that are moving here. Tell me if it is close to any convieniences, it appears to be between medford and Eugene on the I-5? anyone one know anything? I`ll go on Realtor .com and look at Medford and Ashland too, my sister lives in Susanville Ca. she would like it.

hellnzn11, just look at anything in the Willamette Valley. It is zone 7 or 8 depending how close you are to the Cascades, maybe? I think south of Salem but east of I-5 might be a bit cheaper. I live about 20 miles northeast of Salem out here on the farm. We are able to grow lots and lots but prepared for rain. We get plenty of rainy days from November through June. And then by 4 th of July it turns dry and stays dry. Not excessively hot though we can get it too but just not often.

I can not tell where it is. what are the cities in the area? do you get a lot of snow and Ice? Rain I like, I don`t mind a day or so of snow but months of it no and my sil in Portland gets big blackouts in the winter from ice storms.

Roseburg looks like a nice area. I don't know that much about it, but we pass through there on our way to Medford (my in-laws live in Medford.) I think Roseburg is in the Willamette Valley, but below the Sexton Mountains (which are south of Roseburg) you are into the Rogue Valley. They get about 10° warmer in the summer than we do.

You know we don't get ice and snow very often, snow is so rare here on the valley floor. Portland has hills that are a little higher and they sometimes get more snow but it never stays for long. If you want to be near a larger city, Portland is definitely very pretty and Salem really isn't bad either. The area between Portland and Salem in the valley is quite nice; if I want to go to a city I go to Salem but I am not a city person at all. I enjoy a trip into Portland maybe a couple of times a year.

Here is a pic of the Willamette Valley:

I would say the Willamette valley at the north end is Portland, the Cascades are on the east, the coast range which are not as high as the Cascades are on the west and usually passable year around to the coast, and I always think of Eugene as the end of the valley but then MGH is right, it could actually be further south.The Willamette River begins in the Cascades just south of Eugene, then the W. River dumps into the Columbia in Portland.

Great pix, Mendy, that says it much better than my description.

I was wrong.....it doesn't look like Roseburg is in the W. Valley.

Yeh, I think you are right because the valley is named for the river and I know the source of it is down by Eugene.

Roseburg is part of the Umpqua River system, which kinda seperates the Willamette and the Rogue River Valleys.

As I live in the Roseburg area, I think it's about perfect. It's less than 3 hours to Portland, about an hour from Eugene, a little over an hour to the ocean and just over 2 hours to the high dessert on the Eastern side of the Cascades. Crater Lake is close enough to go there for the day and return home that evening. Snow about once every two or three years, but only enough to make the ground white. This past year the streets stayed clear. Rain (lots of it but not as much as further North) during the late fall, winter and spring. Little or no moisture during the summer. It is considered to be a typical Mediterranian type of climate. It gets cold enough for plants that need winter chilling to do well and sometimes even warm enough that zone 9 plants can survive, especially with mulch or other assistance. Depending on the exact location the Roseburg vicinity is either 8a or 8b.

By the way, I don't work for the chamber of commerce. I just love this area, and I think it has just about everything. However, the home prices have started climbing but I think the median price is in the lower to mid 200's. One other tip to consider - there is NO sales tax in Oregon.

Dotti

That is a big thing to consider, Dotti! I love that we don't have a sales tax! You make me want to move a little futher south to escape some of the rain we get here......but then I would be closer to my in-laws....so it's out of the question! LOL

You know the old saying - "Oregonian's don't tan, they rust!" There are times I wonder if the saying is correct. LOL Dotti

Well, at least in the western part of Oregon! LOL It was never like this in K. Falls.

The main reason I don't live in K. Falls is that they get lots of ice cold winter weather and I don't do the freezing cold very well. (My Mom lives in Rocky Point). I will stay on the western side of the Cascades!
I wouldn't mind being a little farther to the west .... The Rogue Valley is rather on the dry side from late May to early October usually. It is greener north of here.

The main reason I won't live there is because I grew up there! LOL It just feels like the middle of no where. I do miss the snow though.

I like it and feel a bit excited. i would like to get a ental maybe there first so we can have some equity as prices go up, later sell it and sell this one and buy a better one. Is there any mines near the area dottik or decent paying jobs? Medical facilities and clinics, shopping centers etc. I love the sound of it. What about Druggies, gangs?

Hello,
I'm new here and try to find place in Grant Pass or Medford so I check some of real estates and it really skyrocket price! but lucky there is some trailer park is good must be 55 + over oh sheesh! I try fight for that I am 50 why not 50 want to live there and having good time...

I still waiting for answer from who owner of the trailer park...

Hope it help!

Rusty you just moved to Joplin, silly

Oh call me SILLY! I m not silly I just want to see there and if I like it then I will move there next 5 yrs.

I have uncle live in Grant Pass...

you little vagabond. I look forward to seeing you at the RU.

hellnzn11, I don't know of any major mines right around Roseburg, but I think there is one or more South of town somewhere. A hospital we have and we seem to have a fairly decent supply of doctors and clinics, including one that specializes in treating people without insurance. We have a slightly higher unemployment percentage than the rest of Oregon-partially due to our former reliance on the wood products industry. That is improving because we have been able to encourage several diverse companies to locate in the area. But, as I have been working for the same company for the last 19+ years, I have no idea what the wages are in the area. You could probably check out the OR Dept of Employment for that information. We have two shopping malls, neither really large, but you can get almost anything you need in the area. Anything you can't get here, you can find in Eugene, only about 50 miles away. Hope this is the information you are needing. Dotti

thanks it helps a lot. Dawn