 |
Home |
Get Informed |
 |
Financial
|
|
Get Involved
|
|
Healthy Body
|
|
Home Life
|
Where to Retire: Boulder, Colorado |
|
What You Need To Know Before Buying Property Overseas |
|
Where to Retire: Charlottesville, Virginia |
|
Before You Retire Abroad |
|
The Snowbird Life for Me |
|
Live Like an Organized Person |
|
Rating Retirement Places |
|
Retirement Living |
|
Where to Retire: Asheville, North Carolina |
|
Where to Retire: Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
|
Where to Retire: Bellingham, Washington |
|
Where to Retire: Austin, Texas |
|
Where to Retire: Burlington, Vermont |
|
Where to Retire: Brevard, North Carolina |
|
Where to Retire: Bloomington, Indiana |
|
Secret Life of a Snowbird |
|
Is an Active Adult Community for You? |
|
Times are tough: How Can I Retire Now? |
|
Sperling's Best Places |
|
Changing Lights at Home |
|
Is Hawaii Truly the Ultimate Dream Retirement Location? |
|
Where to Retire: Chico, California |
|
Where to Retire: Colorado Springs, Colorado |
|
Preparing for a Green Holiday Season |
|
Where to Retire: Eugene, Oregon |
|
Do Not Toss My Memories in the Trash |
|
Where to Retire: Fayetteville, Arkansas |
|
Where to Retire: Fort Collins, Colorado |
|
Where to Retire: Ithaca, New York |
|
Create Your Personal List of The Best Retirement States |
|
Unstuffing Freezers and Pantries |
|
Where to Retire: Hendersonville, North Carolina |
|
Humorous Perspective on Notorious Real Estate Ad |
|
Digital Survival from Electronic Crimes |
|
To Have a Residence in Florida, That is the Question |
|
Active Seniors Guide to Adult Retirement Communities in Arizona |
|
Where to Retire: Hot Springs, Arkansas |
|
Where to Retire: Lexington, Virginia |
|
Digital Survival from Electronic Crimes |
|
Where to Retire: Madison, Wisconsin |
|
Where to Retire: Medford Ashland, Oregon |
|
Where to Retire: Olympia, Washington |
|
Where to Retire: Oxford, Mississippi |
|
|
Learning
|
|
Leisure
|
|
Life Planning
|
|
New Aging
|
|
Newsletters
|
|
Relationships
|
|
Spiritual
|
|
Start a Business
|
|
Travel
|
|
Work
|
|
|
The RLM Experts |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Where to Retire: Medford Ashland, Oregon
|
| |
| |
Ed. Note: Where to Retire shares desired destinations for those wishing to relocate after retirement. Provided by author Warren R. Bland, these summaries offer a quick overview of the most desired retirement communities.
By Warren Bland
The discovery of gold in 1852 brought the first wave of white settlers to the Rogue River Valley, followed by farmers attracted by the valley’s productive soils and mild climate. Medford is the business, commercial and professional center of Jackson County. Just 12 miles south is Ashland, a quaint community that is home to the Southern Oregon University and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Landscape: Medford and Ashland are located in southern Oregon’s beautiful Rogue River Valley. Fruit and vegetable farms and the grasslands of large livestock ranches surround both cities. Medford occupies a gently rolling surface and Ashland extends from the valley floor into the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains.
Climate: Winters are cloudy and mild with many showery days; summers are sunny, hot and dry. Medford-Ashland, Oregon is sunny about 60% of the time and frost free 160 days.
Quality of Life: Very good to excellent. Both cities are graced with numerous aesthetically appealing, well-equipped parks and woodland landscapes.
Housing: Housing costs are 20% above the national average, with higher prices in Ashland than in Medford. Area housing appears to offer good value considering its style and good quality.
Goods and Services: Transportation, groceries and health care costs are above their national averages. Utilities and miscellaneous goods and services are priced near their national norms.
Taxes: State and local taxes are 8.7% of income compared to the U.S. average of 9.7%. Oregon has no sales tax but its income tax rates are steeply graduated. Property taxes approximate the national average.
Transportation: Most residents drive. Limited bus service is available. Intercity bus, rail and jet travel is possible from Greyhound, Amtrak in Klamath Falls and the Rogue Valley International Airport in Medford.
Retail Services: Downtown Ashland’s quaint galleries, shops and restaurants are prospering. Downtown Medford has been significantly revitalized in recent years. Nearby Rogue River Mall and standalone Wal-Mart and Sears stores provide additional shopping.
Health Care: Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, Providence Medford Medical Center and Ashland Community Hospital provide comprehensive medical services.
Community Services: Public and community services are very good in Ashland and Medford. Five senior centers and several additional senior clubs and community centers offer varied programs of interest to seniors.
Cultural and Educational Activities: Medford-Ashland’s cultural and educational assets far exceed those normally found in small metropolitan areas, including Ashland’s nationally respected Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Recreational Activities: The lovely landscape and mild climate of southern Oregon favor all kinds of outdoor recreation, from sports to bird watching, wine tasting and outdoor ballet performances. Nearby Crater Lake National Park offers a unique volcanic landscape.
Work and Volunteer Activities: Part-time jobs are plentiful in retailing and in other service industries. All kinds of volunteer work can be found.
Crime Rates and Public Safety: The overall property crime rate in Medford and Ashland approximates the national average whereas the violent crime rate is about 40% below the national norm.
Conclusion: Medford-Ashland, Oregone is one of America’s best places for an unhurried yet stimulating life after retirement. If your asking where to retire, these two towns are wonderful places to live if one is seeking small-town ambiance along with educational and cultural amenities typical of much larger cities.
Ratings courtesy of “Retire in Style, 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada” by Warren R. Bland, PhD (www.nextdecade.com)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
