Medford, OR flying and living?

Unit74

Unit74

Final Approach
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Unit74
I was asked if I was interested in a transfer to Medford. Anyone have comments on the area? My wife is semi interested because it's much closer to family in central California.
 
I visited Medford and Ashland several times when I lived in the Bay Area and they're pretty nice places. Probably a bit more "hippie" or "granola" than you're used to in Arkansas, but that applies to Ashland more than Medford. It's beautiful country with exceptional flying at your back door.
 
Some people like rain every f**ing day. Some don't. Choose your poison.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Some people like rain every f**ing day. Some don't. Choose your poison.
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Medford ain't Portland.

Southwest Oregon interior is much drier than the Oregon stereotype. It's a pleasant, varied climate; summers can be hot, winters fairly mild with only occasional snow (though carry chains because highways cross high-elevation passes in almost all directions from Medford). No really wild weather except for occasional summer convection. Recreational opportunities abound, with the coast, Crater Lake, central Oregon, and numerous rivers and lakes nearby. The scenery is spectacular.

Property values and cost of living are cheap. Income tax goes from 5% to 9.9%; no sales tax. The economy in southern Oregon is largely driven by the timber industry, so things are still pretty slow.

Medford (KMFR) is a full-service airport with tower, airline service and all the approaches; Grants Pass (3S8) and Ashland (S03) are good uncontrolled fields to the west and south, respectively.

colojo said:
Probably a bit more "hippie" or "granola" than you're used to in Arkansas, but that applies to Ashland more than Medford.
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You get the "granola" vibe more down in Ashland, a college town. Otherwise, southern Oregon has more of a redneck/country music feel to it. It might be a little too "rural" for urbane types who plot their location based on range and bearing from the nearest Nordstrom department store.
 
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A friend moved his family up there a few years back. They LOVE it. Medford is more of a semi-desert, with something like 18 inches of rain per year. Lots of sunshine, outdoor activities, hiking, biking, rivers, etc.
 
We are SoCal transplants for work to AR.

We love all the seasons, the friendliness, low cost of living, relative freedom all in AR. My wife truly hates thunderstorms and Tornado activity. The Clinton tornado passed about 6 miles west of us right before it touched down. The Mayflower EF4 this year that killed 15 was about 20 miles east of us.

That is reason enough for her. But tack on all our family is 1680 miles away and well beyond my flight capabilities at 120kts Ground speed it sounds better all the time.

But, we have 10 acres off the hardball, custom house, pond with catfish right off the back porch and deer for me to harvest w/o trying too hard.

Hard for me to leave all that because it's my dream place. She is not so much seeing my view of the place.
 
I don't know about duplicating your 10 acres in the Medford area. I haven't lived there, but have driven through many times over the decades. There's plenty to do in the way of outdoor activities, so you'll do fine in that regard.
 
Medford is a nice town. I spent a week there last year for work and flew my Cherokee in from the Sacramento area (about a two hour flight).
 
My dad spent the last 17 years of his life in a house he designed and built on five acres of forest near the town of Rogue River, about halfway between Medford and Grants Pass. Truly a slice of heaven.
 
Any cost of living pitfalls? High taxes, gas prices, etc? Citydata.com calls for a $10k pay increase to match our cost of living in AR.
 
Unit74 said:
Any cost of living pitfalls? High taxes, gas prices, etc? Citydata.com calls for a $10k pay increase to match our cost of living in AR.
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West coast gasoline prices are the highest in the country; but Oregon runs slightly lower than either Washington or California. Remember that in Oregon self-serve gasoline is not permitted - an employee has to pump the fuel into your car.

(Oregon's self-serve law expressly exempts aviation fuel - self-serve avgas in Oregon is legal and common.)
 
How ironic that is.... I can pump 50 gallons of. 100LL and watch all the vapor come out, but in a vapor recovery pump I can't pump my own 22 gallons into a car?
 
I watched a gal pumping her own gas one time and she had a cigarette going in the same hand that she had the nozzel in. That might explain the reason we have to watch someone else pump the fuel. I worked my way through college at a Texaco service station for 3 and 1/2 years and I can't pump mine now.
 
Oh yea and if you like AR. then you will have to bring you own Chiggers and we don't have them. And you might have to bring your !00 Humidity and same temp. as we have to get in the shower to be ringing wet. :yes:
 
Very true...I get tore up by chiggers all the time. And working outside between June and Sept is pretty much a non starter. No reason to take a shower otherwise.
 
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