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Home
Vol VI Issue 32
April 26, 2011
Previous Issues
Combination of Shakespearian
Theater and Rugged Outdoors Gives Retirees in Delightful Ashland,
Oregon Plenty to Do Year-Round
Cost of Living: Above the National Average
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Anyone who loves the works of William Shakespeare will
enjoy cozy, picturesque Ashland, Oregon (population
22,000) because the Bard of Avon and Ashland have been
inseparable for more than 70 years. Once the
stomping grounds of Shasta Native Americans, fur
trappers and gold miners, today Ashland sports the
nationally-known, Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare
Festival (OSF), a 9-month long annual event (February
through October) that each year attracts nearly 400,000
attendees from around the country. It is this deeply
ingrained theater culture, lush Siskiyou
mountain
scenery, low crime rate and high quality of life that
brings retirees, and a lot of wealthy California
transplants, to Ashland. Of the population,
26% is age 45 to 64, and 15% is age 65 years of age or
better.
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Swaddled by the rugged Rogue Valley of southern Oregon, this
idyllic spot has a great energy. The median cost of living is
25%
above the national average, and charm is in abundance. Real
estate prices have dropped significantly since the beginning of
the recession, but the median home price is still $375,000, well above the
national median. This price will fetch an elegant,
turn-of-the-last-century, restored bungalow with 1,000 sq. ft., 2
to 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths in a leafy neighborhood or a somewhat
funky, 1960s ranch-style home with 2,500 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms and 2
baths. Apartments are in short supply.
Ashland is also the site of attractive, well-designed Mountain Meadows, an
active adult community with condominiums and single family homes starting in the high-$100,000s. This development has an excellent
reputation and has won a number of awards, including in 1999 the "Best
Active Adult Community in America" Award from the National Council on
Seniors' Housing. Furnished homes are also available for
lease.
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Ashland's property tax rate is close to 1% of a home's fair market value,
depending on whether the property is inside or outside of city limits.
The annual taxes on a $375,000 home in town are approximately $3,635. There is no homestead exemption, but homeowners age 62+
with an annual income less than $38,500 may qualify for postponement of their real estate taxes.
Oregon does not tax Social Security or railroad retirement benefits, and
depending on income, some retirement pension income may be excluded from
state income tax.
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It is difficult to overstate the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival's significance to Ashland. It is more
of a phenomenon than a festival. The OSF is one of the
nation's oldest and largest non-profit, professional theater
companies, presenting eleven plays and 780 performances in three
theaters (one outdoor) and selling 400,000 tickets to 100,000 out
of town theater lovers each year. Costumed Shakespearian actors roam
the streets greeting visitors, and quaint Elizabethan-themed shops
dot Ashland Plaza in the downtown area.
In addition to the OSF, Ashland has four other theaters and nearly
thirty art galleries, most located within a few blocks of each
other downtown where there are specialty boutiques, B&Bs, cozy
bookstores and coffee shops. Excellent restaurants are
in good supply (there are 100 of them) and are primarily
locally-owned. Many have received praise from such magazines as
Gourmet (now defunct) and Bon Appetit. Residents
also enjoy the tasty products of several local wineries and
organic food markets. And while many would expect Ashland to
be a liberal oasis, voters are evenly divided between Republicans
and Democrats.
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This is an interactive map.
Click on the arrows in the upper left hand
corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and
click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom
in and out.
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For those in search of music, the Ashland Community Band gives free
concerts every Thursday evening; the Smooth Jazz and Blues Festival is
held in September and the Blues Festival takes place in January.
Nationally-known country, jazz, rock and classical music acts come to nearby
Jacksonville to perform at the Britt Pavilion, an open-air amphitheater set
among majestic ponderosa pines and native madrones.
Adjacent to Ashland Plaza downtown is historic Lithia Park, 100 beautiful
acres of flowering plants, emerald green lawns, duck ponds, rose gardens,
sycamore trees and romantic, secluded hideaways. A wonderful spot
to have a picnic in the summer, it becomes a tapestry of color in the fall and
a quiet place to reflect during winter. A huge network of walking and
bicycling paths radiates from the park, and some of Ashland's most expensive
and stately real estate surrounds it.
Located where the Cascade Mountains and Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains
converge, Ashland is surrounded by rugged and spectacular countryside.
While retirees come here for the theater culture, they also come for the
outstanding outdoor recreation. The Rogue River offers world-class
rafting, fishing and boating. Mount Ashland Ski Area has 23 runs
and 80 miles of trails for cross-country skiers. Emigrant Lake, six
miles from town, is popular with boaters and swimmers. Crater
Lake National Park is a scenic 80-minute drive from Ashland, and the Oregon
Caves National Monument is only two hours away. There are also at least
eight golf courses scattered throughout the Ashland-Medford area.
Southern Oregon University (population 5,000) is located
here and sponsors the wonderful Osher Lifelong Learning Institute where retirees can take unlimited classes for $100 a semester
and audit university classes for free. Retirees also find volunteer
opportunities throughout the community but mostly, perhaps not surprisingly,
with the OSF, which has more than 600 volunteers. Ashland is a
good spot for wired (Internet) retirees as the city offers high-speed fiber
optic connections to most of the community. It is a safe spot, too, with a
crime rate well below the national average.
The Senior Program Center is managed by the city and is open Monday through
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Programs include health
services, noon meals and social activities including dance classes, movies,
writing groups, computer learning and more.
Ashland Community Hospital is a 49-bed facility and a Level IV Adult Trauma
Center with 70 doctors on staff. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission
and meets or exceed national averages in nearly all specialty areas.
Providence Medford Medical Center in nearby Medford (population 76,000)
is one of the largest hospitals in the region and is a Level III Adult Trauma
Center. Both it and Ashland Community Hospital accept Medicare and
Medicaid patients. For military retirees, Roseburg VA
Medical Center is in Roseburg, 75 miles away.
The Rogue Valley Transportation District runs buses on a limited loop
around Ashland Monday through Friday. The fare is $2 but people age 62
or better ride for $1. Valley Lift offers a curb to curb service. Rogue Valley International Airport, the closest airport, is in Medford and has
limited flights.
Retirees here enjoy a four season climate. The weather can
get chilly in the winter and stay relatively cool during the summer.
January daytime highs are usually in the 40s and 50s; lows are in the 20s and
30s. Summer daytime temperatures are in the 70s and 80s; lows are
in the 50s. Annual rainfall is not as much as might be expected and
averages just 20 inches. Snowfall averages 2 to 3 inches per month from December
through March. On the comfort index, a combination
of temperature and humidity, Ashland ranks well above the national
average. The sun shines 195 days of the year. The air
quality is below the national average, but the water quality is above the
national average.
And while Ashland is cute, safe and provides a rich quality of life,
retirement here has some drawbacks. Southern Oregon is rural and
economically depressed, and class lines between affluent Ashland newcomers and
long-time residents are evident. Some say the city has become
pretentious, overly touristy and commercialized. Real estate is expensive and
probably overpriced, even today. Between the University and the
OSF, a lot of people come and go throughout the year, sometimes giving the
town a transitory feeling. Shopping is limited, primarily
boutique-style and expensive. Large retail and discount stores,
including WalMart, are nowhere to
be seen (but can be found in neighboring Talent, 5 miles away, and in Medford, about 15 miles
away).
Yet the people come, increasing Ashland's population by 15% in the last
decade. This "Jewel of the Rogue Valley" bedazzles
many, and a more inviting retirement spot may be hard to find.
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