Outdoor (or not) makes a difference - 3/19/2024

I have lived in Klamath Falls for 8 years now. Besides settling here, I lived in 1 city in Australia, 2 cities in China, 3 cities in Florida, and 1 city in California, each for at least a year. Among all these places, KFalls has been the best home I've ever found, and I believe we've finally found our place! Regarding KFalls, some say "there's nothing to do here," while others claim "there's unlimited things to do here." I've realized that the difference lies in whether you enjoy outdoor activities. For outdoor lover like myself, Klamath Falls is paradise. The area offers almost limitless access for hiking, mountain climbing/biking, skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, wildlife sighting, kayaking, lake swimming, and more. Within a three-hour drive radius, you have access to three National Parks (Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, and Redwoods) and five National Monuments (Lava Beds, Tule Lake, Oregon Cave, Newberry, and Cascade-Siskiyou). Additionally, Mount Shasta, McLoughlin, Thielsen, and Bailey provide an array of hiking trails, lakes, and waterfalls, all within a 1.5-hour drive from Klamath Falls. It's also one of the best areas in the lower 48 for observing bald eagles year-round. Klamath Falls is unique in its proximity to diverse natural landscapes, including rugged coastlines, snow-capped mountains/volcanoes, large lakes, waterfalls, lava tubes and deserts. Coupled with abundant sunlight, a low cost of living, and adequate infrastructure connecting them. If you enjoy city life on weekends and holidays, KFalls offers easy access to midsize cities like Ashland, Medford, Bend, and Redding (which is 20 degrees warmer than Klamath Falls in winter). Furthermore, a half-day one-way drive can take you to major cities such as Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Reno. Longer drives can lead you to LA for a winter break or to Seattle/Vancouver for a summer break within a day. Road trips through the whole wild west are durable from KFalls. In my biased view, Klamath Falls is a hidden gem in this world if you have a stable job here.

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Ever changing Klamath Falls - 12/5/2021

I grew up here and moved to Vancouver Washington after high school. I returned to Klamath several years ago. Although the town has changed from what I remember there are still places that remain the same. Some of the biggest problems in my opinion are.. The bus system stops running fairly earlyweekdays, Saturdays it is very early 4pm, and there is no bus service on Sunday's.it would be nice if they provided longer running hours as there are people who work later and do not deive. Businesses close a lot earlier than a lot of places and there are not many ATMS. There are few things for teenagers to do, the skate rink is gone, the mall is gone, the video arcade is also gone. This leaves a lot of teens to come up with ways to entertain themselves, some of the ideas are not the best. The community comes together to help others which is heartwarming. There are stores that you can walk into and immediately feel like you are part of the family, one I.one in particular I use to go to as a kid , is still owned and operated by the same family..Dickey's on East Main. The friendliest most caring establishment! Don't get me wrong although Od love to say that everyone is warm and friendly there are those that look down on others if they do not live on the hill or in big houses with new cars not everyone wants to live in debt or beyond there means. If we were all rich I'm sure we would not live in Klamath Falls.

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Ups and downs in the Klamath basin - 9/8/2021

Staying inside the city limits is not recommended. Rural living is where it is at in this wondrous place. The recreation opportunities are endless. Fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, boating, four wheeling, snowmobiling, so many things to do. The growing season is a month shorter than medford so if you come to grow Marijuana you have to take steps to ensure your crops don't freeze in October. This place is overwhelming conservative, almost to a point of fanaticism. Donald trump remains a hero, unfortunately. There are many that wish to secede from oregon altogether, and either join Racist utopia Idaho or create the long held idea of the state of Jefferson. Those ideas arose from the liberal dominance of the portland metropolitan area, they feel unrepresented in government. As a moderate liberal myself I do not feel threatened Here, but that is because I keep my opinions to myself mostly. The general IQ of the inner city residents leaves alot to be wanted. KF seems to keep alot more of the less desirable residents than most oregon cities, due to the fact that many prisons would dump problem paroles into Klamath falls over the last 30 years. There is a criminality in the inner city that is deep seeded. Like the crime, the housing is a blight on the area. Non matienence Is a problem. Drugs and alcohol are rife. Addicts and alcoholics as well. The layout of the streets is fairly easy to figure out, as long as you have Google maps or other GPS instruments. The two main streets that cross each other are 6th street and Washburn way. There is adequate shopping, with Walmart, Fred Meyer, office max, bimart, home depot, sherms thunderbird, Albertsons, and diamond home supply. Due to extreme drought conditions that have been going on for years some wells are drying up on homeowners. There is a native American presence and community that is larger than most oregon cities. There is a town close to KF called Chiloquin that most of them live in. It is advised to avoid that area if possible, outsiders are not looked upon kindly in certain parts and violence is a common there. There is a native casino called kla-moy-ya, a amalgamation of the three tribes that call the area home. Drunkenness is rife there. I enjoy my life here, land is significantly cheaper than any other area in oregon, as well as the cost of living. Those who are looking for a place to retire would do well to consider this place as a option. In the rural areas people are as kind as they come, it is more uncommon to not get a wave and a smile when passing a stranger than the opposite. The forests natural beauty is amazing. One drawback of living near the river is the bugs. OMG the bugs are incessant! During summer and fall there are hundreds of thousands of small gnat-like creatures that swarm your home and lights. If your house is not air tight they WILL make their way inside your home and bother the hell out of you. Bug zappers are a must. Multiple ones if possible, and not the cheap store bought ones. Those get clogged with bugs after only one night. You have to buy large industrial type sizes that eat large amounts of energy. Being wildfire prepared is paramount, especially when living in the forest. It's important to have a defensible space. This place has ups and downs but with a little thought and planning it can be a utopia.

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Klamath Falls has a unearned bad rap. - 5/7/2021

We moved here to retire cheaper and be closer to the grandkids. This was Feb 2020 just before the pandemic. We have found it to be a great little city and the people are VERY friendly. I don't know what the issue is with all the bad reviews? Shopping is an issue especially if you are from a big city like we were but you have 2 day Amazon so it's not too bad. If you are not a Trumper or for gun rights keep your opinions to yourself and you will be fine. You can't beat the weather, especially if you are from rainy WA. Restaurants are pitiful for fine dining but alot of choices for fast food or country diner. House prices are fairly inexpensive and utilities are $50 per month. Whether it is electric, gas, water, etc. They are all $50 ,per month which is WAY cheaper than we are used to. Come and check it out. You won't be sorry. If you miss the stores Medford is 90 minutes away for your shopping pleasure.

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Not as Bad as They Say - 1/25/2021

I've lived here my entire life and I've been many other places, and I've concluded that it's a widespread trend for Klamath Falls residents to hate where they live. Yea it's no utopia but it's not grimy either. I've seen someone said the air quality was the worse in Oregon but that's simply not true, on a trip to Medford you could see an orange disgusting glare that was not present in Klamath Falls. Just like any other city there is a large amount of unhappy people but most are not without reason unlike more wealthy "snobs" that take their place in other cities. I've noticed the cities' wealth growing as of late and attracting a lot of more elderly people to live here. The scenery in the mountains, lakes, rivers, valleys, and even some older buildings in beautiful. The people you meet are based off of who you look for, it's easy to mentally highlight the angry rude people when that's all you focus on. I personally think the negatives of the environment is what makes the good people better and more intelligent. Just the same the criminals tend to be less intelligent due to a substance problem amongst them, just the same as meeting people you will never see more than a distant homeless man whacked out of his mind if you don't get involved. The high crime rate is only a thing because prisons have a habit of dumping all the inmates that have nowhere to go here in Klamath. So if you fear crime it's not exactly ideal. Corporations and governmental establishments have had a negative impact on the livelihood and mental health of the city. From police to probation officers to even counselors all government officials have shown little care or regard for their actions and yet still carry a massive ego. Doctors as Skylakes are no different, as you may here the term Dielakes a lot here. The doctors here are clearly just businessmen with no enthusiasm or care, even in positive situations they have something negative to add. Dentist here are...… incompetent and almost never have your interests in mind, to say the least. The mental health of the town is rather horrifying due to the doctors, police officers, and especially the school teachers. I hear the collages are doing great but public schools are borderline asylums. The on campus police are more of a liability than a peace of mind. They were put there as a response to school shootings, but instead police the children even getting involved with behavioral affairs fully armed and always talking to you like it's an interrogation. You feel like a criminal for being there no matter how innocent you really are. The majority of teachers could behead a student and get suspended for a week, I say that with only slight exaggeration. I feel this community would thrive without our children having their mental health attacked on a daily basis in this joke of a school system. In this review I've only scratched the surface of the school's negative effects on the cities' mental health, not mentioning the unusual amount of hate in the hearts of most the teachers toward student. The same applies to them though too, the good ones are the best ones even if rare. All in all Klamath Falls is a a great place to build something beautiful if your prepared for the crime rate. During the rioting Klamath Falls did not burn, and the protesters were actually peaceful. I think that says something about the people here.

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Sadly agree with neg review - 7/10/2020

I moved to Klamath Falls 2013, and have met many people who seem like they were raised by a pack of wolves. Backwards people for certain, but mean spirited, why? When I go to Medford, I feel like I'm in another world. Hey locals who were raised here, why are you so mean and hateful? Do you feel like you missed out on something, therefore causing misery to anyone who is not just like you makes you feel best. I don't understand why this is such a hard place as far as people go, but other than that, come on over. We NEED outsiders to balance the meanies that live like trolls under bridges. Yep Troll Falls is what it really should be called, and I agree 100% on Sherms. I've stopped shopping their completely. What a change for the better as A lot of these type of people in discussion actually work there.

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Please advise on friendliness and safety. - 2/14/2020

I live in Montana. My husband passed away a few years ago, he was a veterinarian. We raised horses and I still do but looking to downsize. I simply cannot take the Montana winters any longer. I am thinking Oregon or Washington, but not wild about rain and high taxes. It looks to me like Klamath Falls is fairly mild and sunny much of the time and rural enough for me. It is a larger town than I am used too which would be nice for a change.However after reading all these reviews some of the comments really concern me. Mainly how friendly is the population to new comers and how safe is it to live in the outlying areas. Where I currently live in MT I have NEVER locked my doors. I am a widow, still in great physical shape but will be 70 in a few years. It is important to me to have community and a feeling of belonging.

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Interesting - 3/7/2018

Klamath falls Oregon is a complex,interesting place to live. Lots of ranching and people are hard working. It is called a basin due to volcano action. Huge lake,rivers,eagles,hawks and cows. Deer roam the city. I think this place is a secret kind of paradise in a way! There is no shopping. People are friendly. Houses are very cheap. Nostalgic. There are jobs! No homelessness! Check it out. We do need doctors and nurses! I see bald eagles everyday!

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Klamath is a great place to live, work, and play! - 8/17/2017

If you are looking or considering a new place to either move to, or, to start a business, you may wish to consider Klamath Falls / Klamath County. With a commute time of half the national average, getting around is a snap. And, with over 300 days of sunshine, Klamath boasts perhaps the best weather in Oregon. There is lots to do in Klamath County / The Klamath Basin. For more information check out www.MeetMeInKlamath.com

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Quality of Life - 9/15/2016

Can someone comment on the following? 1) Why is the crime rate so high and is it really a problem or just in certain areas? 2) Is the tap water good tasting and safe to drink? 3) Is there a reason why homes are significantly less expensive than in other towns in Oregon? 4) Is there enough rain and is the soil good enough for gardens? 5) Is the hospital rated highly? Any comments about life in Klamath Falls would be helpful

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Do Oregonians Really Hate Californians? - 7/9/2016

My husband and I have been having a low key disagreement about this very subject. We're getting a bit older, we live in San Framcisco (natives) and I've been checking out different communities across the nation where we can move to in a few years. My husband is convinced that you folks hate Californians, and we shouldn't check it out for retirement. He has never been there; that's just the scuttlebutt from a couple of his friends. I said we have to check it out for ourselves. I mean I get being a bit protective of a place I've lived in for over 50 years. The population of S.F., whereas doesn't sound like a huge surge in 50 years, went from ~725,000 to about ~815,000 today. But, this town is only 7 miles wide and with the advent of the tech boom, there are few homes under $1,000,000 (THATs what makes me mad). My point is, I don"t dig it, but I don't hate the people who have moved here. We want to be able to live in a place that is beautiful (same reason people come here). So tell me, we're not jerks, although political, we keep it to ourselves and we're geniunely nice people. Would we be welcome? Please be honest. Thanks, Alexandra

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Beautiful and unspoiled - 2/22/2016

Klamath Falls a quirky small town on the sunny-side of Oregon with about 30,000 people in the greater area (including the census area of Altamont). There are more than 3000 small businesses, and about 30 medium to large employers, but we definitely need more private-sector jobs. I think we have a good work force because the area attracts people who like to live a healthy lifestyle, and we have two colleges. With a lot of agriculture in the area, we have a culture with a strong work ethic. I have found it to be a great place to raise a family with schools that have higher graduation rates than the state's average, two performing arts theaters, lots of paved (and unpaved) walking paths and trails. We have an amazing sports complex for a town our size -- indoor field house, baseball, skateboarding and soccer fields. And they're going to have their own solar power to run the place. We have the only Arnold Palmer designed golf course in Oregon, the longest zipline in Oregon, the only national park in Oregon (Crater Lake), the only polytechnic university in Oregon, and the largest lake in Oregon (Upper Klamath Lake--measured by surface area). They harvest super-blue-green algae from it, so it's not a real popular swimming hole, but it's great for sailing, kayaking, canoeing and fishing. My opinion is that if you are an urbanite who measures self-worth by the number of clubs you can go to in a weekend, this is not your place. If you're a warm-weather suburbanite who is most comfortable in chain restaurants and big-box stores, and freaks out in snow, you might have some adjusting to do. But I'm thinking it will be for the better. We're the kind of place where your input at a city council meeting can actually make a difference. It's easy here to get involved and find ways to contribute to society.

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Love this small town! - 7/6/2015

My husband and I came to Klamath Falls in November of 2014, looking for a place to retire. We loved the small town right off the bat, and could't get over the friendliness of the people. We found a house we liked and bought it, unable to move into it until May of 2015. We stayed in a motel from Mid-December until May, along with our yellow lab. This is the 5th state we have lived in, having grown up in a mid- size town in Wisconsin. We lived in Kansas for 4 years, Pennsylvania for 16 yrs, and the San Diego area for the past 25 years. We weren't sure we would find Oregon our final stop, but absolutely love the state and it's beautiful forests, hiking trails, National Parks and waterfalls, and the lack of congestion, especially compared to California. Couldn't wait to get away from there. Settling in Klamath Falls has brought us such peace of mind. We enjoy small town living and find we have most of everything we need right here. Okay, so there isn't a large mall, but one can shop on-line!! Wal-Mart is okay to shop at, as is Fred Meyers where we can get most of everything we need. There is a nice Home Depot and we also love the local furniture store where the people couldn't have been more helpful and friendly when we were looking for new family room furniture. We love supporting local stores. Having driven to Medford just twice since moving here, we immediately got turned off by the traffic. If you want to shop at Costco, that is where you have to go, but we are not sure we want to renew our membership due to the congestion there. The drive over was gorgeous though. We have nice neighbors, a nice parish, found a good doctor, dentist and veternarian. We love the views from our home, where we see deer, so many birds, and Mt. Shasta in the distance. Waking up each morning to the birds singing is wonderful. Yes, there are some run down areas and we know of the drug problems, but for us retirees, we couldn't be happier. The cost of homes is much less expensive than in any other place we have lived. We have enjoyed walking down the quaint small downtown area, and enjoy Moore Park. I am sure not everyone would find this place the place to live, but it is exactly the perfect place for us to retire. We were both a little dissapointed in the past winter where we only got a dusting of snow, but did have many cold days. The summer has been much hotter than we expected but the nights usually cool down for comfortable sleeping. As far as cultural events, we have yet to miss any, and have not even been to a movie. Do we lead a boring life? No, I don't think we do. We have been married 50 yrs, I turn 70 next month and my husband is 71. We do not consider ourselves old fogies, but are content at being with each other, doing things we love to do when we want to do them, and find we have enough to read, and enough to view on the telly. We have traveled to numerous places in the Carribean, Europe and the United Kingdom. Have been to Canada, Mexico and all states but Alaska. So, we are ready to enjoy this small town and are more than content at living in beautiful Oregon and this friendly town of Klamath Falls. The only negative we find so far, is the lack of air travel accomodations. The air quality is of no problem (but having lived near smog city LA, perhaps we find it to be of little consequence to us), we love the clear sunshiney days and the great quality of life we have here. I just hope this review dosen't bring too many people here, because the town is just the right size. We do empathize with the unemployed and wish for a large company of some sort to come here and do some job hiring of those already living here. That would take care of some of the high unemployment numbers. I don't agree with so many negative remarks of people that have commented on this site, but to everyone there is a season.

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Poor Quality of Life - 6/23/2015

Well, I've got to thank all the truthful people that left a post here.Thanks to all the negative post that have been posted here, I'll find another area to bring my performance engine manufacturing business to. This truly sounds like a hell on Earth. KF just lost what would've been about 600 good paying jobs (18.00 - 32.00 an hour) jobs. I can't see surviving in a atmosphere where I'd be fighting everyone from the city counsel to the police just to try to get a comfortable life going. If a city as small as Klamath Falls can't handle their drug problem/child abuse problem/air pollution, then they are destined for ruination.

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Lived here for 2 months. - 10/18/2014

We just moved to KF from East Texas Aug 2014. Its funny, every person we've met has asked, why we moved here. The Town people have been very friendly but seem curious as to what brought us here. Its as if they know we chose this area with specific purpose. Its true we did! The area is gorgeous, we love it. Coming from Texas we noticed right off there was no one fishing or boating in August at Klamath Lake. That struck us quiet odd because in Tx where there is water and fish you see people. Being a customer of the blue green algae supplements from KF for years, I had an idea. I still wondered why people weren't swimming or fishing in the water, if the KF algae is healthy to ingest. After asking local people, I found a handful of answers from: water is to shallow for boats, its cold, the algae feels gooey to swim in, green film all over your boat. I did see state signs/laws at lakes, that you must scrub your boats to keep unwanted species out of lakes. That in itself is probably a deterrent. However, I also sensed there was a concern of many to swim or fish in Klamath Lake. They felt unsure/unsafe due to farming chemicals draining into it. Word has it, that fishing in spring is healthier before the algae blooms. Folks near Agency Lake (upper Klamath) who have lived here for years, say fishing & eating is good year round, never having an issue. The weather is interesting! Mild summer days compared to TX and drastic temp drops at night but its refreshing in this dry climate. People here warn us of the winters and encourage 4x4 trucks, good tire tread and to have plenty firewood. Its Oct now so I feel we are in for a winter surprise and we are making plans to buy a 4x4 diesel truck before Nov. About animals here, well hmm? People love horses here for sure, everyone has horses but dogs on the other hand; good luck getting a rent house. Having 3 large dogs, we had no choice but to find a house 15 mins out of KF near Keno. We are happy here but we do live further out then we may have initially chose and pay a bit higher rent. What I find crazy is; I'm still seeing the same houses we inquired about in August presently still for rent. This is most likely due to their unwillingness to bend on dogs or the high pet deposits. One house owner wanted 250 per dog and we had 3, yea, yikes. About jobs well my husband and 20 year old son both had jobs within the first month. However my husband had prior talks with his prospect employer before moving here. I have applied for 4 jobs so far, two of which were declined. As of present we are very happy here and its so beautiful. We like the people, we've had good experience's with law enforcement and have happily found that people do go swimming and fishing at the Lake of the Woods.

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Wiki - 7/3/2014

We have been visiting KF for more than 25 years. We are retired now and have often considered relocating there. We have witnessed many of the things written on this blog - occasional bad air quality, midges, poverty, the great RR theater. We are fortunate to visit friends who have been raised in KF and are connected to some really great people. Our questions are: why no air service, quality grocery stores (or quality stores period). Plus the flight away from KF by JeldWen and rumors of OIT moving away? Why does the Chamber or powers that be seem so disconnected to such a beautiful valley? The downtown has some really good little stores and restaurants. But hardly enough to sustain outsiders with thoughts of relocating to a small town. Who's in charge, really? Is it the ranchers who continually pollute the lake? Or the politicians with no backbone? Is it the planning commission that has allowed a sprawling ugly mess beyond Main St? The Port Authority? The Military? Is there really a plan to make KF a "ghost town" as suggested by other bloggers? Where is the press? Is it stifled? Or in bed with the powers that be? We hear healthcare a nightmare. The Herald and News, if not TV, should be front and center on top of all these issues. Short of all that, what a waste of a such beautiful place.

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DO NOT WORK for Sky Lakes Hospital (previously: Me - 9/28/2013

All the comments on this site regarding NOT living in Klamath Falls are TRUE!!! I have experienced it myself over the past couple months and I could not get out of here fast enough! The poor water quality (that is predominately in the newspapers currently, Sept 2013) is visibly disgusting. The air is not bad now, but as it gets colder I had been told to wear a mask outside in the winter since the poor air quality condenses here in the basin. In regards to dogs, people here are not friendly towards them at all. Despite what you read online about "the friendliest dog cities in Oregon"; Klamath Falls is NOT one of them. I have had more rude comments about having my beautiful chocolate lab with me on walks, in my car, staying at hotels, and not being able to rent a house or apartment. This town is NOT dog friendly in the least! Then there is the hospital, Sky Lakes. Sure its beautiful on the outside with all the millions of dollars they spent changing the name, the icon symbol (which supposedly is a three fold symbol: a dove, a flame, and a hand - go figure that one out); and changing the exterior of the building outside/inside. It is beautiful, but the quality of the staff and support staff inside is anything but the standard of care. You know that old story about 2 barbers in the same town across the street from one another competing for business? One barber had a beautiful haircut and a neat, clean, beautiful barber shop on the outside, but no customers inside. The other barber across the street had a horrible haircut, a decent but kinda messy shop; but had customers lined up around the building waiting to get in for an appointment. Why? The barbers cut each others hair since their was no one else to do it. The unsuccessful barber had a beautiful hair cut that the busy barber cut for him when he had time in his busy schedule. The busy barber had an awful haircut from the barber with the beautiful shop, but no business. My point is, Sky Lakes is masking many problems they have on the inside of the hospital with all the glamour and money they poured into beautifying the hospital and changing the name. TRUST me on this! I wish I could reveal stories that have happened since I have worked there as a provider, but I can not share them online. I would not let my kids, family or myself be seen there; and I am so thankful to have moved on to a better area and place. If you are new to Klamath, like the nurse I met last week that was starting at the hospital, please get out of there ASAP. It is just a low level, grimy place to live without an adequate supportive city infrastructure to make the area a safe place to live.

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Air Quality is the worst - 8/11/2013

Klamath Falls has the worst air quality in Oregon. During the winter the air gets so bad you can't go outside. The town burns their trash and since it is in a basin the air can't escape. No smog checks, nobody follows the regulations when you can burn wood, and the air is dirty.

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Not much to do - 8/11/2013

There isn't any culture except for the Ross Ragland, and performances are only half full, so we will see how long they can last. The ice skating ring at the running Y is nice, but other than that you need to drive at least 2 hours for real culture.

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Do you like ice? - 8/11/2013

The snow isn't really a problem, but the ice on the streets get really dangerous. I saw a car one time slide through a crosswalk almost hitting a child walking to school. You need to have special tires when you move here. The cold weather starts in October and doesn't end until mid June, if you are lucky. Three months of being able to go outside is not enough.

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