SperlingViews - Klamath_Falls, Oregon

Reading all of the other comments made me kind of sad, really, that people think so badly of the town.. I am 24 years old, and was born and raised in Klamath Falls. People are not "uneducated" here or anything else that you people think who have lived here before.. The reason your dog turns green in the lake is because there are only two places on earth where the lake produces blue-green algae, and Klamath is one of them. Want to know what we do with the algae?? Check out www.e3live.com that site will tell you lots.. Oh and if you get grossed out, that is okay because the plant that sells it, well the owners are RICH and the employees get great pay and benefits.. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Bacon order the stuff.. I know cause my husband did their orders a few times.. Yes, it is boring in Klamath Falls and there is nothing to do, and I do suggest not moving here if you are broke, because you will stay that way. Yes, our cops are a$$ holes and the Doctors aren't any better but my honest opinion is that it's cause 98% of K-Town is on welfare and they don't get paid much. There are people here that are nice but you just gotta know who to talk to, just like when you live anywhere else!! Also, yes our teeth are bad, but it is because the cops are too busy building crap they don't need for themselves instead of our tax money getting used for fluoride in the water.. No fluoride, bad teeth, simple as that. (but there are a lot of meth heads here I do not understand why, but... yea that can mess up teeth too..)Also Honda is the most popular vehicle in Klamath, and I do agree that there is nothing to do but hang out at walmart and gossip for people.. (I actually just moved into Malin, 30 mins away from Klamath) but I don't pay any attention to those things.. If you mind your own business, you will do just fine!![read more...]

Klamath Falls is no doubt one of the most dysfunctional places on earth. If you have thoughts of moving there take a few moments and read what I have to say.Jobs are very hard to find in K-Falls so packing up flying by the seat of your pants is not recommended. Basically there are a handful of large employers ie, Hospital,College, Jeldwin and the Air Base. If you are of a minority status please keep in mind there are very few mnorites in Klamath. The ones that are there are ostracized and alienated by the white majority. Take time to see how many minorities are employed at the above mentioned companies. Crime is rampant in K-Falls. Every neighborhood there has been affected by crime. Drugs are also a epidemic in K-Falls. Divorce and spousal abuse is extremely high in Klamath. Depression and mental illnesses in Klamath keep the docs and cops busy. If you like gossip and rumours you have found your place. Everyone has got some insight from all the people who like chaos. Wood smoke in the winter will keep your plugged up and the mosquitos and midges will torment you to death. Education for your kids, oh they will get one. Pregnancy and peer pressure from ignorant kids abound in Klamath. Marriage, ask around and see how often many of the folks there have been married. More than once is the norm. If you come from California be adviced you will be blamed for all of the problems in Klamath, but the local yocals will gladly take your money for there inflated price on their house. Politics and good old boy mentality of Mayberry gone bad is all left to say. Thank God almighty for rescuing me from Klamath Falls.[read more...]

cold winter moderate summer[read more...]

I actually really like Klamath Falls. I'm from the Portland Metro area and I came down here to go to OIT for a Bachelor's degree, but ended up moving here permanently. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods, and because cost of living is so much lower than most places, a lot of people end up moving up here from California and building huge nice houses along the lakes or up on Nob Hill or out in the new subdivisions. There are older not so nice neighborhoods as well, but even they aren't usually bad so long as you don't move into the Mill's Edition. Klamath Falls is spread out so there has to be two or three of everything so that you don't have to go to the other end of town to get to a business. Example: Currently there are two Safeway's, three McDonalds, three Burger Kings, two Taco Bells, five Subways, five Dutch Bros, etc etc. We also have the Super Center 24 hour Wal-Mart which is nice. This city has a small town feel even though it's spread out and actually has a lot of businesses. Rush hour traffic is nothing. It might take you 10 minutes to get home in non-rush traffic, and 11 to get home during rush hour. I don't know about the public schools, but there is a good Christian pre-school -12th grade school called Hosanna. We like it here because it's pretty but also because there's so much outdoors stuff to do. We are within 30 minute driving distance of 6 or 7 sport lakes. You don't want to swim in the lakes here in town but they're good for boating, and kayaking. There's also Moore Park which is just beautiful and very large. It goes up into the hills and you can hike and bike. There's also a lot of hunting, fishing, off-roading, and other hiking opportunities close by. Not to mention the Lava Beds (caves) just south of the California border.[read more...]

We moved out of California because of 3 drive by shootings in 2 days and I did not want to raise a family there. We have been in Klamath Falls for 5 years now. This morning there were 2 people in the paper that both got shot in the face last night. Help! I need a safe place to raise my family. [read more...]

I have been in New Mexico north to the boarder and all states west of that line, I can say Klamtucky is the worst place I have ever been the people are uneducated and prove that point every day. The people with money well are just not from this hell hole. So, sorry if you are one of the poor people that find anything good about this place, TAKE YOUR BLINDERS OFF. Drive by the area around fred meyers other wise known as the mills addition but keep your doors locked and dont stop. If someone reads this and says to themselves well if you hate it so bad just move, get the hell out, Trust me I am. after all thats what this place needs more people moving out. Lets try something engage your brain for just a minute more people move out less taxes that are collected then klamtucky just turns into a ghost town, OH WAIT, PLEASE, THATS WHAT THIS PLACE NEEDS, yes move out move out now so Klamtucky can be taken off the map. [read more...]

you are RIGHT. I am stuck in this little bit of hell, I work for a man that only knows one thing MONEY he sees nothing or nobody but the almighty dollar, and of course he is not from this country, No surprise after all 99.9% of gas stations and motels are owned by these people. I TOTALLY agree the best day of my life will be the day I can see Klamtucky in my rear view mirror. until then I can only do my best to tell people about this black hole and I can only hope that some will listen before they give everything up to move here. But of course there will be people that move here with their loaded bank account and love it. The beautiful green lake, the fact that there are no stores here except of course Wal-mart but you can always drive 76 miles west to medford to just go to a goodwill that does not sell old Wal-mart stuff. And if you love snow well this is again the place to be, If you are lucky enough to see a snow plow, the plow will only move it to the center of the road. But in summer its again beautiful but only if you love the color green, thats because the migs they get everywhere and you cant go out anywhere in the town without them being all over you. Just ask the old timers here they dont want Kfalls to grow its fine just the way it is, until the meth house is next door to them, then they cry but sorry the cops here are as worthless as the town. Do you enjoy drinking and driving well this is the place to be because the only thing a person will get here is a slap on the hands and a little note saying "does not meet lodging criteria" and then on your way you go. And again if you have the money you can buy your way out of the ticket. BUT if you speed and I mean doing 26 in a 25 or just about anything over the posted speed limit well thats only money for a broke little town. If you are a truck driver well the best thing I can tell all of you is avoid Klamath Falls like the clap, you will get stopped for anything and I do mean ANYTHING, You will not get out of the ticket. But if you really just want to come here and see for yourself then I will tell you there is a gas and food mart downtown you will get the whole just of what this place is all about. So if you must let it be said you are warned, this place is only a trap for the working class and once it gets ahold of you it is hard to fight your way out of it. I will continue to try to find work somewhere else and get out of here. Our sign welcoming you to the town should say enter at your own risk. [read more...]

I've read a few reviews on KF and I've just got to say, WOW, anyone who finds the majority of the people in this town friendly, well, we apparently met different people. I'm also struck by few, if any, mentioning Oregon Institute of Technology! That, in my opinion, is the ONLY redeeming factor of this unfortunate place. I lived there from 1999 through 2005 and the only folks with which I've kept in touch are a Buddhist and an African-American (I think there are 12 of each in the entire county, which is one of the largest counties in the state...), and a couple of professors. The owner of Main Street jewelers is awesome, veterinarian Dr. Ronne, and the couple who owned the pet store on Main were incredible. Six years in this small town and I came to call the place The Back Door to Hell. It is still the Old West, in that the war between the cowboys and Indians is alive and well, and I have to tell you; the South does NOT have the corner on the redneck market! My 6' tall daughter tried to stop a young man from killing another in a bar, where he had already knocked the guy unconscious with a glass beer pitcher. She stepped in front of him, with hands raised, and said, "buddy, I think you've won." At this point, rather than stop kicking the downed fellow, he punched my daughter in the face so hard he knocked her backward, over a table, breaking her nose and blacking both her eyes. That isn't what astounds me (although it does!), what kills me is this man is then allowed to walk out the door, unimpeded. Here in the South, that man wouldn't have gotten two steps toward the door. Not long after her nose had healed, she was at a party, sitting on one end of a couch, talking to a guy sitting on the other end. Next thing she knows, a large Native American woman has punched her in the nose for having the temerity of talking to "her man," again, breaking her nose and blacking both eyes. The social center of KF is Wal-Mart, and as mentioned before, due to the Californians coming up to hyper-inflate the housing, it is NOT a cheap place to rent OR buy, jobs are scarcer than hen's teeth, obesity and bad teeth are the order of the day, the hospital (Merle West) was commonly referred to as Murder West, and the only way out of town is going over a major mountain pass. The lake is a pit of slime and the summer is full of Chia-cars, due to the midges. All in all, having lived all over the country, I would have to say, one of the happiest days of my life was the day I saw that god-forsaken place in my rear-view mirror, so unless you've got pots of money, want to stay home, and keep a guard dog to keep the meth heads from stealing everything you own, then steer clear of this little garden spot! [read more...]

I read messages from people that just cant say enough good about Klamath Falls, But I also see they move here from larger cities. So for those of us that have to work here and try to make a living its rough, mostly thanks to the old timers who want this place to stay small, no new business no new companies and jobs well there are really none. If I were to be asked if I dont like it here why not move, answer to that would be yes I have a job it pays just enough to put a roof over my head but very little more, there is no way to save anything to get ahead to try to move out of here. Sure if you like fishing and hunting it is a pretty good place if you want to live and do more than just that "SORRY" not going to happen. I deal with people everyday that are here on visa's working on farms and at gas stations. With people that made there life else where and came here with money in there pockets, who moved here because it is a small town then try real hard to turn it into a place that isnt what it is a small california, a small washington state or somewhere else but Klamath Falls is only what it is, and getting worse everyday. I lived here in 2004 just a few years ago people would walk down the street and look you in the eye and always get a good morning, a good day. but not any more now its NO better than Seattle, Houston, L.A. or any other large city. All the while the older people that live here just turn a blind eye and tell them selves that all is well and good. Please dont think I believe this is all happening only here but Klamath Falls is so small you see it alot more here than anywhere else and several times a day. All I can say is come here and see for youself, talk to people, look around, drive around, before you decide to pack up and move. As for me all I can say is OMGIH8KF [read more...]

I have been in this hole for almost a year and as soon as I can I am moving as far away from here as I can. There is nothing here, well except alot of drugs. The local cops are not worried about the drugs they are more worried about stopping someone doing 26mph in a 25 zone, and what ever you do don't drive around with out of state plates on your car. It would be nice if this S--T hole would just dry up and go away. But as long as the old timers are still around it won't they like it small after all they all have their retirement or are on welfare. If you read this and don't believe me just come here and look for your self. The north end of town has a truly beautiful lake BUT what ever you do don't swim in it you will get something you really don't want, and if you have dogs that like the water let them jump in they come out green. The people here are true meaning of small town small mind, very simple minded and most very mean spirited. again if this is in doubt just go into the downtown gas stations and other local businesses. Come to Klamtucky and find, well nothing. For the area homes that sell for the upper 100,000 to millions what a joke. There is nothing here oh wait we do have the GREAT store Wal-mart and of course the great K-mart and if you like resale shops we have a good will that sells Wal-mart and K-mart items for twice as much, oh how great this little back woods town is.. No jobs well unless you want to be a wal mart greeter or always ask the customer would you like to super size that. And of course there is always the gas stations, where you too can make not enough to live on. but if you just have to move to a small town, and you like drugs, no jobs, and one business after another closing COME ON DOWN.[read more...]

Having lived in mega-cities the past 3 decades (D.C., Hong Kong, Singapore & Bangalore) we chose a town with no traffic congestion, open sky and magnificent scenery wherever we look. We rejected living too near the I-5 corridor on the West Coast, but we're only an hour away. We are surrounded by great fishing rivers and lakes; the sunsets each day are glorious and we have 300 days of sunshine, unlike the western side of the Cascades which get rain, rain, rain and traffic jams. This town still has an Old West flavor with steers & horses grazing in the fields and eagles & hawks making awesome sky manuevers. We know our local butcher and get better cuts of meat than most restaurants. We have a university in town and a theatre that organizes a good variety of live entertainment. When we want Shakespeare, it is just an hour's drive over gorgeous mountain roads, the same time it would take to get to a show in a big city. So, come with flyrods & cameras & golf clubs. Bring books to read by the fire when it's too dark to be on cross country skis in the winter. Life is what you make it, but the views are stunning here, heartlifting quality of life with a lower cost of living.[read more...]

I've lived in Klamath Falls for three years. My husband and I came here to retire from CA. We are in our 50s. The current unemployment in KFalls is 12%- much higher than the rest of the state, so if you think you can move here and find a job, it's very difficult. Most jobs are seasonal or service industry. Lots of companies are closing or laying off all but the bare minimum staff. The cost of housing is very inexpensive compared to other places if you don't need a job. This is a small town with a slow pace of life, so if you are looking for shopping, entertainment, movies, restaurants this is not the place for you. We have one theater, only two or three excellent restaurants- the rest are diners or fast food places. No sales tax in Oregon is a good thing but property tax and state tax are almost as high as CA. It snows a lot in the winter and we do have great skiing nearby at Mt. Shasta (1.5 hours away) and Mt. Bachelor (2.5 hours away) but if you don't like the snow and cold, this may not be the place for you in the winter. We do get 300 days of sunshine a year and have a lovely hot summer with cooler nights. It's buggy in mid summer. Lots of boating, fishing, hiking, hunting and bird-watching is available year round in this area- but be prepared before you move here![read more...]

I grew up in Klamath for almost 20 years and saw a lot change. K Falls (or "Clampet Fulls") as I like to call it is really the Beverly Hillbillies in its true form. As a matter of fact the "falls" are NO MORE they have been gone since the late 1980's. KF used to be a prosperous logging town like many others in Oregon, however the enviornmentalists won and now there is almost NO Economy, unless you like to say "wanna supersize that"? The people are very close knit to outsiders (good ol' boy network) however many Californians run here first, buy a new house/car and 2 years later are selling to move to Medford/Grants Pass. So you get the over inflation in the economy and then the bottom falls out when they move to Medford! The water issue for farmers is horrible, the F.B.I. came in and turned off the water to conserve it due to wildfires, ect.. So all the farmers crops and land/living went down the toilet. KF on the upside does have a lot to do outside until the snow flies(Nov-April). They have a lot of duck hunting, hiking, camping, Mt Biking,fishing,watersports (on the algae lake). The Air Force Base is awsome here, hope you like the fighter jets rippin' over head 9:00am - 9:00p.m. They really do put on a GREAT Airshow in the summer! They also train year round so some people get annoyed by them breaking the sound barrier multiple times on a daily basis, espeacially if you live over the flight path, your windows do SHAKE! Hope you like midgees(little green bugs) much like mosquito swarms, buy the 1000's around the lake. If you like the outdoors and have a great paying job, then you will like good ol'KF! Crater Lake is also nearby and many enjoy the 1 1/2hr drive (one way) to it for the views![read more...]

Klamath Falls has great opportunities for the educated but almost none for unskilled labor. Most jobs here pay minimum wage because of that and there are no jobs for young people. Heck, I had to quit a Union job just to get paid more than minimum in this town. The Community College sucks because they dumbs down the courses to get grant money from the state and the University is only geared twords the medical field. The mills pay people pretty low and then cut labor and layoff people to keep them from getting Journeymen level wages. And quite a rediculously few companies in town dodge paying healthcare/401k by keeping their employees hours down so they can't qualify. Povery and unemployment are rediculously high and the white trash level is even higher. Don't come to this town expecting anything unless you have an education.[read more...]

I have lived in Klamath Falls for over 10 years. I love it here. I think it is great that you can go to a grocery store and see someone you know. If you are in trouble, people are always more than willing to help you out. There are plenty of things to do as well. You can fish, hunt, mushroom hunt, ski, sled, go to a park, swim, golf, shop, eat at "hole in the wall" to upscale restaraunts, etc. We are always looking for more people to work at Sky Lakes Hospital too![read more...]

When I looked at the climate data here and on other weather sites, it appeared that the winters were much milder than where I used to live. While that may be true for the dead of winter...what they don't tell you is that winter starts the day summer ends! It gets into the low 30's, high 20's at night as early as SEPTEMBER!!! Beware of a long winter!! Days are beautiful, but nights and mornings are FREEZING![read more...]

The local newspaper was crowing about somebody rating KFalls in the TOP 100. Come on. Only in somebodies dreams, thats for damn sure. Whoever wrote that could only have looked at a bunch of numbers and never visited this miserable place. I came her on a job. What myoptic people. Don't think this is anything like the enlightened larger northern Cities like Salem or Portland. KFalls is a bunch of small minded people who mostly confirm the addage, small towns small minds. If you were born here and wish to remain totally oblivious to the present stuck in some time warp, dandy - but don't fool people with this TOP 100 business. Northern cities of the state toward Portland, yeah sure. But if you hvae the choice, pass over the desolate south end of pin heads if you can.[read more...]

Klamath Falls seems to have two seasons. Summer and winter.[read more...]

Wonderful! Hunting, fishing. Lakes, rivers, mountains, desert. Ocean 4 hours away. Major cities 3-5 hours away.[read more...]

klamath is full of cocky people that want to be gangsters. this will ultimately be this towns down fall. i am from sacramento and this town is trash cheap but it comes with a catch. beware[read more...]