COMMENT BY
Explorer from Grants Pass, OR
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Portland, OR
COMMENT
Grateful to be leaving my home of several decades
I moved to Medford in 1978, so I've seen the city evolve. I raised my children here.
I moved to Grants Pass a year ago, and cannot believe the change in Medford since then. I feel I need to warn potential residents, esp those who plan on raising kiddos here. Much has changed in just the past 12 months since I left.
Drive between Central Point and the south Medford exit of the freeway now, and enjoy the view of all the homeless camps, complete with their accompanying trash. A year ago, you could find a couple tents scattered about here and there, but not what we see now. Many of them are camped along the bike trail- the same one my children and I used to enjoy riding along when they were growing up. You wouldn't want to take your children there now.
Another reason I do not recommend this valley in general, is because of something we all hate- the smoke that fills our valley, our businesses, our homes and our lungs every summer now. Poor forest management has caused a whole different kind of forest fire than used to exist when I was a kid. So we are forced to spend our summers indoors. Sometimes visibility is so poor you cannot see a half mile down the road. This is EVERY summer now.
Several new businesses have arrived in the past few years that are a welcome addition to the community, but the negatives outweigh the positives, in my opinion.
I plan to leave the state for a place with clean air and a safe environment for families. I know not everyone will agree with me, but many have already abandoned once delightful Oregon before me, so I'm not alone.