I live in Southern Oregon, on a wild and scenic river.
Most of Southern Oregon’s nearly 300,000 residents live near Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass, and Jacksonville, in the folds of land along the I-5 corridor and the valley of the wild Rogue River. Here a series of sheltering ridges slice the region into distinct communities and microclimates. A banner across the main street in Grants Pass declares, “It’s the Climate,” and the locals know that’s true—the climate, the access to nature, and the pace of life.
Tourists come here for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, the Britt Festival’s music in the historic gold-mining town of Jacksonville, or to raft the Rogue out of Grants Pass.
To the west lie the coastal communities of Bandon, Gold Beach, Brookings, picturesque towns framed by high bluffs and sea caves and broad balmy beaches that justify this area’s nickname as Oregon’s Banana Belt.
Where I now live, in between the valley and the coast, there’s pretty much nothing but a million acres of wilderness, with breathtaking canyons, wild rivers, and hidden resorts inaccessible by car.
It’s beautiful and rich country, where you can navigate class V rapids in the morning and attend a world-class performance of Twelfth Night in the evening.
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