Ashland

Perched on the hills “above the Boulevard,” as locals say, the homes in Ashland’s University District feature sweeping views of the area’s evergreen forests. Southern Oregon University (SOU) lies further downhill towards Siskiyou Boulevard, or what locals have nicknamed “The Boulevard.” Recognized for its drama program, the university produces live performances and visual arts on its well-maintained campus. “It’s nice to have the campus there,” says Ryan Lamanna, a broker with Full Circle Real Estate. “It’s a gorgeous campus—effectively a big park. You could go for a walk and take your dog there.” The community is known for hosting the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and SOU has certainly embraced the arts, earning the title of a Designated Center of Excellence in the Fine and Performing Arts. It’s home to ShakespeareAMERICA, a platform for analyzing and interpreting the playwright’s works. The university’s Oregon Center for the Arts hosts the Chamber Music Concerts—an annual series of classical music performances—along with thought-provoking art exhibitions at the Schneider Museum of Art. Home values in the University District are considerably higher than those in the Medford metro area—the median price for a single-family home in the neighborhood hovers around $739,000. Most houses in the area were built after the 1950s, and many feature reimagined Craftsman architecture, evidenced by overhanging eaves, multiple gables and exposed rafters. Homes with three to four bedrooms follow the natural curves and valleys of the neighborhood’s hilly terrain, costing between $675,000 and $750,000. Larger builds with four bedrooms on lots close to an acre in size can go for $800,000 to over $1 million, many boasting sleek, modern architecture. The University District is dotted with community green spaces. Homeowners can enjoy trails that start almost in their own backyards. “You have access to trails, which are quite popular,” Lamanna says. “You have great access, right from your door.” Outdoors enthusiasts will find vibrant wildflowers and mushrooms blooming beside the creek that curves through the Oredson Todd Woods. Nearby trails, like the White Rabbit Trailhead, accommodate mountain bikers, horseback riders and dog walkers. Residents can enjoy sunny Oregon weather on the playground and the picnic area at Garden Way Park, or even rent a community garden plot and grow their own produce. Siskiyou Mountain Park and the Oredson Todd Woods are south of the neighborhood, comprising 300 acres of green space combined. Children may attend Walker Elementary School before potentially moving on to Ashland Middle School, both of which earn an A-minus grade from Niche. Ashland High School also receives an A-minus and has a distinguished theater program. Drama students can enroll in courses like Cinema, Directing, Stage Management and Theatre Arts, Theatre II: Playwriting and Improvisation, as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Theatre Master Class. Performances take place at the newly designed Mountain Avenue Theatre, equipped with 412 seats, green rooms, a full fly system and a loading dock. Dense forestry, high temperatures and low humidity can possibly produce a risk of wildfires in the region, which can all result in compromised air quality. Ashland public schools are equipped with hospital-grade heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) filtration systems because of smoke due to potential wildfires. Omar’s Fresh Seafood and Steaks, a time-honored Ashland restaurant, sits between two SOU academic buildings on Siskiyou Boulevard. It’s far from hidden, though, with neon signage that complements the red patent leather booths inside. Established in 1946, it was the first public cocktail lounge in Ashland and the city’s oldest restaurant. Patrons enjoy dishes like seafood alfredo, which comes with clams, scallops, shrimp and wild fish, and a variety of steaks, hand-cut and aged for six weeks. Great American Pizza Company—known as GAPCO—has served self-proclaimed “Ashland’s favorite pizza” for over 25 years. In the same shopping center, Market of Choice carries fresh groceries and other weekly essentials, while further east, antique shops and thrift stores form the Ashland Shopping Center. The University District is bordered to the north by “The Boulevard.” Residents will find a Market of Choice and the Ashland Shopping Center along it, which also goes downtown. Several Rogue Valley Transportation District bus stops are located along The Boulevard, convenient for SOU students who receive a bus fare discount. The route continues northwest until it reaches the communities of Talent, Phoenix and Medford. Ashland Street, which shoots off The Boulevard, runs east towards Emigrant Lake, a popular outdoor destination, after it traverses Interstate 5. Commuters can take the interstate north towards Portland or south towards the California border.