Ashland OR Community & Homes for Sale

Originally called Ashland Mills in 1855 and referred to by many as the “Jewel of the Rogue Valley”, Ashland, Oregon is the southern gateway to the Pacific Northwest, located just north of the California border. Ashland is in a spectacular area of famous rivers, clear blue lakes, and the beautiful Siskiyou Mountains. Everywhere you look, there are reminders of the past, from pioneer vintage buildings to Victorian houses. Ashland is is a short drive from Crater Lake National Park, located at the headwaters of the Rogue River.

Ashland Culture

Ashland is full of cultural opportunities. Shakespeare and other plays are presented in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's outdoor Elizabethan Theater and the Angus Bowmer Theatre and also the New Theater. There are also various other theatre groups, featuring a wide variety of performances, including musicals, comedy and experimental theatre.
Ashland also has a state-of-the-art interactive science museum, the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum. In the summer, the park's bandshell hosts varied events including concerts, ballets, and silent movies.

Recreation in Ashland

In addition to the wide variety of cultural offerings, Ashland has many forms of recreation. The city's 19-acre Lithia Park, which is a gem striking enough for being home to one of the most varied collections of trees and shrubs of any park in Oregon (landscaped by John McLaren, who also designed San Francisco's Golden Gate State Park), is also known for its namesake springs, the sulfurous, mineral-rich water of which is piped to the park's three fountains.

Mountain bikers will find the 28 mile Lithia Loop Mountain Bike Route and the Bear Creek Trail a pleasure and a challenge. Riding the 31 mile Siskiyou Crest Mountain Bike Route, you will see spectacular views of the Siskiyou Mountains and Mt. Shasta. Golfers can tee off at one of the five golf courses in the Ashland/Medford area. Ashland also has two wineries that offer daily wine tasting.

Skiing Mt. Ashland is a popular wintertime activity. There are 23 ski runs, 80 miles of cross country trails, and, best of all, it's only 15 miles from downtown Ashland. There is river rafting and jet boat rides on the Rogue and Klamath Rivers, and many pristine mountain lakes for anglers to try their hand at catching steelhead, salmon and trout.

Ashland Education

The Ashland School District oversees three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, one magnet school and a community learning center. Ashland High School was named in U.S. News & World Report's top 3% of national public high schools in 2007 and 2009. Southern Oregon University, a public four-year university, offers programs in science and liberal arts. With an enrollment of 5000 students, Southern offers undergraduate and graduate-level programs in business, education, and the arts and sciences.