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- AARP, May-June 2003
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- 15 Top Dream Towns
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- CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONALS and retired Berkeley professors have discovered
Ashland, a liberal enclave in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains in
conservative southwestern Oregon. Thousands descend on Ashland each
year for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (February through November).
They find a cozy town (population 20,577) that offers four mild seasons
(only 20 inches of rain annually, compared with 36 in Portland) and a
dazzling array of theater events. Many fall for Ashland's charms and
decide to relocate.
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- "This is a phenomenal town full of creative people," says Mark
Thomas, a former Bay Area advertising executive who, with wife Melissa,
moved here and opened Louie's Bar & Grill on the town plaza.
Recreational opportunities are everywhere, from walking and biking in
93-acre Lithia Park, a downtown oasis, to skiing and camping in the
mountains. People 65 and older can take classes free at Southern
Oregon University. And for $100 a year, seniors can attend courses
through the volunteer-run South Oregon Learning in Retirement program.
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- Median house price: $264,000
- Think twice: Portland, the nearest big city, is 300 miles
away.
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