Monday, October 27, 2014

Location Sketch: Ashland, Oregon

Colonel Theron Ashlund, USAF was the old Ash.

Now he was Professor Ashlund, Ph.D. Dean of the school for Military Science at Southern Oregon University (SOU), Ashland Oregon. More on Ash: http://authorfun.blogspot.com/2014/05/flashbacks.html

Ashland, Oregon

Story Overview:

· Ash owns a two story cabin in the mountains. Back balcony overlooks the hills and lake, front window overlooks the town. He has a hammock on the back balcony.

· Ash has a favorite coffee shop he visits frequently.

· Ash is a professor at SOU.

· Ash keeps to himself, makes very few friends, and his home is quite empty, except for essentials. Nobody visits.

Wiki for Ashland OR

Ashland is a city in Jackson County, in the State of Oregon. It lies along Interstate 5 slightly north of the California border and near the south end of the Bear Creek Valley, an arm of the Rogue Valley. As of July 1, 2013, the city's population was estimated to be 20,713.^[5]

The city is the home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). These are important to Ashland's economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to playgoers and other visitors. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional tourist attractions.

Ashland, originally called Ashland Mills, was named after Ashland County, Ohio, the original home of founder Abel Helman, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other founders had family connections. Ashland has a mayor-council government assisted by citizen committees. Historically, its liberal politics have differed, often sharply, with much of the rest of southwest Oregon.

Ashland is at 1,949 feet (594 m) above sea level^[3] in the foothills of the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges, about 15 miles (24 km) north of the California border on Interstate 5 (I-5).^[19] About 10 miles (16 km) south of Ashland and 5 miles (8 km) north of the California border is Siskiyou Summit, which at 4,310 feet (1,310 m) is the highest point on I-5.^[20] Ashland is about 12 miles (19 km) south of Medford and about 300 miles (480 km) south of Portland.^[21] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of about 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²), all land.^[2]

Climate:

Although the mountain peaks in this zone receive up to 120 inches (3,000 mm) of precipitation a year, the urban areas and the valleys in which they lie generally get 20 inches (510 mm) or less. This valley climate is particularly good for growing fruit, especially pears, and for producing other crops and farm goods such as hay, grain, poultry, and beef.^[23]

Cloud cover in nearby Medford varies from an average of 21 percent in July to 86 percent in December.^[24] On average, precipitation falls in Ashland on 114 days each year and totals about 20 inches (510 mm).^[25] The average annual snowfall is only 1.4 inches (3.6 cm).^[25] The average relative humidity, measured at 4 p.m. daily, is 47 percent in Medford, varying from 26 percent in July to 76 percent in December.^[26]

The coolest month is December, with an average high temperature of 47 °F (8 °C), and the warmest month is July, with an average high of about 88 °F (31 °C).^[25] The highest temperature ever recorded in Ashland was 108 °F (42 °C), observed in August 1981, and the record low of −4 °F (−20 °C) occurred in December 1972.^[27]

Demographics:

· In the census of 2010, there were 20,078 people, 9,409 households, and 4,542 families residing in the city.

Economy:

Income from tourism is important to Ashland's economy. A large number of restaurants, galleries, and retail stores cater to thousands of visitors who attend plays each year at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 2011, the festival sold more than 390,000 tickets to its theater productions.^[34]

The town's largest employer is Southern Oregon University (SOU), which has a faculty and staff of more than 750.^[34] In addition to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the university, health-service providers make significant contributions to the economy. Businesses related to outdoor recreation, transportation, technology, and light manufacturing are also important.^[34] In 2010, the Shakespeare Festival employed about 500 people, the hospital about 400, the public schools about 300, and the City of Ashland about 250.^[35] The Bathroom Readers' Press, which produces the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books, is based in Ashland and San Diego.^[36] Brammo, specializing in battery-electric motorcycles, was based in Ashland but recently moved to Talent.^[37]

Points of Interest:

The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland is the world's only laboratory dedicated to solving crimes against wildlife. Using forensic science, experts at the laboratory help wildlife officers to investigate possible crimes against animals and to establish links between victims and suspects in cases that go to court.^[44] The laboratory has assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and foreign agencies concerned with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES).^[45]

· 2.5 hours from the beach, Crescent City, CA.