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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 25, 2006 Medford entry is close, but no cigar By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Medford is getting yet another plug as a place to retire. However, careful readers of "50 Fabulous Places to Retire in America," third edition (Career Press, $24.99) may not recognize the Medford they know with the one described by authors Arthur and Mary Griffith. The six-page section on Medford starts off with a litany of pear varieties grown here and notes we’re midway between Portland and San Francisco. True enough. But when friends and family back in Ames, Iowa, or Winchester, Va., call up after reading the book, be quick to point out that the median home price isn’t $118,500 (Page 257) and hasn’t been for more than a decade. Beyond that, the report misstates the population for both the county and city as well as the area code. And according to the Oregon Department of Transportation mileage chart, Portland is 273 miles up Interstate 5, not 221. The book, which will be carried in mainstream stores such as Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Wal-Mart, lists TCI Cablevision as the local cable company, something that hasn’t been true since the name was changed to Falcon Cable TV in October 1998 and was bought by Charter Communications more than six years ago. Advertisement While Providence Medford Medical Center and Ashland Community Hospital are fully described, Asante Health System’s crown jewel is summed up on Page 260: "Rogue Valley Medical Center is a 16-bed religious, non-medical healthcare institution." And then there is the mention of Medford’s minor league baseball affiliation with the Oakland Athletics. Unfortunately, that relationship ended in 1999. Arthur Griffith, who lives in Anchor Point about 20 miles from Homer, Alaska, said he and his wife spent six months sorting out retirement cities, giving between 150 and 200 serious consideration. "We’ve researched a lot of cities in the country and Medford and Klamath Falls are very special," Griffith says. "The geographical area is very important because a lot of Californians are looking for a place to retire. It’s very rural compared to down south and there are a lot of recreation opportunities. A lot of people have family in California and want to be near, but not in it." Griffith, who worked for radio stations in Kentucky, Tennessee and Louisiana before going into the computer field in Dallas, admitted Tuesday he’s never been to Medford. "We talked to real estate agents, chambers, convention and visitor bureaus and we spread it all out on the table — small towns, and large cities — and looked at their special features." Klamath Falls and Eugene also made the list along with four Washington cities: Bellingham, Everett, Olympia and Sequim. Florida leads the way with eight entries: Boca Raton, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne, Naples, Ocala, Sarasota and St. Petersburg. "I must admit, the most difficult thing to find is housing prices and utility information because it’s so scattered," Griffith said. "In one city, there were 32 telephone companies. It’s normal for cities to have four or five different phone companies and multiple power companies." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail Medford entry is close, but no cigar ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement