Interesting, Phoenix and Talent both were half-horse trailer park communities about 25 years ago. The influx of Californians with lots of real estate money in their pockets got these communities discovered and the price of property ski-rocketed. Ashland is the home of the one of the finest Shakespearean theaters in the country (if not the world), a good university (my son got his undergrad and masters degrees there), Mt. Ashland (a decent ski resort that the city or county used to own, may still), Lithia spring water (good to drink, if you can hold it down, cures....something), lots of tourism, retired rich hippies, organic is the word. I like Ashland. If you live there, owning a Subaru is imperative. Talent or Phoenix, or even Jacksonville may be more reasonable as far as affordable housing. All are minutes away from Medford, if you must go to a mall or big box store.