Ashland is a college town, home of Southern Oregon University, but it's mainly known for its live theater, particularly the Oregon Shakespeare Festival . The weather is relatively mild, a few days of snow in the winter, several days of 100F weather in the summer. You'll swear you were somewhere in northern Italy or Switzerland, with snow covered peaks in the winter, a lake not too far away in the valley, and a nice, small-town, community feel that is oh-so-rare these days in the States.

There are two main business districts: one downtown, centered on the Plaza and running southwest along Main Street toward the   More...