There comes a point in every college student’s life where they must move out of the dorms or their parents house and find their own place. Now, most people would prefer to live near their college campus. However, this is not the easiest of things to do here in Ashland. There is a lack of student housing and students have to compete with community members for other forms of housing. This makes wait lists for many apartment complexes long.
So, I wanted to find out if other towns in Southern Oregon would be easier, cheaper and how difficult it would be to commute to Southern Oregon University’s campus. Three apartment complexes from Ashland, four from Talent/Phoenix and three in Medford (Only apartments complexes and only 1-2 bedrooms units were asked about).
I asked them how long their waitlists were, how many available units they had and what the prices of the units were. Then, I went to the Rogue Valley Transportation District website to see if bus routes were accessible.
Here’s what I found:
- Every place contacted in Ashland had some sort of wait list.
- No apartments in Ashland had washers and dryers or hookups.
- If someone wants to get an apartment in Ashland, apply at least thirty days in advance.
- Ashland, Talent and Phoenix all had similar rent costs ranging from about $700-$900 a month.
- Medford had the cheapest apartments as low as $500 for one bedrooms and $600 a month for two bedrooms.
- Talent is slightly more expensive due to their extra amenities and washer and dryers are included.
- Every complex had bus stops relatively close to them, however Medford’s ride to Ashland was much longer.
Ashland
The three complexes I contacted in Ashland were Maplewood, Ashlanders and Alida St. Apartments. They all three had some sort of waitlists, with the Ashlanders having the longest. The Ashlanders had one two bedroom unit available and the person in the office said that it’d be taken by the end of the day. She also added that there would be at least a thirty day wait list to get a unit right now and if a student wants one next year, they need to apply ninety days in advance.
The Alida St. Apartments had the shortest wait list with about a month, due to someone moving out. They only had that one two bedroom coming available. The Maplewood apartments had one studio and one one bedroom unit available right now. They both had two people already apply for them, so there was a wait list for both.
The prices for these apartments varied from $695-$895 a month. Maplewood and Alida St. are both less than a mile away from campus and the Ashlanders are a little over a mile from campus. However, there is a bus stop right next to the Ashlanders that takes people to Southern Oregon University’s (SOU) campus.
Talent/Phoenix
The four places in Talent and Phoenix I called were Anjou Club, Parkside, Brookside and Northridge duplexes. All four only had one and two bedroom units. Anjou Club and Parkside are both in Talent. Anjou Club had no available units until March and Parkside had multiple available with no wait list. The woman in the office said there were slight waitlists for these apartments. She recommended applying at least thirty a days in advance. Both complexes had community centers, pools and washers and dryers. However, Anjou club also has a dog park and a basketball court. These apartments were a little expensive due to all their amenities. Both claim to have many college students as current tenants. They ranged from $800-$1150.
Brookside is in Phoenix and Northridge Duplexes are just under a mile outside of Phoenix. Brookside had many open units and they said that they always welcome college students. They also operate on a first come first serve bases with no wait lists. Northridge duplexes had one coming available near the end of the month and has have had no applicants for the unit. They too operate on a first come first serve bases. These complexes ranged from $800-$925. All four of these places are less than a mile away from a bus stop on route 10, which goes from Ashland to Medford and back, stopping multiple times in Talent and Phoenix. From talent it’s about a 10-15 minute bus ride and from Phoenix it’s about an 15-20 minute bus ride. The car ride is about 10-20 minutes from both.
Medford
The three places I called in Medford were Stevens Place, Poplar Village and Morningside. None of these places had waitlists. They all work on a first come first serve basis. All three had multiple one and two bedroom units available. When asked if college students usually are accepted to these places, all claimed to have some college students already in their complexes.
Morningside and Stevens Place don’t have washers and dryers, however they have hookups and laundromats. Morningside and Poplar Village both have pools, community centers and are privately owned. Stevens place is owned by Pacific Properties (A commercial property management company). They told me they have many apartment complexes in Medford and 1-2 bedrooms run anywhere from $500-$1100. The Stevens place complex run from $600-$850. Morningside and Poplar village run from $755-$995. All three have bus stops next to them, however to get to Ashland, one must go to the transfer stations and transfer to the Ashland route. This Makes it an hour to an hour and a half bus ride. They are all three close to the freeway, so if someone has a car then it is only a twenty to forty minute car ride.
