Ashland, Oregon

Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It is the home of Southern Oregon University and the internationally renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

In December 1887, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California were joined by rail at Ashland. Until 1926, when most rail service began taking a different route (east through Klamath Falls to avoid the steep grade through the Siskiyou Mountains) Ashland thrived on rail trade. This was especially the case with orchard products, such as the famous Ashland peach, which won top honors at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Ashland is well-known for its annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), which brings thousands of visitors to the city every year. The festival has grown from a summer outdoor festival in the 1930s to a season which stretches from February to October, incorporating Shakespeare and non-Shakespearean plays in repertory at three theaters. OSF sells more tickets to more performances of more plays than any other theater in the country. In a typical year, OSF sells more than 350,000 tickets and attracts about 100,000 tourists.

The city is 350 miles (560 km) north of San Francisco, California and 285 miles (459 km) south of Portland, Oregon, in an area once proposed to become the State of Jefferson. It is 90 miles (145 km) from Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument.

Population:

Population (year 2000): 19,522. Estimated population in July 2006: 20,881 (+7.0% change)

Males: 9,003	(46.1%)
Females: 10,519	(53.9%)

Median Age 37.9 Years

Ancestries: German (19.5%), English (16.1%), Irish (14.0%), United States (5.4%), Scottish (4.9%), French (4.6%).

Races in Ashland:

• White Non-Hispanic (90.0%)
• Hispanic (3.6%)
• Two or more races (3.1%)
• American Indian (2.2%)
• Other race (1.7%)
• Japanese (0.6%)
• Black (0.6%)

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2005: $36,900 (it was $32,670 in 2000)

Ashland	$36,900
Oregon:	$42,944

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $322,000 (it was $188,400 in 2000)

Ashland	$322,000
Oregon:	$201,200

Geographic:

Elevation: 1951 feet

Land area: 6.50 square miles.

Population density--3201 per square mile--average.

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

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For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Ashland-Oregon.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

OREGON
Sales Taxes
State Sales Tax: None
Gasoline Tax: * 24.9 cents/gallon
Diesel Fuel Tax: * 24.3 cents/gallon
(Local fuel taxes may add 1 to 3 cents)
Cigarette Tax: $1.18/pack of 20  

Personal Income Taxes
Tax Rate Range: Low - 5%; High - 9%
Income Brackets: ** Lowest - $2,750; Highest - $6,851
Number of Brackets: 3
Personal Tax Credits: Single - $154; Married - $308; Dependents - $154
Additional Credits: Credit equal to 40% of federal credit
Standard Deduction: Single - $1,840; Married filing jointly - $3,685; Deduction greater if age 65 or older.
Additional Deduction: Single over 65 - $1,200; Married over 65 filing jointly $2,000
Medical/Dental Deduction: Full only for age 59 or older, if itemized.
Federal Income Tax Deduction: $5,000 ($2,500 if married filing separately)

Retirement Income Taxes: Federal income tax rules generally determine the amount of your pension that is taxed by Oregon.  However, you may subract some pensions on your Oregon return that were taxed on your federal return.  Pensions not taxed are Social Security benefits, Veterans Administration benefits and Railroad Board benefits.  Oregon allows a subtraction for part or all of the payments you receive from the federal pension system.  Generally, retirement income is subject to Oregon tax.  A tax credit of up to 9% of taxable pension income is available to recipients of pension income, including most private pension income, whose household income was less than $22,5000 (single) and $45,000 (joint), and who received less than $7,500/$15,000 in Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits.  The credit is the lesser of tax liability or 9% of taxable pension income.  For more information on the Oregon retirement income credit, click here.

Retired Military Pay: Federal retirees, including military personnel, may be able to subtract some or all of their federal pension income.  This includes benefits paid to the retiree or to the surviving spouse.  The subtraction amount is based on the number of months of federal service before and after October 1, 1991.  Retirees can subtract their entire federal pension if all the months of federal service occurred before October 1, 1991.  If there are no months of service before October 1, 1991, retirees cannot subtract any federal pension.  If service included months before and after October 1, 1991, retirees can subtract a percentage of their pension income.
Military Disability Retired Pay: Disability Portion - Length of Service Pay; Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless combat incurred.  Retired Pay - Based solely on disability: Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless all pay based on disability and disability resulted from armed conflict, extra-hazardous service, simulated war, or an instrumentality of war.

VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not subject to federal or state taxes
Military SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state taxes for those states with income tax.  Check with state department of revenue office.

Property Taxes 
Oregon does not grant homeowners a homestead exemption.  Tax rates are set by the counties and any special considerations are levied by county officials.  Homeowners 62 or older may delay paying property taxes based on certain income criteria.  The state offers a Disabled Citizen Property Tax Deferral Program and a Senior Citizen Property Tax Deferral Program.  Both deferral programs allow qualified taxpayers to defer payment of their property taxes on their homes.  The state pays the taxes to the county, maintains the account, and charges 6% simple interest, which also is deferred.  Taxes are owed when the taxpayer receiving the deferral dies, sells the property, ceases to live permanently on the property, or the property changes ownership.

To qualify for either program, the taxpayer must live on the property and have a total household income of less than $36,500 for the year before application.  Participants may remain on either program as long as their federal adjusted gross income does not exceed that amount.  If a participant's income exceeds the $36,500 limit, part of the taxes still may be deferred.  Participants can come in and out of the programs if their income changes.  In addition to meeting the income limitation and property ownership requirement, disabled persons must be receiving or be eligible to receive federal Social Security Disability benefits to qualify.  Residents must be 62 years old or older to qualify for the Senior Citizen Property Tax Deferral Program.  Call 800-356-4222 or 503-376-4988 for details or click here.

Inheritance and Estate Taxes
An Oregon inheritance tax return is required to be filed whenever a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required to be filed.  For a resident decedent, Oregon taxes real property and tangible personal property located in Oregon and intangible personal property wherever it is located.  For a nonresident decedent, Oregon taxes real property, tangible personal property, and intangible personal property located in Oregon.  An exemption is allowed for intangible personal property located in Oregon if a like exemption is allowed by the state of residence.

For further information, visit the Oregon Department of Revenue site or call 503-378-4988.
* Tax rates to do not include local option taxes of 1 to 2 cents.
** For joint returns, the taxes are twice the tax imposed on half the income.
Note: Oregon has a statutory provision for automatic adjustment

Cost of Living Calculators Links:

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html?step=form&x=36&y=3

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp

http://cityrating.com/costofliving.asp

http://www.relocationessentials.com/aff/www/tools/salary/col.aspx

http://swz.salary.com/CostofLivingWizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

Wikipedia Information Link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashland,_Oregon