International Programs
Introduction to Ashland
Ashland is a safe and welcoming small community in Southern Oregon, just 14 miles north of California. We are located just about equidistant from Portland and San Francisco--about a 5-6 hour drive from both cities. Ashland is located in a mountain valley with beautiful scenary and an almost perfect climate. We experience all four seasons. In the winter, there's lots of snow on the mountains (and nearby skiing!), but not much snow in town. In the summer, it's hot and sunny, but there's very little humidity. The town has great restaurants and shops and is home to the nationally-reknown Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
The Region
Southern Oregon is geographically and historically rich. The seven county region served by Southern Oregon University is distinguished by the Rogue River, Crater Lake, the coast, and three mountain ranges: the Cascades, the Siskiyous, and the Coastal Range. The 200-mile Rogue River is famous for fishing, rafting, and other recreational uses. This beautiful and wild river originates in the Cascade mountains near Crater Lake and flows southwest and west across the Coastal Range to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach.
Crater Lake National Park, just eighty miles from Ashland, is home to Oregon's most spectacular natural feature. Crater Lake was formed 6,600 years ago when Mount Mazama erupted and left behind an enormous caldera. This pristine mountain lake is the second deepest in North America, measures six miles across, and is more than 6,000 feet above sea level. Tourism and retail sales are driving forces of the Rogue Valley economy. It is surpassed only by the Portland area and the coastal region in the number of total tourist facilities. Ashland has more than sixty lodging facilities and eighty restaurants.
Cultural and recreational facilities are numerous. The region has five fairs and thirteen festivals, twenty-five art galleries and twenty-four museums. Recreational facilities include 151 public and 110 commercial campgrounds, seventeen golf courses, three race tracks, and two ski areas
The Weather
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE Average High Average Low in F in C in F in C January 48.1° 9° 31.5° -0.01° February 52.7° 11.5° 30.4° -0.89° March 60.6° 15.9° 37.3° 3° April 62.4° 16.9° 37.3° 3° May 76.2° 24.6° 44.7° 7° June 75.1° 24° 47.8° 9° July 85.4° 29° 51.7° 11° August 86.4° 30° 53.4° 11.9° September 78.5° 26° 46° 8° October 64.6° 18.1° 38.3° 3.5° November 55.9° 13.8° 36° 2° December 46.1° 8° 28.4° -2°
