County
Josephine County
River country with room to spread out. The real question is how far from Grants Pass you want to live.
Grants Pass
The county seat, with the Rogue running right past downtown. A Saturday growers market, a walkable historic district, the county's main hospital, and homes from older in-town blocks to river and hillside lots.
Cave Junction
The Illinois Valley's town on the Redwood Highway, about 30 miles southwest of Grants Pass. Wooded acreage, small farms, the Illinois River, and the road to the Oregon Caves.
Merlin
Just north of Grants Pass on the road to Galice, where the Rogue heads into Hellgate Canyon and the Wild and Scenic stretch. Rural lots, river access, and town fifteen minutes away.
Murphy
Just south of Grants Pass on Williams Highway, along the Applegate River. Acreage, room for a shop, and the Applegate wineries down the road, ten minutes from town.
Williams
A rural valley south of Grants Pass along Williams Creek, at the head of the Applegate country. Small farms, vineyards, wooded hills and room to grow your own.
Wilderville
Wooded acreage along Highway 199 west of Grants Pass, near where the Applegate meets the Rogue. Privacy in the trees, a short drive to town, and the road to the coast at your door.
Selma
The north end of the Illinois Valley on Highway 199, with Lake Selmac down the road and the Illinois River backcountry up the next. Wooded acreage, Cave Junction a short drive south.
O'Brien
The south end of the Illinois Valley, a few miles from the California line. Rural land, big timber, and the redwoods and the coast closer than Medford.
Applegate Valley
Small farms, vineyards and river frontage along the Applegate, from Murphy in Josephine County to Ruch in Jackson County. Wine country, with a river running through it.
Before you buy
Buying in Josephine County
Outside Grants Pass and Cave Junction, most homes run on a well and septic, many sit on private roads, and fire protection can depend on a district or a subscription. Check all three before you make an offer.