Jacksonville, Oregon
 Jacksonville Oregon |
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2006
Jacksonville, Oregon was founded following the discovery of gold in 1851. This is one of the oldest towns in Oregon and many buildings dating as far back as the 1850’s have been well preserved. Jacksonville is characterized by lush vegetetation, charming old homes and buildings, and popular community events and festivals. Jacksonville was designated a National Historic District in 1966. The National Historic Registry describes Jacksonville as a:
mid-19th century inland commercial town significant for its magnificent group of surviving unaltered commercial and residential buildings. The town was the principal financial center of southern Oregon until it was bypassed by the railroad.
The Jacksonville area is a great place to spend a weekend. I recommend going in Fall or Spring, as Summer time temperatures are very high in the area. I usually take one or two trips to Jacksonville every year to spend a weekend and enjoy some warm spring weather and stunning displays of blooming flowers and lush vegetation. There are many fine hotels and inns in town. I personally recommend the Jacksonville Inn and the Touvelle House. My favorite restaurant in town is MacLevin’s Whole Foods Restaurant. The corned beef hash is amazing (they corn their own beef). I usually spend my days there walking around town or in the nearby mountain trail system that starts right from downtown. The trails weave through historic gold diggings. In the late Spring and Summer, Jacksonville is host to the Britt festival, an outdoor music festival that attracts a lot of popular performers.
If you should run out of things to do in Jacksonville, Ashland is less than a half an hours drive away. I will write about Ashland in detail later, but for now I will just say that a trip to Ashland is well worth your time.
Click here to view the Jacksonville Oregon photo gallery
- Aaron Walton