Mountain Meadows is an award-winning 55+ community in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. This community has won numerous awards including “Best Small Active Retirement Community in America” by the National Council on Senior Housing. Mountain Meadows is thoughtfully designed, solidly constructed, and on 27 acres of mature trees, well-maintained landscaping and year around stream and pond. Residents of Mountain Meadows enjoy scenic views of Mt. Ashland and the surrounding hills of Ashland but are only minutes away from downtown arts and entertainment. The residents are what make the community unique and special. There is a fitness/wellness center with indoor pool, clubhouse, dining room, community garden and 4 -acre park – all amenities the residents call their own. In today’s interview, I speak with Linda Doren, Principal Broker for Mountain Meadows Realty, the onsite real estate company at Mountain Meadows community.
Hi Linda, welcome back and thank you for speaking with us today.
It is my pleasure! I welcome the opportunity to talk about the community I have been a part of for 16 years.
To begin with, will you please tell us what’s new at Mountain Meadows?
There are always new and exciting events at this community. The residents own and operate it and they take it very seriously, but enjoy every minute of it. There are new members on boards or directors; new committees and task forces; new residents with exciting new life stories and enthusiasm to share with the community. One of the most exciting new and upcoming things in the community is the expansion of our clubhouse! It is wonderful when you have such great participation in events that you are out of space and need to add more room. We will be expanding our Mt. Ashland Room and our Meadowlark Dining Room and it will be fabulous! The amazing thing about this expansion is the residents were involved in the decisions and the funds to do the expansion were all raised and donated. That says a lot about how much the residents love Mountain Meadows.
I am always impressed with the cleanliness of the community. The landscaping and grounds look great.
Yes –I have been working at this community for 16 years and I am still awestruck by the beauty of the community and the park. It is well maintained! The seasonal beauty of Mountain Meadows, with the variety of trees and gardens, is something you really must see.
I would love for you to take us on a tour of the community.
The clubhouse is the center of activity in the community. Located on a knoll with breathtaking views of Ashland and Mt. Ashland. The Meadowlark Dining Room on the top floor has numerous windows and the best views of any restaurant in Ashland. The food is prepared by professionals of Morrison Senior Dining and they are experts. Attached to the clubhouse is the Aspen building which has 41 residential condominiums. This building has easy access to the clubhouse and fitness center and parking garage on the lower level. There are several other condominium buildings in the community with a variety of sizes and floor plans to choose from. A popular design of condominium looks like a duplex and has an attached garage. We call them “over/unders” as there is an upper unit and lower unit, each has a garage. Not sure how this works? Come see for yourself! Down the hill you see the Kitchen Creek Garden and the 4-acre Madeline Hill Park with its own pond and year around stream. On the fringes of the park are Craftsman style single family homes. We have 65 of these lovely homes in the community and they are very popular. The sizes vary from 1300 to 2900 sq. ft. The entire community is designed using “senior friendly” accessibility guidelines.
Linda, please tell us more about the types of people who choose to live in the Mountain Meadows Community.
The residents of Mountain Meadows 55+ Community are retired physicians, engineers, musicians, artists, university professors, farmers or ranchers, homemakers, school teachers – and the list goes on. Each and every one of them have incredible life stories and many have family right here in Ashland and Southern Oregon.
Linda, many of our readers may have family members or parents who could benefit from living in Mountain Meadows. When is the right time to make the move to your community?
The “right time” is different for everyone but we suggest the sooner the better. Make the move while you are able to. This new life at Mountain Meadows has so much to offer – making new friends, serving on committees, enjoying music events. We have age groups from 55 to 100 years of age. There is something for everybody here.
The construction and layout of Mountain Meadows is especially thoughtful. Please tell us about some of the special consideration that has gone into its creation.
Mountain Meadows first single-family home was built in 1996. From the first home through to the very last home completed in 2006, the Craftsman style was prevalent with much attention to details designed to help residents as they gracefully age. There are raised dishwashers, elevated electrical outlets, extra wide hallways, and interior doorways and much more. All properties are pre-wired for cable, phone, and high-speed internet. There are low step-in showers with build-in seats and hand-held showerheads – there are so many things here that help the residents stay in their homes longer.
Resident independence is a key value of Mountain Meadows.
I like to call it “freedom”. We all have a desire to be independent and the design and layout of Mountain Meadows helps residents maintain their independence and individuality. As a resident, you are free to choose in so many aspects of your life – stay in your home and hire housekeepers, pet walkers; hire caregivers to assist as you require it — all the while you remain in control of your life. The goal is to encourage individual independence and a higher quality of life for those most in need.
Linda, what types of homes are currently available for sale?
We currently have several sizes of condominium homes on the market for sale. We are anticipating some single-family homes coming on the market in the next month or so. The available inventory is constantly changing so we encourage people to watch our website at
What are some of the most common questions you receive from people wanting to buy a home in Mountain Meadows?
One commonly asked question is, “Are there HOA or monthly dues?” The answer is “Yes”. I then go into detail explaining what the HOA fees/dues cover and what is included. Another common question is, “How close is Mountain Meadows to downtown Ashland?” We are about 1.8 miles from the plaza in Ashland. Another question is, “Do we ever have units for rent?” The answer is “Yes”. Periodically we have a property available to rent. Mountain Meadows Realty manages 24 rental units in the community which are a mix of single family homes and condominiums.
Linda, I know you have said that the deciding factor for most people who are looking for the perfect place to retire is when they come out to visit. When should a person come and visit?
We love our community and enjoy showing it off. We welcome the opportunity to show you the many special things about the community and provide the first-hand experience I talked about. We look forward to sharing with you all the wonderful things about Mountain Meadows. You may even want to meet some of the residents and ask them about their experience in the community. You can also read more about the community, see photos, and check on available properties on our website at www.mtmeadows.com. If you want more of a resident point of view and learn more about current events, try the resident website at www.mountainmeadowsashland.com. There is a link to the resident website on our real estate website.
How does someone go about scheduling a tour?
If you want to schedule a tour, see available properties on the market for sale or rent and get some important questions answered, we recommend making an appointment. We do our best to accommodate walk-ins but an appointment sets aside time. A thorough tour is 1-2 hours and is very informative. Call our office at 541-482-1300 or 1-800-337-1301. You can also email us for more information or to schedule a tour at info@mtmeadows.com or directly to me at linda@mtmeadows.com.
How are you seeing residents’ lives change when they move to Mountain Meadows?
In so many residents, it is the social connection to other residents that makes such a change in their happiness. It is all too easy to hide in one’s home and not get involved. At Mountain Meadows, the social atmosphere and laughter is so contagious, you want to participate. I see people making new friends where they never thought possible. I see groups forming which become world traveling partners. I see more vigor and vitality when they use the fitness center and take part in a class. I see smiles. I see a renewed interest in life in so many people. I see relationships blossom and lives filed with love again. This transformation which takes place is one of the most important things about the community and one of the things I love the most. It really is amazing.
Do you have any final thoughts or comments you would like to share with our readers?
Mountain Meadows is truly a unique and very special community. It was a dream of one very special woman, Madeline Hill.
She wanted to design a place where people could thrive; where people would be involved in the very community they live in; where homes and condominiums would be designed to help with the changes that happen with age; where people would have choices, and stay in their homes and condominiums if they possibly could. Madeline was a visionary and still is. Her concept was ahead of its time. She has retired from real estate but she has not retired from Mountain Meadows. The dream started with Madeline and became Mountain Meadows 55+ Community. Come see and share the dream.
Learn More:
Mountain Meadows Community
Mountain Meadows Realty
857 Mountain Meadows Drive
www.mtmeadows.com
541-482-1300
