This is Bob Wynne with "The View from Here"

I hear over and over again that Klamath Falls is dying a slow death. We hear that there is nothing to do here, no place to shop and no jobs available, but is that true?

First and foremost the Klamath Basin is indeed growing, and probably at a faster pace than anyone of us who live here realize. Have you toured the Running Y Ranch Resort lately? They are doing a phenomenal job and home- owners are responding by building many beautiful homes, either as a primary residence or a vacation home. The Arnold Palmer designed golf course is certainly a plus along with the ice rink, stables, etc. Next, look at the condominiums at Shield Crest Golf Course, again they have done a beautiful job and most, if not all of the available units have been sold. Plus, several new homes are being built or have been recently completed there. Also, there are numerous smaller developments under way throughout the Klamath Basin and if you drive around the area, there are homes being developed singly in all areas of the community.

How about shopping in the Basin. Well, we just landed a brand new Ross store and Wal-Mart is adding a massive addition to expand their superstore. Home Depot is only a few years old and has built an impressive store here as well. Other large stores include Fred Meyer, K-Mart and Bi-Mart. There are also numerous smaller businesses that do a tremendous job of providing the community with a variety of products and services.  Local owners have built new stores, like D.J. Bettencourt Furniture Gallery and even our neighbors in the valley are building here like Rogue Valley Credit Union.

How about entertainment? Look no further than the Ross Ragland Theater, they have done a great of providing a wide variety of entertainment in the Klamath Basin. From Country to Blues to local productions, there is something for everyone at the Theater. Have you ever been on the Klamath Belle? It is a fantastic experience and really something novel to see on Klamath Lake. This is the type of tourist attraction that people are looking for when they visit our community. Are movies your thing? The Pelican Cinema continues to grow and expand and now has a superb facility on Biehn street providing multiple theaters with state of the art sound and design. Golf courses…….we have the Running Y, Reames, Harbor Links, Shield Crest, Indian Camp and Round Lake….plus at least one more on the way. How about the incredibly successful Third Thursday event that occurs in downtown Klamath Falls throughout the summer season…and don’t forget the Timber Mill Shores concert series downtown as well.

Let’s talk livability in this area. Merle West Medical Center provides top notch care for our citizens and is now moving forward to expand and improve their service even further. OIT provides a nationally recognized level of superior education in a variety of fields and continues to grow and expand. Klamath Community College has made gigantic strides in providing further education here in the Basin. And let’s not forget Nature either…..we have clean air, clean water, sunny days and friendly people. We have some of the best hunting and fishing available all around us and the scenery here is absolutely gorgeous.

Do we have problems…..sure we do, but then again, who doesn’t. We have a great infrastructure to accommodate more citizens without disturbing our way of life. Our highway system is far superior to say, Bend or Medford. We have unlimited potential at our Air Port and we have rail access that is unmatched.

When you stop and think about all these things, you can certainly see why people are building, visiting and moving to the Klamath Basin. We, the locals, sometimes overlook all these assets while we grouse and complain about issues in our community.

Hey, we could have traffic like Bend…..or air quality like Medford…..or a climate like Eugene……or we could live in one of the best places in the world, our very own Klamath Basin. Yes, we are growing and that will provide more jobs, retail stores and restaurants and further development….and that’s OK. We are ready for it so bring it on. This will always be a great place to live and raise your family.

This is Bob Wynne with "The View from Here"