Every year or two a local community, sometimes at the urging of a campground owner takes issue with RVers overnighting at Wal-Mart. I was reading Nick Russell's Gypsy Journal blog and he reported Medford, Oregon is enforcing a parking ban at their local Wal-Mart. Nick has added Medford on his RV Unfriendly Cities list. He posted the City Manager's email for anyone that wanted to contact them. CMO@cityofmedford.org You may recall a few years ago Lake City, Florida also banned RV parking and a massive amount of emails and press coverage resulted in a change. I emailed and received a reply that because of undesireables, and acts of lawlessness, including shop lifting, that Medford at the urging of the Wal-Mart manager enacted the parking ban. We all know that the "one percenters" abuse all rules including respectful parking at Wal-Mart, but I find it hard to believe this was instigated by Wal-Mart.

45% of OR. Walmarts don't allow overnight parking.Does Nick post the email address for the other 13 stores??Or is he just picking on this one?

Triker33 wrote:45% of OR. Walmarts don't allow overnight parking.Does Nick post the email address for the other 13 stores??Or is he just picking on this one?Hard to tell because once on his list you stay on his list! Lake City reversed their policy and WalMart parking has been allowed for over three years now, but they remain Nick's "Unfriendly" list.I have e-mailed Nick three times, once with the information including an article from the local media, and the list remains unchanged, and therefore inaccurate.

Every year or two a local community, sometimes at the urging of a campground owner takes issue with RVers overnighting at Wal-Mart. I was reading Nick Russell's Gypsy Journal blog and he reported Medford, Oregon is enforcing a parking ban at their local Wal-Mart. Nick has added Medford on his RV Unfriendly Cities list. He posted the City Manager's email for anyone that wanted to contact them. CMO@cityofmedford.org You may recall a few years ago Lake City, Florida also banned RV parking and a massive amount of emails and press coverage resulted in a change. I emailed and received a reply that because of undesireables, and acts of lawlessness, including shop lifting, that Medford at the urging of the Wal-Mart manager enacted the parking ban. We all know that the "one percenters" abuse all rules including respectful parking at Wal-Mart, but I find it hard to believe this was instigated by Wal-Mart. Rouge River is an incredibly nice campground and only a few short miles from Medford. Go there! Enjoy yourself and don't waste time wondering who is doing what at Walmart.

Nick seems like a reasonable curmudgeon. Maybe for some reason he didn't see your emails but I bet it gets corrected soon. I think Nick is a member of this forum.

Okay, because the city doesn't want RV's to camp in parking lots, that makes them RV-unfriendly? It's very possible they started enforcing the ban because of the actions of a few, or they got tired of a WalMart "campground". I've not been there so I don't know, and if I was planning on going there this would not deter me.

Medford Oregon Parking Ban | Good Sam Community

dons2346
Explorer
May 24, 2015
I find it hard to believe that the ban on parking came about because of complaints from campgrounds.

Can anyone show proof of such a thing or is it the "I heard it from a friend's grandmother's uncle"?

More than likely it came from the city council when they took a look at the situation and decided the parking lot looked like krap with a bunch of nesters there
tpi
Explorer
May 24, 2015
There's been a few times where local RV parks influence city govt to ban this type of overnight parking. But I don't think that is the case here. More likely they're responding to local conditions. If you ban one type of overnighting, it has to extend to all-including the well behaved RVnetters in the nice rigs not overstaying their welcome. It would have been preferable to enforce some kind of one night limit. But there is labor cost involved with that. I have a hard time getting real worked up over this.
Naio
Explorer II
May 24, 2015
There are two walmarts in Medford.

When I went through there 9 months ago, one allowed overnights and one did not. I dropped a friend off where she was going, and pulled into the one that allowed overnights. There was a class A there, and an SUV with blankets over the windows. It's not like it was a giant hobo camp.

I slept the night, and then moved 10 miles to an RV park the next day (in Phoenix, OR). That park was so lovely that I stayed 4 nights instead of my planned one :).

Point is, us occasional walmart sleepers ALSO drop money at local RV parks -- and more money if they are nice parks. It's not either/or.

And is this thread about the second Medford walmart no longer allowing sleepovers? Or is it about the one that hasn't allowed them for a while now?
ksg5000
Explorer
May 24, 2015
I-5 in that portion of Oregon has a number of rest stops not to far from Medford - another alternative.
nomad_289
Explorer
May 24, 2015
I visited Medford a half-dozen times last year...
Decrepit motor-homes with people permanently living in the Walmart parking lot.

In this case, I understand and support the decision. Perhaps a 2 day limit per two weeks would be a good alternate policy for Walmart to consider.

Homeless need somewhere to go, but Walmart cannot be the "thousand points of light" for a stationary lifestyle.
Me_Again
Explorer III
May 24, 2015
With the people living in cars in Walmart parking lots, who wants to CAMP there anymore. BBQ and lawn chairs will be gone in the morning, along with the TV center caps from the wheels. They will also pull your 5th wheel hitch handle.

Chris
Pogoil
Explorer
May 25, 2015
There are thousands of campgrounds in Oregon. I for one am glad Medford enforces this and any other town in Oregon.

Good for Nick, wonder if he understands that we are such a small group as RV. people.

Medford is not an RV unfriendly community.
MitchF150
Explorer III
May 25, 2015
I think the 'bans' are more for those folks that spend days, weeks, months in a parking lot... I see the same cars, trucks, RVs parked in our local Walmart and other large parking lots for weeks at a time! I go to the same WM at least once a week and I notice them parked there... They do 'move' around from spot to spot and are not "camping" by any means.. They are "living" there...

But, they are not doing stuff that makes the national news either.. They are just squatting there until they get enough notice and are asked to leave.. We had one such car in our office parking lot and after a week, we finally had to ask them to leave, as they were using the office buildings restrooms for their bath house and laundry room..

Anyway, I feel for those that are in a situation that requires one to have to do that, but it can't be taken advantage of either..

Mitch
Ranger431
Explorer
May 25, 2015
I guess I just never understood why we wouldn't want to support campgrounds? Seems like the more we use them vs. a Walley World parking lot, the more and nicer campgrounds there would be, but that's just my .02...
Naio
Explorer II
May 25, 2015
Dang, I thought this forum had lots of folks who spend occasional overnights at walmart when on the road. Here is where I learned it was possible.

I have done it twice in my life. Both were times when campgrounds were not practical. Both were one night only, gone in the morning. Neither time did I see any squatters.