Astoria? My new home? (Portland, Eugene: sales, rentals, insurance)

[JillOBean]

Hi,

I've been reading up on Astoria for quite a few years now. I've also scoured all of the city-data threads about the area.

I am a 27 year old female, originally from the San Francisco bay area and have since moved to New Orleans. I want to move back to the west coast but am not interested in living in a large city or resort town.

I recently made the transition to working from home, so I am not in need of being able to find a job when I get where I'm going. I'm not above getting my hands dirty to earn a living, either. As it is, I don't make a whole lot, and I don't require a whole lot in the way of material things. Rental prices in Astoria appear to be comparable to New Orleans-- so that's good.

I've heard mixed reviews about the arts scene in Astoria. I enjoy watching and participating in community theater when possible. I have no serious acting aspirations, though. I know the Liberty Theater went through a fairly recent revamp, and I would like more information about the arts scene.

I have an acute allergy to the sun-- so while I know I am likely to long for sunny days... the climate is likely to be healthier for me in the PNW than it is here in the south.

My only real concerns about Astoria is the remoteness of it and how pet-friendly it is. I'm not a big shopper and I don't need nationally-known chains at my doorstep... though I do get the urge about once a month or so to shop. I don't mind a bit of a drive (an hour or so), I'd just like to know there are options within a reasonable distance.

I have a mixed dog who is about 40lbs. He's really just a cute medium sized dog who is very well behaved and a real cuddler. I also have two cats. Most rentals I see do not accept pets. Does anyone find this to be negotiable? I'm more than willing to plunk down a sizeable pet deposit to ensure they're welcome.

My idea of night life consists of a movie, dinner, a good book and my laptop. I'm really a homebody at heart and I have a soft spot for the coast. I prefer the smaller towns. But not the resort towns. I'm very much a blue collar, working class type of person.

Ideally, I would prefer a place within an 8 or so hour drive to SF/Sacramento area, but those area appear to be very similar to Humboldt county. I am very anti-marijuana and I would be miserable in that area.

If anyone has any suggestions other than Astoria that might be a better fit-- please do let me know. I am posting this in the Washington forum as well, because honestly, if I'm going as far north as Astoria, I might as well, right?

So, I guess to make this easy...

- Reasonable cost of living (similar to what I see in Astoria)
- Near the coast (no resort towns, please)
- An arts scene (small scale is a-okay, but community productions would be wonderful!)
- Within an hour or so drive of nationally-known chain retail stores
- Pet friendly (either my dog and cats are welcome, or I'm not going)
- Anywhere in Northern California, Oregon or Washington, but with a more conservative outlook than Humboldt county)

Please let me know what y'all think!

[pdxMIKEpdx]

- Reasonable cost of living (similar to what I see in Astoria)

A single person would slide by easily with an income of about $2500.00 a month.
That's all the normal nescessities and hardly any frills-- car, home, food, utilities, insurance, etc...

- Near the coast (no resort towns, please)
Astoria is located as few miles inland near the coast, but not on it.
Its located between the very touristy town of Seaside and the Washington's very touristy Long Beach Peninsula.
It's not really a destination and Astoria it can't really be called a "resort" town, but it can get horribly clogged with tourists (locals and summer vacationers) during the summer when the weather is nice, and with sport fisherman in the late Summer/early Fall during the Coho Salmon run.
Fort Stevens State Park is nearby and it is one of the most popular camping state parks in Oregon--That place is a destination for RVrs and Campers.
Pretty dead in the winter though.
There are some cool things to see and there though.

- An arts scene (small scale is a-okay, but community productions would be wonderful!)
Slow but some things going on.


- Within an hour or so drive of nationally-known chain retail stores.
Fred Meyers - CostCo - Walmart are there, along with Safeway etc....
It's not really that much of a primitive backwater. I would call Astoria a "large town" bordering on "small city".
And you are about 90 minutes from Portland/Vancouver.


- Pet friendly (either my dog and cats are welcome, or I'm not going)
If you look hard enough and are willing to pay enough- you'll find something. I would say that on the whole, Oregon is a pretty pet freindly state, if your pets are polite in public.


- Anywhere in Northern California, Oregon or Washington, but with a more conservative outlook than Humboldt county)
Astoria is a working fishing/shipping port with people that have lived there for generations, so it is more conserative than Humbolt County, and a lot less liberal than Portland/Eugene.
Don't expect a lot of PETA/Hippie/Eco-Warrior crap. There are plenty of fisherman/logger types here. The TV show "Axe Men" is filmed within an hour inland of Astoria.
More live and let live, don't bother me and I won't bother you and if you tick me off, I'll let you know about it (passive aggressively or not) Oregonian behavior.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Oh yeah== I forgot the Marijauna thing.
This is Oregon. I don't know and can't tell who smokes and who doesn't, and frankly, like most people here, I really don't care.
The most vocal pro-MJ people are centered around the bigger cities like Portland/Eugene but like I said above, this is Oregon,
You'll find all sorts of people here and we mostly try to get along.
We might not be the friendliest people around, but at least we will let you be you.
Click Here:
Louisiana boy wants to move to Clatsop County..Advice?





Unless you end up in the NW 23rd area of Portland. Then you'll have to conform. And be a Stepford Portlander/Oregonian.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Originally Posted by JillOBean

- Near the coast (no resort towns, please)

There's no real economy on the coast. Tourism and retirement are basically what draw people there. If you want to live on the Oregon coast, you'll have to live in a tourist-oriented milieu to some degree or another.

[prairierose]

If you look at the tax structure of Oregon and Washington, it is not an apples-to-apples comparison. Oregon has no sales tax, but a high personal income tax. Washington has a high sales tax, but no personal income tax. The northern part of the Long Beach Peninsula around Ocean Park is much less touristy than the area around Long Beach, but is a short drive to the Astoria area for shopping. We have lived on the Central Oregon Coast for 32 years and are considering moving to the North Coast. Florence, Oregon, also has great appeal for a small town with a much different vibe than Newport. Each town along the coast has a different feel and economy. Good luck with your decision.