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Old 01-21-2012, 11:36 PM
 
7 posts, read 18,440 times
Reputation: 10

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Well, my girlfriend and I have decided that it's time for us to leave Seattle. We are 20/27 respectively and our professional background is mostly in Sales/Customer Service - though I do have some experience in the trades (painting, marine carpentry).

We're looking for a coastal city to relocate to. We don't need to be rich, but we do need jobs - and eventually we'll need to be able to make it on one income (mine) as we are planning on having a child sometime in the next year.

Where do you live along the coast? Which towns/cities have the best employment opportunities? If you were us, what would you do?

Note: We're also looking at the WA coast, but we're kinda burned out on the evergreen state.
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Old 01-22-2012, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,603,080 times
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Your best shot is somewhere with a naval base, of which Oregon has none. Why don't you just move across the Sound to Bremerton/Silverdale?
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Old 01-22-2012, 01:15 PM
 
7 posts, read 18,440 times
Reputation: 10
Default Brookings | Coos Bay | Newport | Waldport | Astoria

Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell View Post
Your best shot is somewhere with a naval base, of which Oregon has none. Why don't you just move across the Sound to Bremerton/Silverdale?
She wants to be somewhere (more) coastal. She gets the implications of weather, schools and economy - so we're looking at Brookings, Coos Bay/Newport, Astoria and Waldport. This is based so far on my own travel experience and a cursory jobs search using Craigslist.

Any thoughts on these locations?
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Old 01-22-2012, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,603,080 times
Reputation: 25230
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andywright00 View Post
She wants to be somewhere (more) coastal. She gets the implications of weather, schools and economy - so we're looking at Brookings, Coos Bay/Newport, Astoria and Waldport. This is based so far on my own travel experience and a cursory jobs search using Craigslist.

Any thoughts on these locations?
Just one: Don't move until you have a job there.
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Old 01-22-2012, 07:42 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,244 posts, read 80,480,482 times
Reputation: 57154
I've spent a lot of time in all of those places, very few jobs and none pay well. In fact they are all small cities with a very limited employment base
dependent on summer tourism and a lot of people out of work the rest of the year. Coos Bay has gone downhill a long way the last 5-6 years. Really, the only place anywhere near the coast in Oregon with jobs is Portland.
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Old 01-23-2012, 09:54 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,400,961 times
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You can scratch Brookings and Waldport off your list right away. Brookings is for retirees. Waldport is for tourists. No jobs in either.

ACS is always hiring in Coos Bay, but that company is bottom of the feed bucket scum. Working at McDonalds is actually a better job. Another tech center announced plans to open another call center employing 250 there, but I have not heard if they've opened or not. Other then that, jobs are pretty much non-existent. It's one of the Cities with the highest unemployment rate

Coos Bay is also the absolute last place (in Oregon) I'd want to raise a child these days.

Newport just got NOAA, so it remains to see how that's going to affect the city job wise. Right now you're pretty much limited to Fishing boats, and some tourist activities. Although you could look into the Coast Guard there.

Astoria is another town mostly subsisting on tourism. All the big canneries and fishing business there closed years (closer to decades,) ago. Some of the Cruise ships are putting in there now. But Astoria's only other real income is as a shopping center for the region.

You're going to be better off in Portland in the short term.

If your heart is really set on a Coastal city though, I'd at least stick to Newport or Astoria as the larger cities with more opportunities. I also would not move with out at least two years of living expenses saved up. It'll likely take you six months to find a job at all.
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Old 01-23-2012, 09:20 PM
 
758 posts, read 2,365,375 times
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I think, from an economic standpoint, the Oregon coastal economy will leave you shell-shocked, when you compare it to Seattle.
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Old 01-24-2012, 10:40 AM
 
6,066 posts, read 15,009,981 times
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I would not relocate and have a new child all within one year, especially with a 20 year old girlfriend. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I was a young 20-year old mother with an older boyfriend eventual husband and it's tough no matter how much in love you are. We got through it, but boy it wasn't easy - especially financially. And this was back in the 90's in Texas where we both had good jobs and cost of living was low.

Sorry to be so blunt... but you asked, "If you were us, what would you do?" and sometimes the best way to figure out what you should do is to take a really good honest look at what you shouldn't.

If you want to have a baby within the next year - stay in a bigger city where you will have access to good healthcare and more jobs and better schools. The Oregon coast does not really have those things. Newport would prolly be your closest bet but it would be taking a pretty big risk to make that move.

If you can hold off on having that baby, which would be a really great plan, you both could try living in other places and get that wanderlust out of your system and decided where you want to settle and raise your family.

Our family has chosen Eugene. It's a really great little city that is in the Willamette Valley... our weather is way better than the coast, yet we are close enough to the coast that we can head out for day trips or for spontaneous weekends. We're also close to skiing and hot springs and mountain escapes. It's a very sweet spot to be in, it's a good place to raise a family.

Good luck!
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Old 02-25-2012, 03:37 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,551 times
Reputation: 21
I'd have to agree with most of these post. I love Astoria. It is a beautiful city. I purchased a home (fixer up) in hopes of retiring there some day. I lived in the home remodeling it while taking some classes at the local college. I eventually had to find work which I did at the local paper mill. The job paid the best wages at the time, but I became very ill because of the wet weather. I was hospitzed for several weeks and lost my job. I ended up renting the home out, barely making enough to make the mortgage. I moved back to Phoenix worked there to save some money and now I'm headed back to finish my home once and for all. I'm retired with a modest income and I will look for a low paying job to help with expenses. I really like Astoria and I'm willing and determined to try and live the rest of my life there
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