Astoria question.

[riverlites]

I was reading the postings on Astoria, having lived here for most of my life - many were interesting, some made me a little angry and some of them were just plain wrong - for instance:

the Astor Column was NEVER a Lighthouse - it was built in 1926 as a commemoration of Astoria's history - and YES - we are the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi - and Lewis and Clark DID spent the winter here before heading back east. We have more "history" than any city west of the Rocky Mts.

And the beauty of the area will take your breath away - it is all green with the forests - blue with the water -red with the sunsets. And - YES - we have a lot of rain - but the rain means we have a lot of great storms (that are not life threatening) - the rain means we have a temperate climate - not too hot (over 90) not too cold (below 30) - the rain means there are a lot of people who do not move here (and that is just fine - we do not want to loose the character of our town).

So, do come VISIT- you will have a wonderful time and see a lot of wonderful things - then you can go "home" and tell everyone about the Great Place you found at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Oregon Coast.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by cvanripe10

I hear it rains every single day in Astoria year round. Looking at the sunshine/precipitation chart on it's city-data profile, it might be true

That's not true. I have lifelong friends who live in Astoria, so I have spent a lot of time visiting there. Some days are absolutely gorgeous. However, they do have a rule of thumb that you never get three days of sunshine in a row. The first two may be sunny, but the third day will be foggy.

[tiffela74]

im still trying to figure out the comment about the coos bay smell on the docks....we're like 5 1/2 hrs down the coast from Astoria........
I love Astoria. I think its beautiful up there. Obviously so do a lot of other people, theres been some big films done up there! Gotta love the scenery!
Tiffany

[Trying2fit]

I've lived here for about two years, originally from Idaho, then a stint of five years in Seattle, the rest back east. All I know is the first year was dismal, more rain, more clouds than Seattle ever got and I miss having seasons A LOT! Better this year as I realize I MUST get out of here during winter gray at least once a month, but still, ick.

Other than that, what I find is a little town where if your family hasn't been here for at least twenty generations, good luck. Sadly, as with most small towns, so not a jab at Astoria in particular, the time worn phrases, "That's not what we do here," or, "We want to remain unique and retain our charm," run rampant. What IS unique, not only here but it is a minority of smaller towns attitudes, those phrases translate into, NO new business's that might be big, only small business owners or existing business's allowed, so what if most of the population works low paying service jobs...the museum called Astoria WILL be preserved, at all costs, even if it becomes a ghost town.

"We want to see the Columbia, just like we've always been able to, so NO high buildings near the shore." Yet when pointing out this village used to exist on the fishing industry big time, where one couldn't see the Columbia due to all the processing plants; still it's, "Give us our view as that's the way it's always been!"...NOT! Again, Astoria=dusty museum. One either lives here for a LONG time or leaves within a few years...again, my opinion.

That and even with all the rain, blah days, way too many tourists in the summer, this is becoming a mecca for retirees! If you want good health care, they ARE attracting the medicos here with them. Due to the "City Leaders" desiring to draw people who won't settle here, build new major business, and the like, bring the tourists on, let the cruise ships dock...for the day. Housing prices here are insane, for the view one gets and the amount of rain you have to endure...again due to retirees and I suspect transplants from CA. Plus when I leave on weekends to Portland or elsewhere, I feel like a salmon swimming upstream with all the traffice headed out to the coast, then on Sunday evening, again, heading upstream, all the traffic racing back inland.

My hope? To be gone from here within the year, back to where growth (controlled) is invited, and less rainy days and SEASONS! Astoria isn't a bad place to live, but it is a blah, gray place to live with small spurts of color like artists, poets, during the year.