Considering move to Oregon Coast. Please help (Portland, Eugene: for sale, rentals)

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by tiffela74

well, i can only say what is outside my window, as i live here on the coast...and its clear blue skies today......at least, thats what it is outside my window....
the elderly lady across the street is out there in a spring dress, puttering around in her garden....she doesnt appear wet or cold...
i was just outside chasing my dog down after she dug out of our yard, and in pants and a tshirt i stayed dry and was quite comfortable....of course, thats just where Im at. Maybe its always raining somewhere along the coast....but not here.

That was my favorite thing about the coast. It may rain a lot. It may be gray a lot. But those winter days when it's sunny are the most beautiful days in the world.

[RockyMtnr]

I spent nearly a year in Lincoln City recently. Being new to Oregon at the time, here are a few of my "takes":

It is nice to be able to walk on the beach. It is often too windy, cold, wet, etc. Always (ALWAYS) take something to wear over your ears and maybe your neck - and take a jacket! Most folks show up at the beach dressed for a Rocky Mountain winter!
Here are the two BEST places to eat: "Richens at the Beach" (across from the bowling alley) and "Fathoms" at Spanish Head. Both are a little pricey ... especially Fathoms. There is not decent Chinese, no Greek and the Buffet at the Casino is "hit and miss". Had good, had bad.
The shopping is absolutely pathetic. You have a Bi-Mart. The highest priced Safeway in the state. There are about 300 shops lining the streets of Lincoln City - all of them dealing in baubles for the tourists. You must go to Newport for a Walmart or a Fred Meyer and to Salem for anything else.
Understand, this is a personal take ... but in Lincoln City ... there is something VERY WRONG there. Maybe it's that they have "Devil's" Lake, "Devil's" River, two "Devil's" Lake roads ... maybe it's that they have a Casino ... maybe it's that it was originially a 7th-Day Adventist town and is very conservative ... maybe it's being a tourist town and thus, being trapped in your driveway all summer and trapped in by the weather all winter ... maybe it's being a 6+-mile long town that's only a few streets wide ... maybe it's having a lake that's almost large enough to enjoy but has noplace to go on it, houses all around ... maybe it's the bumper-to-bumper traffic coming to the Outlet Mall ... ... oh, the Outlet Mall - a slightly saving grace. High prices and really, for so many stores, not that many options for the "everyday" crowd (I lived across from it) but you can walk around it at night with the music playing through the overhead speakers on the sidewalk. Not that big but several laps can give you some mileage ... - but after moving away and up by the Cascades ... I can say it without doubt - there's something very wrong with attitudes down there ... kinda like that scene from ICE AGE with the Dodos chanting "Doom on you ... Doom on you". I knew plenty of great folks down there though - and had plenty of good days ... but seems I was always plagued by headaches and sinus and other pains from the constant wind blowing the salt and sand around. My buildings were falling apart from being so near the coast yet weren't even 20 years old ... and it does rain quite a bit. Personally, I'm glad to be out of "D" town. However, I suppose that anyday-anywhere in Oregon is as good or better than anyday-anywhere else!!

[tiffela74]

shouldve moved down further to the Southern Oregon Coast. Its a lot better down here!
funny how just a couple hours up/down makes such a difference!
weather here is much much nicer it sounds!

[RockyMtnr]

Originally Posted by tiffela74

shouldve moved down further to the Southern Oregon Coast. Its a lot better down here!
funny how just a couple hours up/down makes such a difference!
weather here is much much nicer it sounds!

Hi Tiff! Yeah - I suppose you're right. I believe we've talked about this some before. While driving thru most towns from Coos Bay north to Astoria - which is not a lot of experience but enough to form a personal opinion ... Florence was my favorite. It looked the cleanest and most "livable" and the Dunes didn't cut you completely off from the beach but were still accessible along with plenty of "empty" lands to the south which I believe belongs to the Tribes ... and I don't know their rules for the public enjoying that land.
My next favorite for "being there" was Yachats although it might get a little lonely and "socked in" in the winter-time. I plan to try and hang out there a bit in the future.
I'd always wanted to try Coos Bay - bought a van once at auction and the old plates were from Oregon - they said "COOS" and in the door was a manual for a Roland keyboard (I'm a pianoman) - so I always figured Coos Bay was gonna come along ... but I found it a tad ... er ... depressing? dirty? removed from the actual beach? So, on the drive-thru, it just didn't hold me. Guess I'd have to be from there or luck into the right situation.
But HEY! I got this little town now called Silverton! Nowhere in the entire Country have I ever found such a neat little burg! Folks are upbeat, town is heading the right directiong, nearby "burg" is even smaller and upbeat (Mt. Angel) and Salem is right here (15 miles) for shopping ... but enough about this for now ... this being a "coastal" thread and all.
Good to hear from you Tiff~!

[tiffela74]

Oh I highly agree with you!!! My first drive through/into Coos Bay, i was in TEARS!! because it was my first real sight of my new home to be! Ugh, that drive along 101 is just ugly and depressing and I thought "Theres NO WAY Im raising my kids in this awful little junk town!!" Especially coming from, ironically enough, very close to where youre at now...You have to get more into town to find the charms of Coos Bay. Mingus park area.....beautiful!!! Same with the Ferry Street park area (hummm...all around the parks is some of my fav. places!) Theres some incredible old houses here that Id give my right eye to own! But oh yeah, that initial first sight/drive through...ugh! lol
despite how much i love it here, someday, when my kids are grown and moved on, my dream is to live in Yachats. I love it there. The semi-isolation is a real draw for me.
That said, Im so glad you found your happy spot! And it was great to hear from you too!
Tiff

[judibug]

[Hi there...We just love Lakeside and Ten Mile Lake. Small town and very
friendly. We will be selling our 3 bdroom 2 bath house and RV shop this
spring cause we have a second home now in Brookings. Any interest?
Judi

[sunshine08]

The coast is really dreary! We had to move from the coast even though I love the ocean because I can't handle the rain and clouds. You would love the central oregon area. Redmond is my favorite. We live in Redmond right now and I love the weather it is different from Bend, we don't get alot of snow but it still gets cold in the winter. But it us sunny all the time and everyone is friendly. I would love to raise my children here but we are having a hard time with the job market right now.

[tiffela74]

its another beautiful day here on the Southern Oregon Coast!!! Dont take my word for it though, check out the webcam and see these blue skies for yourself....(its somewhere here on the Oregon Forum)
and keep in mind, even just a mile inland, its even nicer!
Happy Day!!!
Tiffany

[sunspotsAZ]

I am recently new to the Coast and have moved here from VERY SUNNY ARIZONA...Tempe to be exact. I now live just a stones throw away from the Pacific ocean and so far am really enjoying the weather here. I was soooo fearful of getting SAD before I moved here and feared the long "grey days". To be honest the rain hasn't been very bad, in fact I like the rain more than I thought. The wind is still difficult for me, but at least we don't have bone freezing icy days like you can get inland. For the most part I've experienced a vast change in the weather patterns on an hour by hour basis. It's raining when I go to sleep then sunny when I get up...then a few hours later it's sprinkling, pouring and then sunny again by dinner. I love that I don't ever really know what "Mother Nature" is bringing my way This has been a nice change from the same old, same old SUN and heat that I grew up with in AZ. Now and then I crave that deep heat I would experience back home and that's when I sit in front of our pellet stove and feel the heat blowing.... just like it did when I opened my front door back home. Good Luck with your decision.

sunspotsAZ

[Oregonbeachlover]

Sunspot, I totally agree with you! We've been working on our "someday to be retirement home" which is also a stone's throw from the ocean and the ever-changing weather is a kick, isn't it? You never know what is coming. You are right about the wind, but when the tourists leave in the fall (heh-heh), we get to have the calmer weather to ourselves. I've gotten into windsocks and those are fun to watch in the wind. Also, kite-flying. Where I am, Lincoln City, it is called the "kite capitol" of the world.