Considering move to Oregon Coast. Please help (Newport, Cottage Grove: rent, insurance)

[sassyfur98]

Hello everyone,
I am new to all this board stuff, so I apologize in advance for whatever I may do wrong..lol.
My husband and I and our kids are considering moving to Lincoln city. After reading some of the posts on the weather, I am now scared to death.
Is there really long periods of gray and rain? I get so depressed when it is like that. We currently live in southern Alabama, and I love the weather, except when it gets so hot. Mobile was the wettest city in the US last year, but the rain comes down like crazy for a couple hours every day. It isn't days on end of rain. I can handle a lot of rain, as long as it isnt extended periods with nothing but. I do not want lots of rain and gray sky. I do not want terrible constant wind. I do not want construction that ruins the habitat.
I want beautiful nature to surround me. Warm weather, but not hot. I hate the cold as I am from Wisconsin originally. I need the sun to be present for most of the time. I need people to be friendly. I would like a small town, where my boys can ride their bikes around the neighborhood and I dont have to worry about someone stealing them, or them getting blown up by meth labs. We have a white boxer, that goes wherever we go, and if it means we have to end up homeless, well, so be it. (lol)
So, I guess my question is can someone suggest an area that will give us both mountain and ocean views (with reasonable rents..$1,000 or less...preferably in the country) that doesnt rain non stop, that is surrounded by nature, that is a small town, (less than 10,000 people) that isn't so windy all the time, that would have top thyroid doctors within a few hours drive, where the people are nice, and money doesn't rule everyone's world? Is there a place like that along the ORegon Coast? OR even inland? I wouldnt mind living in the mountains if the weather was right! But, I can not have constant rain, cold and gray. That is the most important...the weather. I can not have cold all the time.
Thanks for any and all replies.

[strummer222]

Anywhere on the Coast is going to be pretty dreary during the winter, but you might consider Tokeland, WA or Sequim, WA, which are both in a bit of a rainshadow, but both have some beautiful mountain views and of course, are on the Ocean (or the Straight). You will be just over 2 hours to Seattle in both locations, but very beautiful.

[swsha4]

I think you should not move to the coastal areas of the PNW unless, as strummer 222 suggests, you move to the rain shadow on the Olympic Peninsula in the area of Sequim. Our winters are cooler here than where you are from and you will get depressed with the cloudy days. Even Sequim gets colder in winter than your sub-tropical weather in Alabama.

Do you have to live on the ocean? A sunny option in the PNW is the other side of the mountains in eastern WA or OR. It's really sunny there but you would have to put up with real winter complete with snow. Your kids will probably love the winter sports but you may have some trouble adjusting.

Best of luck!

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I used to live in Lincoln City and work in Newport and I can tell you the late fall thru early summer is VERY dreary. Your kids bikes will rust out before they can get stolen. Think I'm joking? I'm not. The Oregon coast is not a place for kids that want to be outdoors. Period.

As to the Olympic Penninsula area, it is drop dead beautiful. Only, instead of Sequim, I'd think about Port Angeles. More trees, good weather... And Seattle is less than 2 hours away for any specialty medical needs.

Now, in Oregon, for as small of a town as you're looking for with easy access to both beach & mountains, perhaps Cottage Grove would be a suggestion.

[sutton86]

I grew up on the Oregon Coast and disagree with "The Oregon coast is not a place for kids that want to be outdoors." We played outdoors all the time. Kids are extremely adaptable. There's no bad weather, only inappropriate clothes. We waded in the surf no matter the weather. We didn't think we were cold or wet until our parents told us we were. We camped in the yard until it misted so hard our mom dragged us inside. And what fun it is to watch the high school football team play in a mud bowl! Don't deny your kids nature! It's okay to get dirty and cold. As my dad says, "It builds character."

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by sutton86

I grew up on the Oregon Coast and disagree with "The Oregon coast is not a place for kids that want to be outdoors." We played outdoors all the time. Kids are extremely adaptable. There's no bad weather, only inappropriate clothes. We waded in the surf no matter the weather. We didn't think we were cold or wet until our parents told us we were. We camped in the yard until it misted so hard our mom dragged us inside. And what fun it is to watch the high school football team play in a mud bowl! Don't deny your kids nature! It's okay to get dirty and cold. As my dad says, "It builds character."

OK, let me put it this way. A geographer friend of mine compiles worthless stats for the state. The #1 reason given why people move away from the coast is the fact the rain forces their kids inside too much and the parents wanted a place where their kids could ride bikes, play ball... and it wasn't happening at the coast. Now, for you (and I when I lived there) the rain wasn't a big barrier. But for the vast majority, it is.

[sassyfur98]

Thanks everyone!!! I had a feeling the weather wouldnt work for me. I sure wish it did because I love everything the Oregon coast stands for.
Inland wouldn't work. My son hates the snow, and gets mad when he has to wear pants..lol..and he lived in Wisconsin until he was 5.
Oh well, I guess I will begin another search.
Good luck to everyone.

[tiffela74]

i live on the Oregon coast, have been raising my kids here for the last 5yrs, and they are outside plenty. and not always in the rain. They've all outgrown bikes in plenty of time before they rusted...there are many days here w/o rain/overcast...they get outside and in sunshine plenty. Okay, i will admit, Arizona has more sunny days then we do...but come on, my flowers died the last 3 yrs because i didnt water them enough and they dried up and died of thirst...same prob w/the lawn. Summers are glorious and go into October, it does rain a lot between Nov-Jan, but theres still days on end w/o rain. Now we're headed into spring and its been quite nice. We had a good week+ w/sunny skies, then its been overcast/clear/overcast/clear, but not really any rain for a week or so. My kids havent had to use umbrellas/raingear for weeks now. My son plays soccer and runs, (and just got a new skateboard this Christmas that he's used several times)my oldest runs, they are outside playing. They can happily spend all day outside riding their bikes around, sometimes w/the dogs following behind. Again, its not as sunny as Arizona, Texas, or any of the "Sunshine States" but if it rained here nearly as much as some people exaggerate, most of our trees/flowers/bushes wouldve washed away long ago.....
I, nor my family, have every been in contact w/any meth problems. I know they exsist, im sure every town has them, but not once have we been affected. Of course, i know the area to avoid, and we dont go knocking on those doors, so maybe some common sense helps...
It doesnt get too cold here very much. Although, we did have 2days this winter where it snowed. Didnt last long, bout long enough for the kids to get bored and too cold to play anymore, thats about when it started melting....
As for the views for that price...probably not. Maybe if you rented a manufactured home or something...or got creative and lucky like we did. We rented a huge house right on the bay on several acres for 500.00month for the last 2 1/2yrs. We got cheapo rent in exchange for doing a lot of work on the house while we lived there. Nothing that couldnt be done w/3kids around too, so it wasnt a hardship. Not a whole lot of chances around like that though....
anyhow, i dunno, maybe the Nov-Jan mostly overcast would be too much for you? I think its a great trade off for the rest of the year being so mild/beautiful...not to mention lack of any extreme weather. I cant imagine being snowed in for months on end, having people around me die because of the 100+degree weather for days and days on end, tornado fears, needing hurriacine insurance, or other such major weather issues. No thank you!
anyhow, i hope you find the home your searching for!
Tiffany

[Tony from Europe]

There is always rain,that's told me my friend who live in Oregon coast
I don't like rain and clouds...

[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.