Oregon Coast vs Pismo Beach Ca (Portland: house prices, weddings, prices)

[bigdave01]

I think that Arcata, CA or Eureka, CA would fit your description very well.

The real estate is MUCH cheaper than the rest of California, and there is a college nearby. There are the usual retail stores, and it is fairly cultured.

[triplemom]

In all my research, it seems these two cities would be most comparable.....But you guys seem like the sun never comes out and its hours to do any shopping Do you think thats the two places I should concentrate on when I come to visit?

[tiffela74]

Sun was out today here in Coos Bay...we werent in any danger of heatstroke, but it was a very pretty day.
Depends on what kind of shopping you want. look up Pony Village Mall online, it'll list the stores there in our little mall....we also have a Super WalMart, couple Bi-Marts, Fred Meyers, and tons of little specialty shops.
Lincoln City has those fabulous Outlet malls!!! LOVE EM!
could you specify what stores youre really needing and we can go from there....

[triplemom]

I was hoping for a Costco and a mall really---Just so I dont have to drive for an hour to do my weekly shopping I want a house with an ocean view in a safe and pretty beach town...

[furyu]

There are no Costcos in any of the Oregon coastal towns.

The person who recommended Eureka, CA is correct, that town has the best shopping along the coast and I often travel the two-hours from Brookings to shop there. There is a Costco and other 'mainstream' stores in that area.

Coos Bay does have plenty of 'small' shops and a Super Walmart (Fred Meyer is the main grocery super store in Oregon; offers groceries as well as a lot of other stuff like clothing, hardware, garden supplies, etc.). But, along the coast (other than in Eureka/Arcata, CA), you won't find a Costco or a Target or anything resembling a mall like California has in almost every town, coastal or otherwise. For that, you have to go inland to the towns along I-5. Those towns have larger populations which support the large retail stores.

I most missed Trader Joes when I moved here. I had always lived within a few miles of one in both Northern and Southern California. Now I have to travel to Eugene to shop at one. Portland has several too. But Eureka, CA does not.

I've been to Pismo Beach, many times, the last time being a year or so ago. The person who wrote that it is as small if not smaller than some Oregon coastal towns is correct. However, the shopping situation is not comparable. There are two Costcos near Pismo Beach, one in San Luis Obispo which is ten miles away. The other is in Santa Maria which is about 20 miles away. Shopping convenience appears to be a major concern for triplemom.

It doesn't rain all the time along the coast. We've had a number of beautiful days here recently, with lots of sun and fairly warm for this time of year (not SoCal warm, but Oregon warm). Today, it happens to be raining again. Most people who I know are like me and moved to Oregon because they like cooler and wetter weather. I personally got so sick of blue skies and hot dry weather after living 17 years in SoCal, it just couldn't rain enough for me now!

The coastal towns along the northern coast, from Florence on up, are much 'prettier' than the southern Oregon coastal towns. With maybe the exception of Port Orford which is a classic-looking little ocean front fishing town. Port Orford also has fantastic ocean views.

No offense to anyone who lives in Coos Bay, but I would never call it a 'pretty town', especially with those two prominent lumber mills. Also, Coos Bay is like its name implies: a town along a bay. It's a little bit of a drive out to the ocean area.

[Steve97415]

One of the big differences between CA and OR is the demographic stratification in western Oregon. In CA there are lots of coastal cities that are suitable for young people and mid-career professionals. In OR, most people who need to work for a living live in the western valleys. Most people who live on the coast are retired. The retirement economy is a major factor in the livability here on the Oregon Coast. If you are in your upper 60's or older -- and rather conservative in your political leanings -- then you are much more likely to feel like you fit in here. If you are younger, then the advice about Eugene is probably good.
One of the major complaints about the coast is getting "cheated out of summer". Yes, the sun comes out every now and then. But there is no real season of summer here: no time of the year when you can put away your winter coat, no time of the year when you pick fresh tomatoes from your garden, no time of the year when you can sit outside in the evening with short pants and a cold drink. If you love summer, you'll be much happier in the Willamette or Rogue River Valley. Many of the people who like it here have an unusual intolerance to heat and just hate a traditional summer.

[whatatripp]

There is a tiny little town on the tippy-top of the Oregon coastline that has a Costco - Warrenton, west of Astoria (the town where the 80's film "The Goonies" was filmed). I found that out by looking at locations on the Costco website. It's cold and wet and foggy up there, though. Much more so than Pismo Beach. A house with an ocean view in a safe and pretty beach town isn't going to be much cheaper in Oregon than California, especially when you factor in property taxes.

That being said, Tillamook always struck me as a pretty town, but I only drove through there on the way to somewhere else. Rockaway Beach, just up the road, has a nice summer youth camp facility. Lincoln City does have a very nice outlet mall. I certainly enjoyed my family's mini-vacation in Newport what with the Oregon Coast Aquarium and picturesque bridge across the bay.

There just aren't any major towns on the Oregon coast that boast all the conveniences of the central and southern California coast. You'll have to be willing to give a bit in the drive-time dept for major shopping, or a lot in the ocean view dept for the big boxstore/mall convenience. And look very carefully at the school systems. Oregon has some high-quality schools, but I don't know if any of them are located on the coast.

[denka]

OK, Here is the deal. I used to live in a small town in Oregon called Port Orford about 75 miles north of the California, Oregon border and we did our shopping 50 miles to the north in the Coos Bay North Bend towns. They are one and the same to me any way; I now live on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington across the Columbia River from Astoria, Warrenton cities in Oregon. We on the peninsula shop in those two cities and they have a Costco and are now building a super Costco and just broke ground for a new super Wal Mart. They have a Fred Meyer, a new Home Depot, a Ross and several other small stores in the same general area as the Ross store. You have the Ocean, the huge Columbia River, you have Seaside just to the south, and across the river to the north you have Long Beach Peninsula with Chinook, Ilwaco, both wonderful fishing spots, Seaview, Long Beach (go to funbeach.com), Ocean Park, Oysterville at the end with the beautiful Willapa Bay. You have Portland Oregon to the east about a 2 1/2 hr. drive and it has Trader Joes. Tillamook is about 100 miles to the south and a 2 hr. drive plus you have all of the cities in between that city and Astoria that will be benefiting from the new Wal mart and Costco. Work is tuff on the coast. Like someone mentioned before. There is Clatsop Community College in Astoria as well and Warrenton has Camp Rilea Army National Guard and Air Guard. Property taxes aren't that bad either. Hope this helps.

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

It's not on the coast, but Eugene is the place that most closely resembles the mental atmosphere of Cal Poly/SLO/Pismo that I've ever seen. The coast is less than 100 miles away, mountains are closer, clear, cold rivers nearby. The climate is different tho', summer seems to start in July, but it is green most of the year, no brown hills all summer long like you are used to seeing.... Check out Eugene.

Regards
Gemstone

We have lakes/rivers you can play in. You can get to almost anything in 1 or 2 hours for variety.

If you were alive in the '70's & liked the way things were then in Cali, you'll like it here. It still has that '70's feel in many ways. Our water is great. The Willamette valley sky is reminiscent of the skies from the '70's in LA. I loved being a kid but I would have loved it more being a kid in Oregon...

But if you really want an across the board trade for Pismo... It isn't in Oregon cuz of the LOW UV.

The coast is foggy/windy. The water is not swimmer friendly. They have SNEAK waves here that pull people in. Or something like that. People swim in the lakes/rivers, not the ocean, in Oregon.

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by bigdave01

I think that Arcata, CA or Eureka, CA would fit your description very well.

The real estate is MUCH cheaper than the rest of California, and there is a college nearby. There are the usual retail stores, and it is fairly cultured.

Arcata, from what I hear, is very liberal, also. Translates as: "relaxed" to me.

The terrain/climate: rainforesty with SUN, right? Sounds tempting.