Lincoln City/ Toledo/ Otis (Portland, Salem: relocating, apartments, hotel)

[LindaWH]

I have a choice of living near Lincoln City or in Toledo for jobs. I am having a hard time with this decision, because I have only visited Lincoln City and Newport and liked them both as a "tourist." Here are statements I've gotten from folks in the area:
Stay away from Lincoln City--"you'll be sorry" if you live there (?!)
It's too windy on the coast--move inland to Toledo or Otis
The politics and "attitude" will drive you crazy in LC
Toledo is too boring, you'll feel isolated.

I am a 51 year old single woman, not too much into partying, but would certainly like to go out to dinner occasionally, take a yoga class, buy groceries. I need room for a dog, and that's kind of hard to find in Lincoln City.

Does anyone have any input on this that might help me in terms of decisions. It's hard to make this decision from Texas!

[tamalyn68]

I have lived in that area most of my life. All three are beautiful places to live as well as visit. Toledo and Otis have a country feeling to each.

Toledo is a full service town and close to Newport. Also not far at all from Corvallis. What I mean by full service is grocery stores, gas stations, a post office and city police as well as a swimming pool and library. It is a very historical town that even has it's own myspace page. My dad was born and raised there although there is no longer a hospital there is a dentist, optometrist and doctors that have been in the area for many years and have a good reputation. It was once a timber town that has many areas to check out.

Otis I don't know much about. If looking to rent it is not the place. This is a very residential town with little more than a resturaunt (wonderful food but hard to get seating at times due to how popular it is) gas station and Pronto-Pup. It is a very country setting close to Lincoln City and about 75 miles from Salem or Portland.

Lincoln City is a beautiful town. Popular with the tourists as it is so close to the beach. Many campgrounds and our lovely Casino. It can be bothersome in the summer as the traffic can get snail-like traveling across the town. My hubby and I tease that this town is a mile wide and 10 miles long! It is a great town, really. Rentals are easy to find, but most are in city type settings. So if you need a yard, good luck on that one unless you rent closer to the beach or even in the suburb called Gleneden Beach. Those rentals tend to run much higher than the apartments though.

We no longer live in Lincoln City because of relocating more inland to Grand Ronde for a job my husband had some years ago. I loved LC but he hated that it was chilly most times because of the winds off the ocean. He gets cold easy and can't warm up. I loved the beauty and the beach. Full service town it is indeed, with a Safeway (and other smaller grocers) two health stores (Trillium and Herb Store) gift/speciality shops galore, many gas stations, hospital, city police and county police, veterinary services, fast food, public pool and library, large outlet mall and did I mention our beautiful Casino?

Hope this helps you in deciding what next to do. I say stay a few nights in the area, check it out. Toldeo has a hotel in the downtown distric, Newport has many as well as LC that are quaint and very affordable. Make it a mini vacation!

[LindaWH]

Your opinions are so helpful! I stayed in Lincoln City last spring for a few days and really enjoyed it, but it wasn't during the busy summer season. I would really love to be in Newport, but don't think I can afford the rent. Toledo may be the best bet for me--I think the inland location would help me acclimate to the wind, and I've heard it's a little warmer. I've heard that the school is pretty cozy as well, and that's where I'll be working. Thanks so much! If you have any other thoughts, feel free to pass them on. I'm hungry for input.

[Counting Down]

For what it's worth, this month's issue of 'Where to Retire' magazine has a feature on Linolin City. It's the May/June 2008 issue.

[LindaWH]

Thanks! I will look for it.

[tablemtn]

If you work in Toledo, you should probably live there. Highway 20 is the road that connects Toledo to Newport (7 miles toward the west) and Corvallis (about 45 miles to the east). If you live in Newport and commute to Toledo, you'll end up having to purchase more gasoline (which is going to be a bit more expensive on the coast than further inland), and you'll be subject to the occasional closures of Highway 20 due to storm damage during the winter. The alternate route, the "Yaquina Bay Road," is narrow, windy, and about 11 miles long, though it is more scenic.

Living in Lincoln City and commuting to Toledo would be a hassle. Highway 101, which connects LC and Newport north to south, is not an expressway. It is two lanes (total) most of the way, and it is reduced in speed as it passes through populated areas like Depoe Bay (where the limit is 30mph, and which gets very crowded during the tourist season). Depending on weather, landslides, traffic, and other factors, you could spend a lot of time delayed, trying to get to Toledo or back. The alternate route between LC and Toledo is called "Highway 229" (the 'Kernville Highway,' which passes through the town of Siletz), and it is narrow, curvy, and even more prone to rockslides and closures.

If you were to live in Toledo, you'd avoid the commuting hassles, but would still be 10-15 minutes from Newport by road. Toledo has a modest selection of restaurants, many of them along its very walkable "Main Street," while Newport has quite a few more.