Life on the coast (Portland, Salem: house, movie theater, elementary school)

[mollyblythe]

I'm interested in moving to the beautiful Oregon coast where I've vacationed for many years. As a retiree nearing 60, I'm looking for natural beauty near the ocean and a quiet, peaceful lifestyle around other friendly folks in my age group. I like to eat out with friends, go to an occasional movie and love country trips to go sightseeing. An indoor heated pool close by would be great. Otherwise, my home is my castle. I would like a nice smaller home (1,000 plus square feet) with a couple of bedrooms in a pretty area. Also, a yard and a cushion of space around me with non-problematic neighbors to share with my little canine family (3 chihuahuas). A good grocery not too far away is preferable. Driving an hour or so to amenities is currently not a problem. I would like to be near good medical services, a good veterinarian and good car service/repair if the need arises. Good TV and internet service is kinda important. A bookstore, art classes and a writer's group not too far away would be bonuses.

Here's where you come in. If you live or have recently lived on the coast, can you tell me what area you live(d) in and about the good, the bad and the ugly of your daily life there. What are the great things about where you live? What are the minuses for you personally? What do you miss living in your coastal community? Any input related to my list would also be helpful.

I've read alot about the weather and the tourist season traffic. Include these if they're important for you but please include other features that make life good or not so good as well.

Being a vacationer (all seasons) has given me helpful impressions but the proof of the pudding is in actually living there. Thanks very much for your feedback. Happy Independence Day!

[Leisesturm]

I don't mean to sound flip but it seems that you are well placed to offer some help to us in helping you pinpoint something. Have you actually seen any of the things you want (internet access, indoor pool, good neighbors...) in any coastal towns. I've only been to the coast a time or two but the first time was a road trip all the way down 101 from Tillamook to San Francisco and it just seemed that it was a little... rustic... Maybe inland a little?

H

[tiffela74]

Id say Coos Bay/North Bend might fit your needs/desires.
We have the indoor heated pools (NB Pool, and the one at the Athletic Club...plus a heated outdoor one as well at Mingus Park)
We have several book stores, most of which have book clubs for different interests and I believe Books By the Bay has writers classes as well
We have the art museum that offers art classes for all levels and art types
We have the movie theater, a couple live theaters, and a couple of grocery stores (Albertsons, Safeway, Fred Meyers, McKays)
Ive had excellent service at the local clinic/hospital for both standard run of the mill issues, and also a very serious and rare condition my youngest had last winter.
The vet we've been to is great, no complaints there, and the girls that had to shave my cat,(Long story there) well, kudos to them cuz they bathed him and shaved him bald w/o needing to knock him out first! Theyve been great w/my little dog too (rat terrier) We had good service w/our truck when it needed work, and recommended them to our recently moved here from Cali neighbors who just raved about them.
We really enjoy most of our neighbors, and i think its mutual. lol
I love living here. For us, it was a wonderful choice and our kids are just thriving here. People for the most part are laid back and friendly, helpful and kind. And from all walks of life. Ive had the blessings to be able to mingle frequently with people from one end of the education/income level to the other end and really, most were quite friendly all the way through. WE do have those people of course, who are miserable and do their best to make others just as gloomy, but after attempts to win them over, I tend to just ignore that type. Unless of course, they change their tune and can do something besides whine, then we're all good. lol
CB/NB isnt paradise, we have our share of nasty ole snakes(the human type) and mudholes, but for the most part, its pretty great IMO.
AND, we have less tourists than some of the other coastal communities. Except of course, for DuneFest, but I stay well outta that one! lol
best of luck to you!!!!
Tiff

[manzanite]

I was also an occasional visitor to the Coast until I took the plunge years ago and bought a house on the North Coast. At first I didn't know if I would be able to handle the remoteness of small town Coastal living but I quickly fell in love with the lifestyle and now when I have to travel for work I can't wait to get back home.

I think the Nehalem Bay area could be a good fit for you. There's an indoor swimming pool at the North County Recreation District in Nehalem. The town of Manzanita has three grocery stores, one of which (Mother Nature's) is one of the best natural food stores on the North Coast. For chain stores, Tillamook is about an hour away with Fred Meyer's, Safeway, Ace Hardware, Starbucks, etc. There is a clinic close by in Wheeler and a full fledged hospital in Tillamook. There is a small local bookstore in Manzanita and at least one larger one in Tillamook.

There are ongoing writer's workshops in Manzanita and also a visiting writer's series sponsored by the non-profit cultural center. We get the major broadcast TV channels and cable and sattelite TV are both available. High speed internet is available either from either the phone company or the cable company. During the big storm last Decemeber, we lost power, long distance land lines, and all cell service but our internet stayed up the whole time. It was surreal sitting by the light of an oil lamp, surfing the web and sending emails to the outside world with pics of the storm damage.

And, if there is anything you just can't find locally, Portland is only about 90 minutes away and the local transit runs a bus to Downtown Portland and back twice a day.

As Tiffela said above, people here tend tp be friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. The scenery is spectacular so it's hard to resent the tourists that will be coming in the summer to enjoy what you get to live in everyday. Besides, the tourists help keep the variety of stores and restaurants in business.

The towns are very dog friendly, Manzanita has a new dog store where dogs are welcome inside, lots of businesses have doggy waterbowls outside and free dog cookies inside. My dog thinks he's gone to doggy heaven since we moved out here, he gets to go to the beach at least twice a day and play with all the other dogs.

But most important is the simple pace of life. Noone is constantly driving through traffic from place to place and then fighting for parking spots. People can walk to everything they need in town and will stop and talk when they meet on the street. You might hear a siren every week or so in the summer, maybe once a month in the winter. And there is nothing like opening the windows and letting the roar of the Ocean lull you to sleep at night.

Good luck in your search. Hope you can find a place that you enjoy!

[Oregonbeachlover]

For the last 6 years, we've been working on our retirement home in Lincoln City, and will soon be living there permanently. We spend almost all weekends, holidays, and spare weeks there, all year long. What I believe is that ANY place on the Oregon coast is just wonderful! We love it! Lincoln City is about an hour from Salem, and maybe 1 1/2-1 3/4 hours from Portland. It is a touristy place, so you have to account for that, i.e., traffic during weekends and holidays. I love walking on the beach and Lincoln City does have a 7 1/2 mile gorgeous "walking beach", plus Devil's Lake if you like boating. There are also a couple of rivers if you like fishing. We have the outlet mall, library, art classes, some drugstores, a couple of grocery stores (Safeway), but if you want bigger shopping, like Fred Meyer or WalMart, you have to drive about 25 miles down the coast to Newport. Lincoln City does have vet clinics, and a hospital (which did a good job stitching up my husband after he hit himself in the chin with a hammer). I know our neighbor had shoulder surgery there too, and was pleased with it. Our neighbor, who is a senior citizen, also goes swimming, daily, at a senior center , so I know that exists. If you are into golf, there is that too. Since Lincoln City is a touristy town, there is something going on every weekend of the year. You can never get bored. It boasts that it is the "kite capitol of the world", and they have large competitions a couple of times a year. Also, if one gets lonely during anytime, you can head to Chinook Winds Casino for a noise or people fix. You can also catch some good concerts there throughout the year. All in all, I love the town. But, I think I could be happy living anywhere on the Oregon coast!

[Oregonbeachlover]

I forgot to add that of course you can get cable TV or any of the satellite providers, as well as internet service, in Lincoln City.

[Alinka]

When I read the initial post in this thread I had problems trying to log in to respond. If I had been able to reply I would have said that I hoped Tiff, Oregonbeachlover, manzanite and Silverfall would contribute.

Your responses made me feel a little bit like I was there. And I will get there! You seem like great neighbors.

It is difficult to decide on a community from such a distance. I hope to be able to spend at least a week in the fall, driving south from Cannon Beach, to Coos Bay. I've had enough sun and heat so don't want to go too far south on the coast.

[jadeon]

Originally Posted by tiffela74

Id say Coos Bay/North Bend might fit your needs/desires.
We have the indoor heated pools (NB Pool, and the one at the Athletic Club...plus a heated outdoor one as well at Mingus Park)
We have several book stores, most of which have book clubs for different interests and I believe Books By the Bay has writers classes as well
We have the art museum that offers art classes for all levels and art types
We have the movie theater, a couple live theaters, and a couple of grocery stores (Albertsons, Safeway, Fred Meyers, McKays)
Ive had excellent service at the local clinic/hospital for both standard run of the mill issues, and also a very serious and rare condition my youngest had last winter.
The vet we've been to is great, no complaints there, and the girls that had to shave my cat,(Long story there) well, kudos to them cuz they bathed him and shaved him bald w/o needing to knock him out first! Theyve been great w/my little dog too (rat terrier) We had good service w/our truck when it needed work, and recommended them to our recently moved here from Cali neighbors who just raved about them.
We really enjoy most of our neighbors, and i think its mutual. lol
I love living here. For us, it was a wonderful choice and our kids are just thriving here. People for the most part are laid back and friendly, helpful and kind. And from all walks of life. Ive had the blessings to be able to mingle frequently with people from one end of the education/income level to the other end and really, most were quite friendly all the way through. WE do have those people of course, who are miserable and do their best to make others just as gloomy, but after attempts to win them over, I tend to just ignore that type. Unless of course, they change their tune and can do something besides whine, then we're all good. lol
CB/NB isnt paradise, we have our share of nasty ole snakes(the human type) and mudholes, but for the most part, its pretty great IMO.
AND, we have less tourists than some of the other coastal communities. Except of course, for DuneFest, but I stay well outta that one! lol
best of luck to you!!!!
Tiff

Do you have any allergy problems in your area? Is it extremely windy there? How is the school system? Especially interested in the elementary school.

Thank you for the information.

[tiffela74]

Thanks Alinka!!!

Well, some people have allergy problems out here. I dont. My husband used to have pretty bad ones when we lived up in Mulino, but since moving here, he's pretty much symptom free.
It can be windy here. Not like constant blow your garbage can over wind, but in the winter we can get some definate wind. Ive been here 5yrs now, and the worst damage we've had from the wind was a gutter pipe blowing down (on our fixer upper house) and the year before that, our empty garbage can blew into the neighbors hedge. Now, i do know that some other folks had trees go down and such, but not anyone I know or anything like that around me. With the first one, we were living right on Cape Arago, so right on the bay just up from the beach entry, the second one, (last winter) was here in town, inland about a mile.
It can get annoying at time, when it gets really breezy for days on end. It'll bug me cuz there goes my hair! lol
As for the school system, we like it. My oldest is in JrHigh and has been on the honor roll the whole time. My son is in grade school and has been in an after school AP program that we've been pleased with. His teachers have also done a great job of challenging him onward in class each day. My youngest just came out of KG and we're happy with how she is doing. She is reading now, not big books, but she is reading ones like the Bearnstain Bears and such. Which is more than my oldest did in the Tigard schools. Also, she is doing basic math, the add/sub. and they did some pretty nifty science and art projects.
One thing i really love about it here, is the kids get a lot of marine life study. They have the MARE programs at the schools, so the Marine Biology Center actually has labs in the schools that they bring the kids into. The Biologists do a lot w/the kids at schools here. My kids all enjoy it very much.
Theres a local Boys and Girls program here that you might be interested in. They have an outstanding gymnastics program, they just sent one of their girls the that Jr Olympic Nationals. One of very few from Oregon. They also hold several state titles. And I know they start the kids at like 2yrs old if you want.
B&G also has a terrific dance program that the girls there have gone on to some very prestegious dance troups.
Even if they just do the after school program, they have a lot going on there, with different activities and programs. Might check it out for your kids.
Hope this helps.
Tiff

[Leisesturm]

After reading the above posts I feel the need to apologize to Tiffella and company. My bad. I actually like the coast very much and consider it a plus that Hillsboro is much closer to it than PDX proper. When actually out on the coast, though, its the seafood restaurants and the galleries and crafts shops that predominate. I'll stay clear of coast questions from now on.

H