Lincoln City vs. Coos Bay (Portland, Salem: apartment, to rent, casino)

[AJLVT]

Hi guys,

I am thinking about moving to the coast, and I get more intrigued about it every day. Right now I am torn between the Coos Bay area and the Lincoln City area. I'm still yet to visit, but am trying to narrow things down in my mind and figure out where I should visit first.

I play poker for a living, though mostly online. So while being near a casino would be nice, it isn't actually necessary. Basically I am just a quiet 25-year-old who hangs out with his dog. Hiking trails would be a plus. I'd prefer a place with a little bit of activity (basically, places to eat), but I mostly just mind my own business and don't need much going on. Friendly people would be a plus, and warmer weather is a plus too.

Basically I am just wondering what people who know the area better could toss out as some pro's and con's of one city vs. the other, since from a distance they seem so similar. I'd really appreciate any and all info. Thanks a bunch!

[tiffela74]

Hi AJVLT,
I live in Coos Bay, so I can help you out a little bit. Im sure OceanBeachLover will pop in and help you out w/her infor on the BEAUTIFUL Lincoln City too...word of warning, we both LOVE where we live, (heck, i love where SHE lives too!! lol) so you're not gonna hear a whole lotta bad stuff from either of us.
Okay, Coos Bay,
We've got plenty of hiking trails all around, in fact, in about an hour, Im off to do another hike about.Mod. level for my lazy butt. lol Plenty of beach for you to walk along, or you can spend some time exploring the wetlands. Im off for a forest/cliffside combo myself. Thats my fav.
We have a casino here in town. THE MILL CASINO, i know its got a website you can check out.
We're not a real exciting town when it comes to stores/shops/stuff like that. Most things close down fairly early, and we dont have many of the chain resturants like Olive Garden, Applebees, TGIFs, etc. We DO have Bennettis,(italian food) Buffalo Bills Steakhouse (oh yummm! my fav!) Empire Cafe (small and upscale) lots of pizza places, chinese food, McDs, BKing, and several smallish personal resturants. And some truly awesome seafood places. You shouldnt starve.
I think people here are for the most part friendly. Ive met a soul or two that were rude/cruel/snotty, but for the most part, people have been friendly since we moved here 5yrs ago. hey, i live here, and im pretty friendly. I'll talk w/ya in the grocery line. lol
there are some areas to avoid, just like any town/city in America. It can be challenging to get a job here, although, if youre dilligent, you may end up happily employed. I make more here than i did in Clackamas, as does my husband. Took him a few years, and some creative searching, but he found a job that he loves and is doing very well in. Neither of us are in the standard jobs, but hey, who says you have to stick with what everyone else and Bob are doing?
It can be rainy here during the winter! More so than you'll find inland! Still, its not like its constant. My family and i have all found the weather here quite tolerable. Its also more windy in winter than it is in like Portland/Salem/inland places. But nothing extreme. Only time it really bugs me is if I have some where important to go, and I have spent too much time and too much hairspray on and when i go outside...there goes the hair. So I spend more time happy im not high matinence on hair!. lol
the 101 area is kinda icky looking. But the good news is, theyre currently working on it!
anyhow, theres a start, feel free to ask away any specifics.
Good luck!1
Tiffany

[vnodak]

Originally Posted by tiffela74

Hi AJVLT,
I live in Coos Bay, so I can help you out a little bit. Im sure OceanBeachLover will pop in and help you out w/her infor on the BEAUTIFUL Lincoln City too...word of warning, we both LOVE where we live, (heck, i love where SHE lives too!! lol) so you're not gonna hear a whole lotta bad stuff from either of us.
Okay, Coos Bay,
We've got plenty of hiking trails all around, in fact, in about an hour, Im off to do another hike about.Mod. level for my lazy butt. lol Plenty of beach for you to walk along, or you can spend some time exploring the wetlands. Im off for a forest/cliffside combo myself. Thats my fav.
We have a casino here in town. THE MILL CASINO, i know its got a website you can check out.
We're not a real exciting town when it comes to stores/shops/stuff like that. Most things close down fairly early, and we dont have many of the chain resturants like Olive Garden, Applebees, TGIFs, etc. We DO have Bennettis,(italian food) Buffalo Bills Steakhouse (oh yummm! my fav!) Empire Cafe (small and upscale) lots of pizza places, chinese food, McDs, BKing, and several smallish personal resturants. And some truly awesome seafood places. You shouldnt starve.
I think people here are for the most part friendly. Ive met a soul or two that were rude/cruel/snotty, but for the most part, people have been friendly since we moved here 5yrs ago. hey, i live here, and im pretty friendly. I'll talk w/ya in the grocery line. lol
there are some areas to avoid, just like any town/city in America. It can be challenging to get a job here, although, if youre dilligent, you may end up happily employed. I make more here than i did in Clackamas, as does my husband. Took him a few years, and some creative searching, but he found a job that he loves and is doing very well in. Neither of us are in the standard jobs, but hey, who says you have to stick with what everyone else and Bob are doing?
It can be rainy here during the winter! More so than you'll find inland! Still, its not like its constant. My family and i have all found the weather here quite tolerable. Its also more windy in winter than it is in like Portland/Salem/inland places. But nothing extreme. Only time it really bugs me is if I have some where important to go, and I have spent too much time and too much hairspray on and when i go outside...there goes the hair. So I spend more time happy im not high matinence on hair!. lol
the 101 area is kinda icky looking. But the good news is, theyre currently working on it!
anyhow, theres a start, feel free to ask away any specifics.
Good luck!1
Tiffany

I love how you promote the city but I think someone 25 might like Lincoln City better. I was never impressed with what Coos Bay had to offer for eating out and it has not changed much. My only advice is to read all the stats on both cities and visit them. You have to personally get a feel for the area to know if it is for you or not. I wish you luck.

[AJLVT]

Thanks so much Tiffela, I appreciate the information. Finding a job isn't really an issue because I am self-employed. So the plan is to make money online and pump it into the Oregon economy.

But that leads to another question -- do you think it will be hard finding someone to rent to someone who plays poker for a living? Or if I can prove that I have income, and/or put a few months down upfront should it not be a problem?


vnodak -- Thanks for your perspective. Care to explain a little more what you think the advantage is to Lincoln City? Is it basically eating out options? What about the weather, is it less windy/rainy there? Thanks so much.

[Oregonbeachlover]

I'm not really sure how to answer. One issue difference between Coos Bay and Lincoln City might also be the tourist industry. During holidays, summertime, and weekends, LC can be very crowded (congested streets too). Most of the time I am OK with it (drive alternate roads, and don't shop on weekends). On the pro side, all of these "vacationers" are very happy people, and are thrilled to be at the beach and so you really feel their joy. One of my greatest pleasures in life is walking with my dogs on the beach, and with 7 1/2 miles of walkable beach, that is a big plus for me. With a lake being here too, there are many other activity options. I have heard that living on the lake (the Neotsu area too) is a totally different climate than on the beach, yet it is still Lincoln City. If you want to ask me more specific questions, I would be glad to try and answer. There was also a 6 page article in a retirement magazine recently, and although it was written for older folk, it gave a wonderful assessment of all the things LC has to offer (much more than I even knew about). So, I could email it to you.

[vnodak]

Originally Posted by AJLVT

Thanks so much Tiffela, I appreciate the information. Finding a job isn't really an issue because I am self-employed. So the plan is to make money online and pump it into the Oregon economy.

But that leads to another question -- do you think it will be hard finding someone to rent to someone who plays poker for a living? Or if I can prove that I have income, and/or put a few months down upfront should it not be a problem?


vnodak -- Thanks for your perspective. Care to explain a little more what you think the advantage is to Lincoln City? Is it basically eating out options? What about the weather, is it less windy/rainy there? Thanks so much.

I doubt that you will have a problem renting in either place--the only draw back is the dog but at one point, I did rent and had a dog and cat. The weather is pretty much the same---coastal weather. I like the feel and things to do and places to go better in Lincoln city. Coos Bay is pretty rural and not very progressive--they do not like change. Coos Bay is an old fishing and logging town and those occupations are on the down slide. Drugs are a big thing in the area. Horizon air will no longer be flying into the area and the railroad is on the way out. It has its good points but the atmosphere in Lincoln city is happier and more progressive. Tiffela would tell you different and I praise her for her good and positive attitude. I lived in the area for over 25 years and would never go back and I do not regret leaving. Their is not much for people your age there but like I said you need to go and judge for yourself as it may be just what you like. Best of luck.

[davefr]

Yes, you need to visit both towns and decide for yourself.

Coos Bay is more of a blue collar town. Lincoln City is more of a tourist trap. There are pros and cons to each.

Why is your search limited to these two towns?? I'd personally skip them both in favor of Bandon, Gold Beach or maybe Port Orford.

[tiffela74]

I totally suggest taking a few days and visiting a couple different towns along the coast. Each one really does have its own vibe. kinda hard to explain them too....
I think Coos Bay is more laid back, and ya, we have a lot less tourism here. Although each time ive been to the casino, its been fairly packed. Grant you though, i dont go there a whole lot. ( i tend to lose easily!) Lincoln city DOES have a younger feel, at least it seems that way to me. (see Vnodak, we can agree!! lol )Coos bay seems to have more of a family settle down feel, and Lincoln city absolutly creams our apples on shopping!Im fully envious!!!! I love the beaches along both, LC seems to have more beachy activities (kite contests, sand castle building contests, beach trikes etc) CB is more solitary beaches, although we are right at the Dunes where we have tons of people out on their ATVs and doing things like Dune Fest, Sand Fest, stuff like that. I cant tell you much on that, Im totally anti-atv. but its sure popular w/most!
anyhow, theres a few more thoughts....
Tiff

[AJLVT]

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I definitely feel like I have a better feel for how the towns are different now. Any more information anyone has, I'd love to hear it. If I can think of any specific questions, I'll ask away.

Originally Posted by davefr

Yes, you need to visit both towns and decide for yourself.

I plan to visit. I want to ask first so I know which one to focus on first/schedule more time for/spend more time doing apartment searches, etc. It's possible there would be something that made one rather than the other really stand out, and that would help a lot. Thus far, I feel like Lincoln City has taken a lead in my mind, so that will be helpful in my planning (no offense to Tiffela and Coos Bay, it's just that the younger, more active type of place is more appealing to me).

But speaking of this, does anyone know if there is a bus or any form of public transportation that goes between these cities? I live on the east coast, so if I do decide to visit both places, I would rather do them in the same trip. So any convenient way of traveling between these cities would be nice to know about. (I don't drive.)

Why is your search limited to these two towns?? I'd personally skip them both in favor of Bandon, Gold Beach or maybe Port Orford.

It isn't. The casino is a plus to me; but more, the presence of a casino just kind of indicated to me that these cities were more likely to have a little something going on, so these are the cities I've been focusing on most.

Can you give me a brief rundown of what you think Bandon, Gold Beach, and Port Orford have to offer that makes them better places than Lincoln City? Thanks!

[girlintheglass]

Like you, I have been thinking of relocating to the north west coast. I am a native San Diegan. I left 19 yrs ago due to the insanity there. It was a much different place when I was a kid. That said, I love the beach, even need it! but I found myself in Prescott AZ and here I have remained for nearly two decades (I could never return to the Crazy Californians, Yikes!But I desparately miss the ocean), until... three years ago. I went to see a friend in Hood River (great little town to visit) about 50 miles east of Portland. We drove back to Prescott together, the long way! We drive from Portland to LC and all the way down in to San Fransisco, gorgeous, wonderful! I fell in love with the whole OR coast. Sice then I have been back and done the "down the coast" drive to Gold Beach twice now/ each time i find more... each time I want to move there more... I have decided on LC for a number of reasons but Coos Bay/North Bend have many wonderful things to offer and, I have heard that there is growth on the plan, check with the city and the Chamber of the areas too.
Fly into Portland, rent a car and drive down the coast. It is worth the "practical experience" Enjoy!