The character of the Oregon coastal cities! (Portland, Eugene: casino, price)

[Wherewillitland]

What are the coastal oregon cities like? Do they have exciting downtowns, are sleepy and reclusive, or both! Other than surfing, do people kayak or do other things in the pacific ocean?

Im sure it depends on community for character, right? Like Astoria and the beach communities closer to Portland are probably different form the southern coastal oregon towns.

[Terryj]

I don't know if I would call them exciting, allot of the coastal towns are small, founded on fishing or logging and with the decline of both of these industries, most of the coastal town cater to tourist. Each town has it's own atmosphere, so any person visiting the coast of Oregon, can find a town that reflects their own personal tastes. For myself, I enjoy the south coast, Brookings, Gold Beach, Port Orford and Bandon. I don't know much about the surfing community on the Oregon coast, but I do see them out there every now and then.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Lincoln City has the casino, too, and that tweaks things here, good and bad. Also, one of the big draws to Lincoln City is the float hunt, which is from October through May. There are always people on the beach "float hunting".

[Wherewillitland]

what is float hunting? Float as the object, or a kind of fish that I dont know of?

[Wherewillitland]

What about Cannon Beach and Florence?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Cannon Beach is a town for the eclectic. Very artsy (wannabe artists) and overpriced.

Florence is more of a typical small town based on tourism, but still its own town- much like Newport.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Oh, the Lincoln City float campaign is called "Finders Keepers" and here is what it is about:

Glass Floats - Finders Keepers!

[brubaker]

Is it true that many of the Southern coastal cities are more politically conservative?

[davefr]

For the most part the coastal towns tend to be a little "sleepy". If your definition of "exciting" is night life then they are definately not "exciting".

Lots of gray hair on the coast. (retirees). The lack of jobs has sent many of the younger generation elsewhere.

Outdoor recreation is where it's at and brings in the tourism. (ie fishing, crabbing, hiking, bike riding, surfing, sand dune sports, sight seeing etc).

The towns closest to Portland tend to be more touristy. (Seaside and Cannon Beach tend to be commercial tourist traps). However there are some other towns like Oceanside that refuse to go that route.

In general the southern coastal towns tend to be a little less touristy. (ex: Port Orford)

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Wherewillitland

Im sure it depends on community for character, right? Like Astoria and the beach communities closer to Portland are probably different form the southern coastal oregon towns.

I would say "no." The areas closer to Portland and Eugene are a bit more gentrified, but overall the Oregon coast is fairly homogeneous. The northern and central sections have better transportation connectivity with the inland areas, though, and so there is not so much a feeling of isolation as there is south of Florence. In general, the coast is characterized by

1. gray hair (or none at all) -- lots of retirees
2. economic stagnation
3. social and political conservatism (often quite extreme south of Florence)
4. lack of ethnic diversity
5. a "blue water" sports scene -- the water is often quite rough and cold which tends to discourage kayaking, surfing, scuba diving and other activities that are likely to result in intimate contact with sea water. That isn't to say that it can't be done, but it takes an exceptionally hardy constitution and a thick coat of neoprene. With the exception of Coos Bay, the Oregon coast is rather deficient in sizable bays or coves of sheltered water. Deep-water fishing is very popular. Hiking along the coast is very good.
6. an early-to-bed social scene
7. an anachronistic feel...most coastal residents had their heydays in the 1950's and 1960's and the zeitgeist of that era is still strongly present in both the physical appearance of the towns and the collective social attitude.
8. small towns -- Coos Bay has about 15,000 residents. All other coastal towns have populations below 10,000.
9. extremely poor educational opportunities
10. chilly and breezy weather with frequent overcast