Thinking of moving to Oregon Coast (Florence: rental, job, homes)

[RockyMtnr]

Here at Lincoln City, I've had to water my lawns regularly since May. Some weeks, it rains enough that I don't have to. Usually though, it won't rain til I turn on my sprinklers or start my mower ... kinda like waxing the car.
This area got hit by several inches of snow just before we arrived. Power was out for three days. We're about 2 long blocks from the beach.
Until May, it rained a lot! Most every day it either rained, drizzled, sprinkled or fogged. Still, there were breaks in the clouds many days ... and I found that folks come all the way from Portland just to catch the sun in winter!
It's been cooler than normal, apparently. Got over 70 a few times but don't think we ever hit 80. Nights were always below 60 and are, currently, below 50 ... kinda a cold-spell going on right now.
Inland is hot-hot-hot. Starts about 8 miles from the beach ... and doesn't stop.
Made my first trip up the coast last month from Coos Bay home. Really liked Florence and Yachats. Would consider a move to Florence. Don't quite know what to think of Coos Bay ... I was expecting it to be more "on the water". Still, prefer the cool of the beach-towns ... already been wearing the head-band/ear-cover and hat most times out for a hike. Have to wear it all summer on the beach or get those horrid earaches and headaches. Cold enough now to cover the throat area. Can still wear shortsleeves though if I want. Do they make shortsleeve turtlenecks?
One thing about Oregon - weather-forecasters are pretty safe. Even TWC just seems to either say "All Rain" or "No Rain" and then, they blame everything on a "surprise".

[turnerfamily]

While I have lived on the coast(Bandon) for 6-7 years and now inland,I find they both have their advantages.For me the warmer summers were much more welcome.And if the heat was too much to handle the coast was an hour away-not bad.Living inland I think the weather is more 4 seasonal and predicatable.While living on the coast you would expierience the beautiful clear day with warm air and little to no breeze(usually spring or fall)but they were too far and in between for me.You could never predict that day coming and in most cases weren't even sure the blue sky would break thru the clouds or fog,which was very common when the valley gets hot.So to each there own-I just know that when you do choose to live somewhere,realize that some things you can't change once you have settled down and that's the weather.For me I'll take the 70s,80s and just maybe a couple 90s from June thru September(77 today!) and lots of fruit and veggies.

[RockyMtnr]

You have brought up several interesting comparisons.
I've wondered if I would adapt easily to the heat farther inland - but one must consider that I moved here from the "dead-of-a-Wyoming-winter" and this area was plenty hot for us until just recently - when it started cooling down again and we found ourselves being cold for the first time.
Food is another little problem. I thought fresh fish would be an easy thing - I can practically toss a rock to the Ocean and the Lake is only a mile away - as are a couple of small streams and the River is just over two-miles out ... but I ain't got no fresh fish! It's more expensive here than inland! And it isn't from here - it's from ... someplace else! The streams are much like Rocky Mountain streams - too shallow some places for fish. There aren't that many fish in the surf ... that I've seen - and the Lake is a chance-bet regarding catching any fish! Veggies are higher here - and most aren't from here! That all starts in about 10/12 miles ... and you're right - living among the veggie farms/fruit farms/wineries/nut orchards has always made sense to me.
What we may not adjust to is the humidity. It seems to change often at the coast and the breeze helps. Always windy just about. However, this humidity at greater heat might pose a problem for us ... being all dried-out from a few decades of Wyoming/Utah. We'll see. Soon as I find some fresh cider, I'll decide.

[seashelly]

Rocky Mtnr - A few other things have you noticed yet: Rubber items (such as rubber bands, wiper blades, rubber seals, tires) break down more quickly in the salt air, and, metal objects (like shovels, garden tools, screws, nails) even though kept out of the weather, rust quickly from the salt air. Just wondered if you've gotten to that stage yet.

[tiffela74]

RockyMtnr- have you tried along the docks or to buy right off the boat? We've done that in the past and gotten some really terrific deals! Plus, its helping the locals out, always a plus!
Tiffany

[RockyMtnr]

Originally Posted by seashelly

Rocky Mtnr - A few other things have you noticed yet: Rubber items (such as rubber bands, wiper blades, rubber seals, tires) break down more quickly in the salt air, and, metal objects (like shovels, garden tools, screws, nails) even though kept out of the weather, rust quickly from the salt air. Just wondered if you've gotten to that stage yet.

First; note to Tiff: Lincoln City has no docks, no marina and no boats except for the few on "D" Lake. Depoe Bay is about 25 minutes away and they have a small marina while Newport has a larger one - but we aren't down that way very often. It's okay though, Tiff - doctor put me on an "Absolutely No Meat" diet a couple months ago ..... not even fish!

SeaShel; I have 40 apartments. I have noticed! Were our buildings just another half-mile inland, we wouldn't have the problems we have. First, they used too much stainless on original construction and it isn't weathering well. Always blowing salt and sand in the air. Mold. Dry-Rot big-time. Also, we're built on a swamp! The tile roofs are really taking abuse - they're just about completely crapped-out now. Never saw such problems in California. Plus, all you have to do is sit still a little too long and you'll get a few blue and green spots as well!
Blackberries are good though. Hard to adjust to food being a noxious weed!

[tiffela74]

[quote=RockyMtnr;1605178][font="Comic Sans MS"]First; note to Tiff: Lincoln City has no docks, no marina and no boats except for the few on "D" Lake. Depoe Bay is about 25 minutes away and they have a small marina while Newport has a larger one - but we aren't down that way very often. It's okay though, Tiff - doctor put me on an "Absolutely No Meat" diet a couple months ago ..... not even fish!

Ohhh. ouch. Thats a bummer!!! I love to go down to our local docks and get crab/salmon from the guys coming in on the boats. Soooo much better than any ole supermarket! See, you should come down to Coos Bay when you can have meat/fish again. We'll get ya treated right. lol

ya, the saltwater can sure do some damage! And the mold problem runs away from you verrrry quickly. We were on a house right on the bay, and fought mold like crazy. Finally realized it was a battle we'd never win (old leaky house built on concrete foundation w/all the windows sealed shut except for the cracks at the top from the house settling years ago..)
lol, your comment about the blackberries cracked me up!
Tiffany

[RockyMtnr]

Next year we will start earlier on the Blackberries. There are several bushes wildly rimming our property here - and where we go for hikes - which is about 1 1/2 miles away, behind Devil's Lake - up there, there are several Forest Svs trails running the hills and a few of them are loaded down with Blackberries. August & September has been rich for them - they're almost all gone now.
We are softly considering a move south. It was just a mid-weekday-afternoon drive-thru of Coos Bay and despite getting slightly off-track a couple of times, I'm sure we didn't see "the sights". Hope to make another trip that way before too awful long - maybe this year.
We are very glad that we moved to Oregon when we did. Left mid-winter Wyoming and came to one of the mildest climes I've ever experienced.
Hot towel?

[Somethingmissing]

Waitaminnit....did I read that it doesn't snow in Coos Bay?!?!? If so, I'm on my way!! LOL.

[Waterlily]

Hello Somethingmissing. Yes that's correct! It doesn't snow in Coos Bay. I've lived here 4 years now,and I've been a visitor to the coast for many years. Now once in a while in the dead of winter we'll get a few flakes of snow that come down but they melt off really fast during the day. It also does not get below freezing much. I was going to say it doesn't freeze but last year we had a few nights where it did freeze. i don't think we've got any Globel Warming going on out here.

I will warn you about our rain. We gets lots of rain. Summers are really nice with highs about 68 degrees.