Considering move to Depoe Bay/Oregon Coast (Portland, Eugene: affordable apartment, rentals)

[washedupmermaid]

I'm considering moving to the Oregon Coast, but I need some inside tips before I plan to. I fell in love with pictures of Depoe Bay (Humpbacks are my favorite). I could really see myself owning a shop in that little town facing the water someday. Newport seems like a lovely town too. Anywhere on the Coast sounds nice.

I haven't had much luck finding apartment listings for either town and I can't afford a big house on my own at the moment, so it makes me wonder if there is any affordable apartment/condos around there for younger single people like myself?

I wonder about the weather too. I love rain and fog more than most people I know, but I wouldn't want to be in really cold weather at all times. What's the weather like on average?

I also read that grocery stores and shopping is a bit of a drive away from those towns. Is there any coastal living in Oregon that has closer access to places like that? I love small towns, but I also need access to bigger town life.

Sorry for all the questions and if I sound like I'm contradicting myself! I'm just trying to weigh it all out. I would appreciate any info or suggestions you could give me.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

One block off Hwy 101 in Depoe Bay, right in the middle of town, is a public parking lot. East, across the street is a two story apt house with 4-2 bedroom apts. About 3 mos ago two were vacant at $600/mo and an ocean view.

Newport has a lot of rentals. In all honesty, most of them are trashy, but there are a few decent ones. I doubt you will have any problems renting,

[washedupmermaid]

That's great! At $600/mo with an ocean view, you can't beat that. I'll be sure to keep that place in mind. I would want to avoid the trashy ones like you said, but hopefully if I look hard enough I should find something nice.

Thanks for the info!

[prairierose]

Rents for a decent apartment in Newport run about $800-1,000 and up. Newport has three grocery stores plus a small Walmart and Rite Aid drug store for the basic necessities. There are lots of specialty shops.

[darjoh]

Clean, secure, and affordable apartment rentals in Newport, Little Creek Apartments-365 NE 36th St. Newport, OR 97365 541-265-2663 - Apartment Search Results
They sometimes have a waiting list, but if you are looking in advance, this is a good place to start. I know of a few people that have made this place a good starting point for housing. There is no ocean view, but it is not far from Agate beach.

[justcarol]

Depoe Bay is unique, it is everything you saw in the pictures. There is affordable housing, apartments, some small houses. Right now the economy is depressed and I would not set up a shop unless you got a good deal on the space. There are some nice locations available right now, but again, take your time looking. There's a decent store in Lincoln Beach, not far from Depoe Bay. Otherwise, you'll need to go into Newport or Lincoln City for groceries. There are Wal-Marts, Walgreens, Fred Meyers, Safeways and so on. Performing Arts Center in Newport, small theater productions companies, art galleries all up and down the coast. The weather is grey in the winter. Rain and fog. Summer if often foggy in the morning, then clears of to real beauty during the summer.

Depoe Bay has restaurants, shops and some local events. They have volunteer opportunities like the Annual Salmon Bake, Fleet of Flowers, and other events.

It's a fun place to be, but it isn't large by any means. Most locals think nothing of driving in to Portland or Salem to shop and attend some event.

Hope this helps a little.

[washedupmermaid]

Fantastic! That helps a lot, thank you! I'm not too worried about the drive to stores, I would just have to plan ahead. I live in a big city at the moment (Charlotte, NC) and it's no problem for me to drive across town, which can take around 40 minutes anyway, depending on where I'm going.

I'm originally from Napa, CA, so I really just want to be on the west coast again near family and the prices in California are a bit much for me at the moment. Being from the Bay area, I have no problem with fog, so I thought this would be a perfect fit for me. And if not the coast, Beaverton seems nice too.

Thanks again for all the info, I really appreciate it.

[haggardhouseelf]

There are so many great towns on the coast! We live in Eugene, which is in the willamette valley, but we go to the coast every chance we get.

The weather on the coast is crazy. I mean that in the best way! It can be every sort of weather all in the same hour, even. We were there this past weekend and all in about 30 minutes we had freezing cold/gray/rainy weather, then the sun popped out for about ten minutes and warmed us up, then it got gray but not as cold again... crazy. We absolutely love the coast any time of year. The summers are of course when you have the most sunny and dry days, but even in winter you have sunny, beautiful days as well. There have been times when it's snowing in the valley and sunny and warm on the coast. We haven't seen too much fog, personally, when we've been at the coast. Not like what we saw in CA SF bay area or WA around the Puget Sound area, anyway. In our experience it seems like the winds and the rain is the worst of it as far as weather. When the winds kick up and it's raining it can be pretty awful. The good thing is that it never seems to last very long, as it kind blows over. The winds and the rain also bring up all kinds of awesome treasures on the beach, so they are actually really a welcomed sort of thing!

There are lots of places to shop along the coast. Many towns even have little farmer's markets and there are a few CSA's and whatnot. There are a few of the big box stores, too. Lots of great food on the coast. Lots of artsy little villages, too, where you can find homemade goods. And of course you have the thrift stores and antique shops and so on...

I'm sorry I'm not much help as far as rentals. I would suggest contacting a property management company or checking craigslist?

Good luck!!

[washedupmermaid]

Thanks for your input, haggardhouseelf! That kind of weather seems like a lot of fun. Really spontaneous! Haha. I would probably love it.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

There are so many great towns on the coast! We live in Eugene, which is in the willamette valley, but we go to the coast every chance we get.

The weather on the coast is crazy. I mean that in the best way! It can be every sort of weather all in the same hour, even. We were there this past weekend and all in about 30 minutes we had freezing cold/gray/rainy weather, then the sun popped out for about ten minutes and warmed us up, then it got gray but not as cold again... crazy. We absolutely love the coast any time of year. The summers are of course when you have the most sunny and dry days, but even in winter you have sunny, beautiful days as well. There have been times when it's snowing in the valley and sunny and warm on the coast. We haven't seen too much fog, personally, when we've been at the coast. Not like what we saw in CA SF bay area or WA around the Puget Sound area, anyway. In our experience it seems like the winds and the rain is the worst of it as far as weather. When the winds kick up and it's raining it can be pretty awful. The good thing is that it never seems to last very long, as it kind blows over. The winds and the rain also bring up all kinds of awesome treasures on the beach, so they are actually really a welcomed sort of thing!

There are lots of places to shop along the coast. Many towns even have little farmer's markets and there are a few CSA's and whatnot. There are a few of the big box stores, too. Lots of great food on the coast. Lots of artsy little villages, too, where you can find homemade goods. And of course you have the thrift stores and antique shops and so on...

I'm sorry I'm not much help as far as rentals. I would suggest contacting a property management company or checking craigslist?

Good luck!!

Well said.