Better to live in Lincoln City or Newport? (rental homes, homes)

[peppersara]

My husband just got a job in Lincoln City and we will be moving to the area this summer. We have two toddlers and two high schoolers. I love Lincoln City- beautiful beaches and lake, but from what I have heard, Newport offers better schools and more amenities conducive to life in general- community center, library, shopping. But we have found rental homes in Newport harder to find and more expensive than in Lincoln City. The commute will get expensive and we worry about the traffic as well. Anyone have facts or opinions that would help our decision about which city to live in? Thank you!

[davefr]

I would never call Lincoln City short on "amenities conducive to life". If that's where the job is then that's where I'd focus on living.

The best advice is to check out both cities in person before you make a commitment.

[Steve97415]

I think it would be ridiculous to commute to Lincoln City from Newport. Your husband has landed a job in one of the most desirable cities on the coast. What more could you ask for?

[Oregonbeachlover]

I actually agree with Steve (for the first time, ha,ha ). The commute between LC and Newport could get ugly. LC also has a community center, culinary arts center, library, and lots more, too. Newport has better stores for everyday shopping, though. You can't beat Lincoln City's beach! 7 1/2 miles long and all walkable. It's fabulous no matter what the weather brings. Sorry I can't help you about the schools. You should look up state test scores for the different schools. That's a good starting indicator.

[pw72]

The two towns are quite similar. Both have great beaches. Probably the biggest difference is LC has a large casino and a factory outlet mall.

[peppersara]

Thanks for the replies. I have been to both cities as a tourist many times and will be visiting again soon to check them out again. The biggest draw for Newport for us is that the high school has the baccelaureate program and better test scores. If I could hear something better about Taft High in Lincoln City, that would make me more excited about living there over Newport.

[Todd.LA]

I don't know about Lincoln City's schools, but I knew a few people in college who went to Newport High, and I got the impression that it was pretty solid. I did International Baccalaureate (IB) myself (over 10 years back), and it is an excellent program that is widely respected by colleges (perhaps more so than AP).

As a tourist, I always enjoyed Newport more than Lincoln City. Newport is more compact, while Lincoln City (given its roots as three different cities) is kind of spread out, shaped like a string bean. It seems like Lincoln City has worse traffic too. Wherever you choose, the central coast is very beautiful.

[pw72]

Lincoln City is more spread out because at one time it was two or three different towns (I can't remember the names). They merged at one point, I think around the mid-20th century, to make up what is now Lincoln City.