Jobs near brookings? (Portland, Eugene, Salem: homes, job market, school)

[JENNIFER3565]

I am strongly considering moving to the Brookings area from a town near Sacramento, CA. I work here as a 911 dispatcher for a local police department and noticed that the town of Brookings is almost the same size as the one which I currently live. It has been recommended to me. However, I can't imagine there would be many employment opportunities there which is a concern because I am a 30 year old single mother. I do want to be very close to the beach as I am from Santa Cruz and desire the coast again, however don't want to move to an area with no employment opportunities. If anyone can recommend any other Oregon coastal towns with decent job opportunism, please let me know. Thank you so much.

[davefr]

Job opportunities along the coast are tough even in good economic times. However they're almost non-existant now and the few jobs are likely seasonal (tourism) and at minimum wage.

Don't give up a paying job in these times unless you have another one already secured. (or make sure you can support yourself for 1-2 years without work).

There is a large retirement population along the coast and many of them are trying to re-enter the workforce since their 401K's are now 201k's.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by JENNIFER3565

[color=black][font=Verdana]I am a 30 year old single mother.

Believe me, you do not want to live on the southern Oregon coast if you're not retired. Double that advice if you have young kids. The job market is virtually non-existent and the school system is sadly lacking.
You should consider moving someplace where there is a sizable population of persons in your own age group. You won't find that on the Oregon coast.

[darkfur93]

I moved to the southern Oregon coast from near Sacramento, Most people here are retired, Most shops in the town are closing down and laying people off.
The Brookings-Harbor has a POP of 12,000.
Most people in town work at the mills or FredMeyer.

[MtnSurfer]

Jennifer,

Brookings is truly an amazing place for its natural beauty. I took my family there last year and we all loved the area. But the big question for us was 'what in the world do ppl do for a living around here?' I think it is probably a great place to vacation and retire, but a much harder one to raise a young family in and find work.

We live in Monterey now and love it. There is much more work down here and it still has a small town feel. Why not come home to the Monterey/Santa Cruz area? It is probably a more realistic option in the current economy than the beautiful OR coast. Just a thought.

Derek

[trixie09]

I echo everything written here. Brookings is a lovely place! However, the difference is that you live in a smaller town near other cities, while the Coast of Oregon is a collection of small towns. A great place to be if you're retired, but not someplace where you'd hope to find full time work. The weather on the Coast, even if you're in a banana-belt section, can be brutal during the winters.

If you're serious about the coast of Oregon, have you considered a few of the larger towns (still not big, but larger), like Florence, Lincoln City, etc.?

Monterey is fabulous, MtnSurfer, one of my favorite places, ever. The cost of living is quite different from the Oregon coast, though.

[JENNIFER3565]

Thank you all for your input. Mt Surfer, I am actually am from Watsonville so I have always been in love with that area. I would go there in a heartbeat if it weren't that I would wind up living in a small shack for a ridiculous amount of money.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by JENNIFER3565

Thank you all for your input. Mt Surfer, I am actually am from Watsonville so I have always been in love with that area. I would go there in a heartbeat if it weren't that I would wind up living in a small shack for a ridiculous amount of money.

Hi Jennifer,

Yeah the Monterey/Santa Cruz areas are generally more expensive than the Oregon coast thats for sure. However if you are willing to live a little further out you can find some deals. Heck, we have friends with 3 children who are from Carmel originally. But to save money and live more frugally during this economy they moved to Castroville. The price difference can be pretty huge when you look into some of these outlying areas. Prunedale or 'Prunetucky' has some good values. The northern side of Moss Landing before Watsonville also has some lower priced homes. My mother lives there and likes it. Some of these areas have more farm laborers than others. But if you are ok with that they can be reasonably priced options. San Juan Bautista and Hollister are others option which are a little further out.

Derek

[Hawk J]

.............small world...................


Lustrums ago i used to fish at Pinto Lake & nearby beaches, went to dirt track races at rodeo grounds, Strawberry Festival in Watsonville, Artichoke Festival in Castroville...............

Over the years i lived in Carmel Valley, Monterey, Marina, Prunedale, River Road outside Salinas.


Have a Wonderful Day.........................

[Smiled]

I'd say from a financial standpoint, Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Salem are the most secure. You're an hour from the beach in any of those places. As far as actually living on the coast, all places except Brookings are pretty rainy. If you insisted on living on the coast, I'd try some of the more northern places - Coos Bay northward.
I'm an old Santa Cruzan myself. The Coast Range is different here; the roads are often icy in winter, and snow goes down to sea level 1-3 times a year (yes, there is snow on the beach on occasion).
Public-sector jobs such as yours are likely more stable. You should be advised, though, that salaries are lower (which I'm sure you'll discover).