considering relocation to Brookings (Portland, Medford: rent, how much, motorhome)

[nvlandshark]

Hi,

I will be retiring in a couple of years and my wife and I are considering relocating to Brookings Harbor. We are currently living in Gardnerville Nevada (30 min from Lake Tahoe) tired of the snow and cold weather here and really miss the coast. I will be 60 years of age and my wife will be 53 when I retire and plan to move.

We passed through Brookings a couple of years ago on our way to coos bay. I have to say, Brookings really caught my eye. We had breakfast there and did a little driving around and liked what we saw. Since then we have been looking at a number of places on the west coast to relocate to, but nothing fits our needs. So now we are back to taking a closer look at Brookings.

So, I'm hoping to pick up a little info from the local folks in Brookings that might be frequenting this forum. So here goes. Is the rain during the winter always a hard rain or just drizzly most of the time with the exception of winter Strom's that blow in? Is there any activities going on during the winter? Is the surf fishing any good? Any car clubs in Brookings, for that matter any kind of clubs at all? Where do you go for the best major major shopping? Can vehicles be driven on the beaches in Brookings? Any info would be very much appreciated.

[alpine]

We lived in Brookings for a year and had 80 inches of rain in 3 months! You have to go over the 'mountains' to get to Grants Pass/Medford. Medford has all of the shopping you would want. They do have good restaurants in Brookings which we miss here in WY. We are thinking of moving to Bend, OR but that dreary, dreary winter weather scares us. I will say that the coast is wonderful driving in the winter and the summer but it does rain, rain and rain with drizzle and/or downpour order of the day, every single day. Brookings has some gorgeous homes but I suggest you do as we did, rent for a year before you make big investment that you may sit on for a long time, especially now.

[Waterlily]

Here is a relocation guide for the south coast. Look for Brookings on the list to find out more.
Oregon Relocation Guide 2008 | Brought to you By: The World Link

[nvlandshark]

alpine, Waterlily,

Thanks for the info! Was wondering what the locals typically do during the winter months (rainy season)? Is everyone housebound? Does the town have anything going on during the the winter months? I have lived in areas that get allot of rain during the winters (maybe not as much as Brookings). Believe me I would much rather have the rain and mild temps of Brookings all winter, than the snow and temps in the twenty's and teens all winter.
By chance, are there any VW enthusiasts in or near Brookings? would like to here from you.

Thanks again for the feed back! hope to here more.

Tom

[NorCalHiker]

How much of a contrast is Brookings compared to the Northern Coast of Oregon? 80" of rain seems like a lot. Is that typical?

TIA

[LostinPDX]

alpine, just curious, where in WY do you live? We are in Portland with two young kids and thinking of moving to the mountain west for more sun, snow instead of rain, less taxes, more conservatives, among other reasons... why are you thinking of moving back to Oregon?

[~elise~]

My husband and I are retired 60-something and we are also interested in Brookings as an alternative to Portland, where we are currently living.
The big city life is not for us; we are settled here temporarily because my husband had to have knee replacement surgery at the Veteran's Hospital here in Portland.
We only moved back to the mainland from Hawaii last year, so we are looking at small towns similar to the one we lived in in Hawaii. We are narrowing our search along the coast of Oregon because we both need the humidity.
We are looking for a small friendly town near the ocean. So, hearing that Brookings is referred to as the "Banana Belt" of the Oregon coast, I wanted to know more about it.
We don't mind rain, as we are used to much more rain in Hawaii than Oregon gets, but I was curious as to how cold it actually gets there. I am told that it dips into the 30's here in Portland. Does it get that cold there?
I also wanted to know what shopping is available in the area, ie: larger grocery store chains, Walmart or Target, Home Depot, shopping malls, etc.
I would also appreciate knowing how far it is to any larger nearby cities and the level of difficulty in getting to them.
If there is anyone on this forum who lives in or near Brookings, can you tell me what you think about the area?

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by NorCalHiker

How much of a contrast is Brookings compared to the Northern Coast of Oregon? 80" of rain seems like a lot. Is that typical?

TIA

Pretty much, the Western Regional Climate Center list the average precip for Brookings as 76.34 inches, falling on 135 days/year, with a period of record high of 123.90 inches. So, pretty darn wet. The biggest difference as one goes north along the coast is the increase in the number of rainy days and from about 60 at San Francisco to 130 at the Oregon border to 190 on the Washington Coast and over 200 in SE Alaska.

[mdi]

Originally Posted by nvlandshark

alpine, Waterlily,

Thanks for the info! Was wondering what the locals typically do during the winter months (rainy season)? Is everyone housebound? Does the town have anything going on during the the winter months? I have lived in areas that get allot of rain during the winters (maybe not as much as Brookings). Believe me I would much rather have the rain and mild temps of Brookings all winter, than the snow and temps in the twenty's and teens all winter.
By chance, are there any VW enthusiasts in or near Brookings? would like to here from you.

Thanks again for the feed back! hope to here more.

Tom

My wife and I are moving to Brookings from So. CA. We've visited several times, rain or shine. We did notice that during the rainy season, life goes on. No major changes, just a little wetter and different clothes.

[alpine]

Ok, our comments for those of you wondering about living in Brookings or WY or whever else.
Brookiings is nice, we lived in a PUD development above Harris Beach State park, heard the ocean most days, felt the wind always, bought fresh seafood at the docks in Harbor, enjoyed the hot summer month but that rain was too much for us the other 11. Lots of things going on in the area, shopping is OK but no high end stores. Locals love it and are used to it, we tried but gave up after a year only because of the rain. We rented from Margo H and would recommend her anytime.
Wyoming: we just moved from Cody to Bend. We lived there in 05/06, tried being a snowbird in a 40' motorhome, didn't like it , came back last year and rented for 14 months and left in Sept. for Bend OR. Cody has spectacular scenery . A "little" racist so we left after a year or so. Cody housing is higher than many other WY towns but lower repro's. Weather is great, snow doesn't stick very long, wind keeps the air clean. Water for lawns is not cheap but is plentiful. Shopping is 100 miles away in Billings MT which may or may not be bad except in the winter due to road conditions. VA clinic is close by in Powell and is is fantastic. Doctors in Cody makes you glad Billings is close.
That's my/our experience.