More information on Brookings, Oregon (Portland, Medford: Home Depot, living in, shopping mall)

[~elise~]

My husband and I are retired 60-something and we are 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 is available in the area, ie: larger grocery store chains, Walmart or Target, Home Depot, shopping malls, hospitals, 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?

Thank you for your time!

[puerco]

I've never lived in Brookings but I've checked it out in the past as a place I'd might want to live. It IS Oregon's banana belt. But that being said, it's a long ways from Hawaii's climates. You will find Oregon's only thriving Phoenix, Washingtonias, and other large palms growing in Brookings. In fact they're found up the coast into Gold Beach. Also citrus, Princess shrubs (Tibouchinas), and other subtropicals that are more commonly found growing hundreds of miles south in California. Brookings is basically frost free and it rains 80 inches a year there. It's the USDA's farthest north Zone 10 (winter's lows 30F-40F). But expect it to feel cold and damp on many winter days - and mild and dry on others.
I think the closest urban centers are Eureka and Medford. They're both a couple of hours' drive from Brookings. If I were retired and not such an urbanite I would definitely think more seriously about living in the Brookings area. When I lived in Portland I would always go down there a couple of times in the winter just to be around the palms and flowers.

[Hawk J]

At times Brookings get "The Chetco Effect" (warm air currents) which raises the temps for a few days at a time.

[~elise~]

I'm sorry....When I said we were looking for a town similar to the one we left when we moved from Hawaii, I was referring to approximate size. Portland is not especially a big city, but we would like to live in a very small town and since we are not used to low temperatures, I wanted to know about Brookings because of the what I have heard about it not getting that cold there in the winter.
We love the rain (where we lived in Hawaii, the average yearly rain was about 200") so, the rain and clouds are not a deterrent in the least. As a matter of fact, both of us love the rain and the humidity.
I am still curious about what is there in Brookings--Safeway, Walmart, Home Depot, hospitals, etc. and I would love to hear from someone who lives in Brookings, if that person is on this forum.
Thank you all for the information you have taken the time to give to me.

[sarahkate_m]

Have you seen these threads?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/searc...rchid=16417058