Brookings Or. Anyone know anything? (Portland, Medford: oceanfront, jobs, mobile home)

[newt]

"I am a Real Estate Broker...I would be happy to send a relocation packet"

Didn't know they allowed advertising on this site...

"...with about 300 days of sun."

That's more sunny days than Las Vegas!! Seriously, look it up on any weather tracking site. Brookings' average per year is closer to 190 days of sun.

Word of advice and nothing personal intended, but those looking for information regarding ANYTHING should not rely on Real Estate people or anyone with a vested interest. There are plenty of ways to get unbiased (truthful) information, you just have to dig a bit.

[Blackroze]

This person has a point, but I will agree that Brookings is a weird area. They call it the "Brookings Affect" It basically means that is will be 60 degrees in Crescent City (30 miles south), and 90 in Brookings. It gets rain, wind, chilly, all of the above, and I think I even saw snow. Be sure to look before making the leap because, coming from LV and plenty to do, to boring nothing.... Sure you can hike in the woods, but that last for only so long, the beaches are nice, but only to visit. I imagine you wont be jetskiing in the ocean there. The water is frigid all year. Good luck to you though!

Originally Posted by newt

"I am a Real Estate Broker...I would be happy to send a relocation packet"

Didn't know they allowed advertising on this site...

"...with about 300 days of sun."

That's more sunny days than Las Vegas!! Seriously, look it up on any weather tracking site. Brookings' average per year is closer to 190 days of sun.

Word of advice and nothing personal intended, but those looking for information regarding ANYTHING should not rely on Real Estate people or anyone with a vested interest. There are plenty of ways to get unbiased (truthful) information, you just have to dig a bit.

[IvanInVegas]

Honestly all we do is watch movies, read, work, and drive for fun. The hiking and stuff is fun too and jet ski's? im sure a wet suit would fix that any day. Im the type that can make a boring city fun, I dont need this big city life.

I've lived in Long Beach CA. North Jersey (Hobokken) Manhattan and Vegas. Im tired of city life. Just want something simple thats all...

So anyone know anything about the neighborhoods in brookings?

[jeanelaine]

Originally Posted by roguecoast

Hello,

I am a Real Estate Broker on the S Oregon Coast serving Brookings and Gold Beach. Both are active towns with great weather...Gold Beach is less foggy and Brookings can get into the high 90's in the summer. I would be happy to send a relocation packet with area info Ocean View Homes, Recreationl Land, Waterfront Property[/url] for info.

Sports cars and sport bikes are very popular along the coast...some of the most scenic drives in the country. It's never too hot or cold...we do get between 60-80 inches of rain per year, mostly between Dec/April with about 300 days of sun.

Gold Beach MAY be less foggy but it is almost always quite windy there. "Brookings can get into the high 90's in the sumer". Yup...for maybe one day...at the most two.

I LOVE Brookings...that's why I live here.

[jeanelaine]

Originally Posted by IvanInVegas

Any bad neighborhoods i should steer clear of?

OOh YES....Many, many ghettos filled with nasty law breaking senior citizens.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeanelaine]

Originally Posted by Blackroze

This person has a point, but I will agree that Brookings is a weird area. They call it the "Brookings Affect" It basically means that is will be 60 degrees in Crescent City (30 miles south), and 90 in Brookings. It gets rain, wind, chilly, all of the above, and I think I even saw snow. Be sure to look before making the leap because, coming from LV and plenty to do, to boring nothing.... Sure you can hike in the woods, but that last for only so long, the beaches are nice, but only to visit. I imagine you wont be jetskiing in the ocean there. The water is frigid all year. Good luck to you though!

"coming froM LV and plenty to do, to boring nothing...."

Boring NOTHING!!! LOL!!! As far as I'm concerned Las Vegas is a lot of boring NOTHING. Here we have beautiful mostly empty (of people....YEAH!) beaches, rivers, mountains, etc., etc., etc. Lots and lots of boring NOTHING. I love it here. Everything I love is here and none of the things I absolutely dislike (such as shopping malls). Compared to Las Vegas (and to most places I've been...other than the West of Ireland) Brookings is a Paradise.

[jeanelaine]

Originally Posted by IvanInVegas

Any bad neighborhoods i should steer clear of?

YUP...anywhere near where I live. I won't be friendly. I'm a hermit.

[jeanelaine]

Originally Posted by newt

"I am a Real Estate Broker...I would be happy to send a relocation packet"

Didn't know they allowed advertising on this site...

"...with about 300 days of sun."

That's more sunny days than Las Vegas!! Seriously, look it up on any weather tracking site. Brookings' average per year is closer to 190 days of sun.

Word of advice and nothing personal intended, but those looking for information regarding ANYTHING should not rely on Real Estate people or anyone with a vested interest. There are plenty of ways to get unbiased (truthful) information, you just have to dig a bit.

This is not a good time to buy a house in Brookings. I think the realtors are getting desparate. I seldom see houses selling. Too many houses for sale and still too overpriced. Rent when you move here (rents are quite reasonable) and wait for the real estate boom/bust to finally come to its senses and for prices to fall.

[3chidogs]

Jeanelaine,
You make Brookings sound perfect to me. We are not such old folks who will retire in a few years, maybe sooner if things happen. I had originally though of Newport, but since I've heard of the milder weather there in Brookings, I thought we might check it out. Husband is English, so used to rain. I grew up in a desert, and am totally sick of heat, and love rain. But, would like some sun too. Tell me, can one grow tomatoes in the banana belt there? That is my annual contribution to farming. Also are the beaches nice for just strolling? And, finally, is there a downside or warning you might have. Thanks for your insights.

[furyu]

I've lived in northern Brookings for three years and love the climate and the natural beauty of the area. Previously, I've always lived in large metro areas and this is a TINY town with small-town mentalities. There are a lot of "big fish" in a "little sea" running around this town trying to make their out-of-control egos even larger. But, if you don't get into the politics of the area and if you don't care about the accuracy or political leanings of the only newspaper in town (published twice a week), then it's a great place to live.

3chidogs: you can't grow tomatoes here like you can in warm/hot climates. If you live right along the coast like I do, you'll never have good tomatoes even if you try growing them in a greenhouse. But if you live inland a mile or so, you may be able to get a decent crop by starting them early inside and then planting them outside once the risk of frost is gone. I see tomato plants selling all over the place, but from everyone I've talked to, it's tough going. Even with our very warm weather (yes, it will often get into the 90s, even hit 100, in late summer for a period of two, three days), we have shorter summers than the southern climes. For instance, this week has been fog covered since the weekend but late yesterday, the clouds cleared out and today it is beautiful: sunny and in or around 70-degrees with a slight breeze.

The beaches are FABULOUS. Unbeatable. And considered 'crowded' if there are more than 4-5 people on them at any one time. Beach combing is awesome... tidepools galore. You'll never get bored with the beaches around here and there are so many different onces within close distance that you can explore.

During the summer months the locals complain about 'all the traffic.' It's laughable, of course, to those of us who have lived in NYC, SF, LA, or Las Vegas (I bet, haven't lived there). "Traffic" to the locals is having to wait 2-3 minutes before you can turn left onto Highway 101 because of oncoming traffic. The beaches are a more crowded during the summer too, but nothing like the beaches of Southern California, or the East Coast.

My husband and I are never bored because we enjoy nature and all it has to offer, plus reading, writing, cooking, decorating our home and working in the garden, etc. But having lived in large metro areas, I do miss the convenience of being able to shop for what I want whenever I want. The stores here provide you with all your essentials but there are times when you need special things that the area just doesn't supply. Fortunately, most of the things can be ordered over the internet, or you can schedule 'big city' trips every few months if that's more to your liking. The biggest city closest to Brookings is Eureka, California, which has all the major stores. That's about a two-hour drive south down Highway 101. It's a gorgeous drive. Then there's the Medford-Ashland area that is about 2-1/2 or 3 hours from here, but reached only by travelling Route 199 which is treacherous (windy, narrow, lots of accidents). We usually go up to Eugene which is a four hour drive up the coast and then over on a nice state route, or Portland, and make it a two or three day trip.

We're 'young' retirees too. We love it here. If you have serious health issues, however, you may want to consider some other place because the health care is bare-minimum. Most of the people I know go out of town to see better doctors.

Real estate, right now, has apparently hit a slump. There are a lot of homes on the market; some have been sitting there for over a year. But prices aren't going down, at least not significantly. In my mind, it's a good time to try to 'wheel & deal' with realtors, though. And anyone looking for an existing home will have lots to choose from. People are still coming into the area and building new homes. There are three new homes within 1/4 mile of my home alone.

Oh, one other thing: the days are really long this time of year (and consequently, really short during the winter months). The dawn cracks around 5 a.m., unless it's terribly overcast; the last glow of the day flickers out after 9 p.m., from late May through July. The sunsets here rival any Hawaiian sunset I've ever seen.