good surf? good place to live?

[reblynmoore]

i'm so glad to hear that i can get some good produce. that is what i miss most since we have moved to the east coast.

my son is only 8 months old, and our plan at the moment is to homeschool him. but thank you for the info about the schools, i will keep that in mind as well. we are looking forward to living in an area where the kids actually play outside. organized sports are good for socialization and such, but we are also looking for a place where kids do the type of things that we did growing up, like climb trees, fish, surf, ride bikes, etc. i'm sure we will find that there.

do many homes use solar power? we hope to find a fixer-upper that we can adapt to use solar panels for our electricity.

we love hearing about the southern coast of oregon. we cannot wait to get out there! keep the info coming!

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by reblynmoore

hello, my husband, son, dog and i are hoping to move to oregon in the next 2 years, once i am finished with nursing school. can any experienced surfers recommend a few good places to live where the surf is good, cost of living isn't outrageous, and would be a good place for us to raise our son?

From appearances, surfing is available at numerous beaches. I don't indulge, but have seen lots of surfers. They all wear wet suits. All the beaches are public beaches.

Originally Posted by reblynmoore

we also have a dog who is practically one of our children. we used to live in san diego where we had a dog beach that she could socialize with other dogs and swim in the river/ocean. is there any place like that on the oregon coast? we live on long island, NY right now, and everywhere there are no dogs allowed, which is really hard for us since she comes everywhere with us.

Only a few beaches are closed to dogs because of sensitive shorbird habitat. Almost all beaches and bay fronts are public, and accessible to dogs.

Originally Posted by reblynmoore

how is work for carpenters? my husband is a framer and finished carpenter. will it be hard for him to find work?

If he is Union, you need to stick close to Portland and Salem, where there are union jobs. Outside of urban areas, carpenters are non-union. The influx of Mexicans has pushed carpentry wages toward minimum wage. If you are moving to the Oregon Coast, it may be time for him to think about a career change. At the very least, he needs to become a licensed contractor. He could specialize in building repairs and maintenance and make a living on the coast. Look at the Oregon Construction Contractors Board web site for information on becoming a contractor.

[furyu]

Originally Posted by roguecoast

....
Our schools seem to be better than Brookings(from the rumor mill..lol)...parents and teachers really work together to make it a positive learning enviroment. Gold Beach has smaller class sizes .... the kids are well behaved and respect their teachers. Kids have plenty to do...soccer, baseball, football, basketball, track...homework club...not to mention all the hiking trails and state parks to explore!

Well, I've been the main 'basher' of the Brookings school here, based solely on what I've heard from neighborhood parents. However, I was watching a local TV last Sunday night (local meaning from Medford OR), a show called Academic Challenge which is very similar to the old College Bowl quiz show of the 60s-70s.

Two high school teams compete against each other on a weekly basis for, I'm not sure but I think the shows air January through June, and then the team that remains unbeaten wins scholarships for their team members.

Turns out that Brookings Harbor High School is one of only two undefeated teams this season. They competed against the other undefeated team (So Medford) last Sunday and beat them. They will now go on to the finals and possibly win the season outright.

So at least four of the kids going to that high school are getting educated!

I'm happy to say something positive about our kids around here; and actually, most of the ones I see around town and in stores, are well behaved and 'decent' looking.

[Polish-Pride]

Just a quick note regarding dogs and leash laws. Here in Lincoln City (Road's End area), about a month ago, an irresponsible dog owner enabled his "pet" to kill a baby seal. Acts such as this really portray us dog owners very negatively. I am a dog owner and occasionally walk them on the beach (leashed at all times), I ask that you obey this requirement as well. Also, please clean up after your pet, nothing worse than piles of dog feces on the path to the beach, etc.

[Carol, Oregon coast]

Hey Polish-Pride, glad to know I wasn't the only one really upset about that seal pup. I'm from LC (Wecoma Beach) too, and agree completely with your suggested doggy etiquette. Leash and clean up!

[roguecoast]

More and more people are using solar energy along the S. Coast.....wind and hydro power are becoming popular as well. We are building a new "green " home and plan on 80% of our energy needs to be met thru solar/hydro power! We get about 300 days with sun per year....so we are banking on the solar LOL

Fixers start around $170K in the Gold Beach area.