good surf? good place to live? (Portland, Eugene: real estate, co-ops, houses)

[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?

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.

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

i know we won't be able to tell anything until we come out to visit, but we would like some guidance as to where to focus our next trip out there. thanks!

[JakeDog]

The Oregon Coast is great for walking with dogs- most beaches are relatively empty most of the year. I've never had my dog on a leash on a Oregon beach, but I have no idea what the laws are. Surfing on the Oregon coast is pretty extreme- VERY cold water, bad weather, often violent surf, great white issues. I've known people who have done it, but it definitely isn't for the faint of heart. Check out oregonsurf.com.

[seashelly]

Originally Posted by JakeDog

The Oregon Coast is great for walking with dogs- most beaches are relatively empty most of the year. I've never had my dog on a leash on a Oregon beach, but I have no idea what the laws are. .....

Leash Law on the beach. It's posted at the entrance of each beach by the tsunami signs and such. Don't get caught without one.

[Carol, Oregon coast]

THANK YOU SEASHELLY!!! Definitely leash laws and we appreciate it greatly if you pick up the droppings, not bury it. Most public beaches have garbage cans specifically for the droppings and many provide baggies. We just had an incident on our beach where a dog on the loose killed a seal pup resting on the beach. The owner couldn't get control of him and horrified bystanders watched an ugly scene. Lincoln City, Otter Crest, Newport all have surfing. Wear a body suit. Otter Crest has a surfing tournament every year..the Cowabunga or something like that. We need good builders. Got a bunch of duds that never show up and charge an arm and a leg. Best hospital to work at would be the one in Newport, Pacific Communities. Down side is we are a LONG way from major cities like Portland, Salem, Eugene. Our hospitals are NOT up to par with the ones in those cities.

[freedom]

My brother lives in brookings, surfs year round. Basically Crescent City Ca. to Gold Beach Oregon has decent spots, some times Brookings Harbor Break is awesome.
Dogs can go all over the place, many great beaches. We go over most Christmas' and it is 60-70 deg. no wind and beautiful.
Water is cold, wear a fullsuit most of the time.
There are some sharks, not real bad though. Mostly seals.

[roguecoast]

I live in Gold Beach....all of our friends surf..the best spots are from Nesika Beach to Port Orford...wind surfing is really popular at Meyers Beach. Dogs are allowed to run on the beaches in our area as long as they are well behaved.....our beaches are not as crowded as the beaches up north...4-5 people is a crowd LOL!

GOOD LUCK!
Angela

[FeatheryFern]

They have a surfing event in Lincoln City at least once a year.

Dogs on the beaches are cool, but they are starting to crack down on the leash law. Last year no one seemed to care, but this year we've been seeing it enforced.

Also ... be watchful for sneaker waves when on the beach. They'll take your dog as well as you.

[furyu]

Given the number of houses being built all over the coast, I doubt your husband will have any trouble finding work... a lot of work. In fact, if he could do some cabinetry work for me...! I had a guy who does 'finish' cabinetry build a beautiful library for me in one of our spare bedrooms. I need a few more shelves now, plus some cabinets in my laundry room. But he is so busy, it'll be a year before I even get a return phone call.

Anyway, we need nurses too. So I think both of you will be happily overworked for as long as you want.

I live in the Brookings area and the area is supposedly going to have two major housing projects built in the next few years.

I'm not sure about the schools here though. My impression is that they are not very good, they are poorly funded, and teachers... well, let's not go there. But I'd say that's true of most of the coastal towns. I think it's a great area for a kid to grow up given all the 'natural' things there are to do, but it's like anywhere, too. Kids can get into trouble if not watched over.

Housing prices have gone up around here quite a bit but right now, not much is selling. Real estate prices are pretty much the same all along the coast, from what I've observed. Ocean front and ocean views garner the higher prices while going a little further inland lowers the value, unless you're on one of the rivers, which increases the value! Lots to choose from though... and you can find good deals if you're flexible in where you want to live.

There are no leash laws in Brookings. Most everyone lets their dogs run unleashed along the beach. You need to watch out for them though during the winter months due to the strong surf. Dogs can get pulled out pretty quickly, even 'water' dogs that are strong swimmers.

I really think there ought to be a 'clean-up after your dog' law though. You can tell the people that either are from out of town or are really responsible pet owners, because they do clean up after their dogs. But too many don't, and that's a big problem, especially along the beaches, where feces increases the bacterial levels of the ocean. I've heard people say that their dogs have become ill from eating stuff off the beach, and that's probably why (bacteria).

[reblynmoore]

thanks for all the great info.

no need to worry, we are very careful to always clean up after our dog. we have lived in too many communities where people just leave it in the middle of the side walk, it was disgusting.

brookings sounds like the place for us, so far. we like the small town feel, and aren't too worried about nightlife or shopping. we are more interested in outdoor activities and places to get good fruits, vegetables and fish. does anyone know of any organic co-ops or markets between brookings and gold beach?

hopefully my husband can find some framing or finish work to do. if we live in brookings i plan on trying to get a nursing job at the hospital in crescent city or gold beach.

if anyone has any other helpful info we'd love to hear it. i'll post more questions as they arise. thanks again!

[roguecoast]

The hospital in Gold Beach is always looking for good nurses.
Carpenters and finishers are in high demand along the entire S. Coast.

During the summer months we have a farmers market with lots of organics.....we have an organic grocery store with a good selection.

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!