Coastal living in western WA? Aberdeen? (Seattle, Tacoma: housing, rent, travel)

[kc2sweet4ne1]

Just another note about Centralia--- It is a pretty quiet place to live and everything is within driving distance. For employment, there are plenty of place in Centralia and the immediate surrounding area--- Fred Meyer Warehouse, Home Depot, Cardinal Glass, Wal-Mart, Michael's Warehouse and the outlet malls just to name a few.

Housing is Grays Harbor may be cheaper, but Lewis County (Centralia-Chehalis) area isn't too bad. You could find a decent 3 bedroom for under $250K. I would check for "sale by owner" places.... Then you aren't paying commission to an agent on top of everything else, then I would check with the agents. The agents can even help you through the process of "by owner" sales.

[chris]

Gypsygurl, do a search on Ryan's posts. He was a homer for the area originally, but after living there for a year (it might have been less than that), ended up moving. Just make sure you're informed before committing to this area.

I spent maybe 20 or so days in the county and was glad I decided against it. I really enjoy the coast for our brief summers but living there year round is a completely different story.

[pw72]

Also, keep in mind that Aberdeen/Hoquiam isn't exactly on the coast, despite what the maps look like. To reach the real Washington Pacific Coast, is a good half hour drive. I will also agree, the climate isn't for everyone. Generally, the difference between summer and winter is negligible, 60 in July, 50 in December. However, occasionally you get that off-shore wind and it shoots up to 95 for a day or two during the summer!

Seems to me this area could have so much potential, but still remains mainly a depressing, old logging town. Even Ocean Shores, out to the west, has never really developed into anything more than a lower to middle class trailer park mixed in with some modest homes. I remember when the expectations for this area were much higher! What went wrong?

As for the Nirvana "Kurt Cobain" reference...well, see above remark about "depressing"...

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by pw72

What went wrong?

What went wrong is just that nothing was driving positive change for a long time. Now that the county and the Port are both working really hard at economic development, and planning is in place for most of the cities out here (Hoquiam, Aberdeen, Westport), combined with the fact that the I-5 corridor between Seattle and Portland is reaching a critical mass, we are going to be seeing some significant growth out in Grays Harbor.

[SeashoreDreams]

Originally Posted by Gypsygurl

I am in the process of moving soon to WA state- looking for small towns south of Seattle and maybe on the coast(need a reasonable cost-of-living). I work retail for Home Depot so I can possibly transfer to any of the stores in the region.
I have always wanted to live at the ocean and Aberdeen appears, from a distance, to be a possibility. Does anyone have any firsthand knowledge of the town? Are winters on the coast cold and rainy? What about Aberdeen as a place to live and the community at large?
I am also looking at Centralia and Longview ( and other towns in-between) as possibilities. My main consideration is housing costs (rentals to start out with)- as a single person living on a salary for retail sales- I can't afford the pricier burbs of Seattle.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

As a property investor and a real estate agent in the Tacoma/Olympia area, I feel that Grays Harbor can only go up in value. It appears that there is a lot of developing in the county. It is small townish in most areas and the coast is absolutely beautiful. I own a 2nd home in Moclips which while it's remote (20 minutes from Aberdeen) we have city water and sewer and a Seabrook where the average price is $700,000 (highest priced in the county)

Where can you get beach front property on the West Coast for under $500,000? It's the cheapest in the country and the values have gone up over 50% in the last 2 years.

The sun seems to shine more on the coast than inland but it is usually much windier...blows the clouds right through. I think BMSEA is very accurate in her description of the area...she is because she lives there.

I noticed the most negative people grew up there, lived there for awhile and left..... Like any city/town not all places please everyone...you have to find what's right for you.

Talk to people who live there now.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by SeashoreDreams

Where can you get beach front property on the West Coast for under $500,000? It's the cheapest in the country and the values have gone up over 50% in the last 2 years.

There's more to "West Coast beach front property" than just the place where the ocean meets the land.

You can't compare Malibu or Imperial Beach with Ocean Shores or Moclips.

It's the same ocean, but that's where the similarity of "beach front" ends.

[Melinda 28]

Seems to me this area could have so much potential, but still remains mainly a depressing, old logging town. Even Ocean Shores, out to the west, has never really developed into anything more than a lower to middle class trailer park mixed in with some modest homes. I remember when the expectations for this area were much higher! What went wrong?


We have friends that moved to Aberdeen around 9 years ago from Idaho. They were greeted by some of the locals with the question of "WHY would you move here" lol From what they explain to me, the community was extremely ecomonically depressed (timber mill closed down) On top of this I have been told that other towns were giving one way tickets to their problem residents to aberdeen. So yes, the town does have a lot of obstacles to overcome. When our friends moved there they said there were maybe a couple of stores, and some really bad areas. Even now when you go there, you can see the rough parts which (like any town), but you can also see the growth and the work towards reclaiming and changing this community into a desirable and profitable one. Our friends are a big part of the Chamber of Commerce and the committees/boards for revitalizing Aberdeen. It takes time to change a community that's had an economic sludge for close to 30 years. Their kids (my husbands best friend) just recently moved to Aberdeen from Idaho and are buying a house there. We just moved here from Idaho a few months ago and are buying a house there also.
It is much cheaper to live than Lacey (where we are now). The house we are looking at would probably be around 75,000 more if we stayed where we are now. We like the small town atmosphere, the people are so friendly and make eye contact! We have met a lot of the locals who LOVE it there and wouldn't live any place else. There is a lot to do if you love the outdoors. It's near the ocean, and we love the weather there. (This coming from people who are used to a month of 10 degree weather and 100+ degrees for almost a month at a time.)
It's a place where we see a good base, and great potential. We can see where it's going. As long as they stay on track. For us, it's the right choice.
Now, this doesn't negate the fact that it rains during the winter, A LOT. There are some good storms that bend the trees over and snap 'em like twigs. The power goes out, for hours, even days at a time. But, we're okay with that. Like one of the other members said, you'd be stupid to live there and not stock water, candles, food, and a have a back up source of heat. IT'S THE COAST you're gonna have some raging storms. lol

Sorry, went to put in the little bit of input I had on Aberdeen, and I think I had this thread/post whatever it is in my head and a bunch of others i was reading on the pros/cons of living in Aberdeen. I'm new to city-data...so hello to everyone that reads this. Take Care.

[BBJB]

Like any place else, Grays Harbor County has beautiful areas & troubled areas. But come check it out. I think it is true that the majority of people with a negative attitude about the area are folks who were raised there & left.
Aberdeen maybe depressed, but the people are very warm & welcoming! And there are outlying areas that quite lovely. My husband & I live in the Seattle Metropolitan area (we are originally from San Francisco). And we are looking for a weekend home in that area. Ocean shores is quite nice on a personal level. As you meet people, get familiar with the community, it has a lot to offer. Westport is lovely, as well.
Longview is lovely, too. But more expensive.
So, the question is, what are you looking for? An urbanfest or a nice, friendly place to live? I assure you that you can find a place with a Home Depot, to transfer to, that suits you. Come visit and spend some time. Try to see what each place offers for locals, & not just look from a toursits prospective.

[harleyj]

aberdeen is a good place if you are hard up for cash... ocean shores has some cheaper apartments also... home depot is just a short 20 min from ocean shores in aberdeen on port dock road. if your working in seattle then you need to live in seattle because with the traffic you would never get to work living 2 hours away and 6 hours of driving and traffic jams...

[harleyj]

well depressing yes... if you drive thru aberdeen crack ville... I live in elma and I enjoy our sleepy little logging town.. no robbers, killers, muggings of little ole ladies, our kids can walk to school without pervs stealing and killing them!!! i am proud to say we love our community and watch out for everyone.. but aberdeen is another issue.. watch out in the alleys or for the hookers.. hoquiam isn't much better unless you are a owner of some really great co. other than that yup it is a **** hole waiting for a bulldozer and the crackheads to die.. then it would be lovely.