Ocean Shores--what is the unvarnished truth? (Seattle, Olympia: for sale, real estate, hotels)

[Nick from Victoria]

My wife and I are considering buying a recreational property on the Washington coast. We're retired and would like a place to spend about 1/4 of the time throughout the year. It has to offer beach walks, cycling, nice scenery and modern conveniences (we just sold a place that was very isolated, so we're ready for something different). Ocean Shores could be interesting and we're meeting a realtor there at the end of September to look at properties. I've looked through this forum and others for potential negatives about Ocean Shores, and I've seen some conflicting opinions, so I'll summarize my questions here and I would appreciate any opinions.

I understand Ocean Shores has about 12,000 lots, with only 40% of them developed. There are well over 300 houses for sale in Ocean Shores, which means more then 5% of the place is up for sale. That seems like an awful lot, in spite of the overall downturn in the US housing market. Is there an exodus (and why), or is this normal or slightly higher than normal turnover?

The weather is characterized as "lousy" all the time, but then the summers are claimed to be fabulous from April through September/October. It can't be both!

Ocean Shores apparently gets 3 million tourists per year. Where do they all stay? There are only 1000 hotel rooms and fewer than 5000 houses. Are the beaches open for camping/RV'ing?

Speaking of beaches, I understand driving on the beach is permitted. What does that do to the quality of the beach experience? Do the beaches become ocean side parking lots in the summer?

I've read that Ocean Shores is not pedestrian friendly. Is this because of traffic volume, or because it's spread out?

I've also read the Ocean Shores has had big problems in the past with beach erosion. has this been mitigated?

I understand the lakes and canals are man-made. Do they have an ingress/egress, or are they basically stagnant repositories of rainwater?

Thanks for any and all input.

[bmsea]

Hi Nick,

I live in Westport, which is a little beach/marina town across of Grays Harbor from Ocean Shores, and am very familiar with all of the Grays Harbor coast, which we looked at before we moved to Westport (we live full time, professional couple in our 30's, that wanted to escape the rat race of Seattle, but telecommute to jobs in the City). I have a strong opinion against Ocean Shores, and I am going to try to answer your questions point by point:

(1) Why so many houses for sale? The evolution of Ocean Shores was that those 12,000 lots began as campsites, and there was very poor planning with mega mansions going up next to trailer sites. So a lot of people are not finding a cohesive community. Also, there are a lot of opportunities opening up along the Coast in Westport and Seabrook and people are choosing to move their investment/second homes to more attractive communities.

(2) You can look at the statistics and see that the weather is mild compared to inland - you are looking at high 40's in the winter and low 60's in the summer - on average. You are looking at rainy/cloudy from November through March on average, and sunny Mid June - Mid september, with a very variable shoulder season. But, you also get wierd weather fluctuations - for example last February, we had a week of 70-degree weather. This April we had 3 days of 70-degree weather. This July was wetter than usual. So it just is unpredictable, like the sea (as cheesy as that may sound). A typical summer day will wake up foggy and then the fog will burn off by mid day. Today is downright hot.

(3) The majority of Ocean Shores visitors are day visitors (and that number has jumped up to 4M a year). There are some beach campgrounds, but there is no camping on the public beaches.

(4) I think driving on the beaches sucks. During the summer, ocean shores beaches are packed like coney island, with hoards of people, horses, cars and its just filthy. In Westport, from the Jetty about 3 miles South, there is no driving allowed and its much much nicer.

(5) There is no downtown core and the infrastructure (sidewalks/roads suck for walking and cycling).

All of these amenities are much nicer in Westport, which is why we picked Westport over Ocean Shores. You can PM me for any info. Definitely check out Seabrook and Westport when you come out, I can recommend a great real estate agent, too.

Good luck!

[pw72]

A little history...in the 1960's developers planned a large, upscale development for Ocean Shores with upper-end homes, professional golf course, and even high-rise hotels.

Guess what? Never happened. Not sure why, but the Puget Sound economy went south in the early 70's, and slowly many discovered the weather and scenery were better in other locations, especially the Oregon Coast. More recently a lot of property has been sold on speculation to unknowing Californians who saw "coastal bargains".

Today, there are a few decent motels, a small town center, a mish-mash of mostly middle to lower-middle class homes, and yes trailer parks. A dream never quite realized.

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by pw72

A little history...in the 1960's developers planned a large, upscale development for Ocean Shores with upper-end homes, professional golf course, and even high-rise hotels.

Guess what? Never happened. Not sure why, but the Puget Sound economy went south in the early 70's, and slowly many discovered the weather and scenery were better in other locations, especially the Oregon Coast.

I would disagree that people found that the weather and scenery are better in Oregon... the beaches are very similar... I have spent a lot of time in Oregon and Washington... my opinion is that the Oregon coastal communities embraced tourism and the related industries (retail, hospitality, art) sooner, whereas the Washington coastal communities were very glued to fishing and timber, and hospitality/tourism was a far distant second.

The weather and scenery is almost identical.

[pw72]

We'll, the beaches are similar but the mountain backdrops are much better in Oregon. I agree, Oregon took advantage of the tourism dollars in a much more efficient manner. My main point is that Ocean Shores once had great ambitions of being the "Atlantic City" of the Northwest. Something went terribly wrong.

[AzDreamer]

My son just got back from Ocean Shores and he was very disapointed. Folks there drive on the beaches, something that he had trouble accepting for obvious reasons. Also, he commented on the horse and dog feces and trash everywhere.

He has traveled a lot, and the beaches at Ocean Shores were dirtier than any he has seen anywhere, including Mexico.

[bmsea]

Nick,

Just to let you know, it was over 80 degrees yesterday, and they are forecasting 81 today here in Westport (and all along the coast), which is just another speck in the "beach weather is so weird" category.

Don't get discouraged about all the negative feedback you are getting - there are a lot of nice communities along the coast - Ocean Shores is just not one of them. When you come down to meet with your realtor, spend a few hours with that person, but also take the time to visit Westport, Grayland, Tokeland, and maybe Seabrook.

You didn't talk too much about what exactly you are looking for, but the coast has a lot of diversity in communities, and there are some real gems out there that are virtually undiscovered.

You can check out my blog at Discovering Westport for some more detailed info and photos of the Westport/Grayland/Tokeland area. I have lived all over the western US (Hawaii, Los Angeles, Seattle) and I think Washington's coastline has a lot to offer!

Good luck!

[pw72]

Hey, I agree...a few years ago I took 101 north up to Queets...what a beautiful, undiscovered part of the WA coast! Then further east, Lake Crescent is another fantastic area that a lot of people have heard of but have never been. I guess it is just a matter of time before this area becomes "discovered", despite the less than ideal winter weather. Further south, the old lumber town of Raymond has a lot of potential, and Westport, Long Beach, and yes, Seabrook, all could become new meccas for retirees. So much potential...What about Seaview and Ocean Park? Not as familiar with those areas.

[Fat Freddy]

Ocean Shores:

People: about 5,000 of them. Most retired. The ones who work make their money from developing the area, servicing the residents, or hustling the tourists who descend like locusts on the area, drive like maniacs up and down the beach and leave the beach littered with their trash and filth.

Climate: Rain, Fog, Clouds, Wind most of the time.

Crime: Not much, but growing.

Schools: There is a new Elementary School. It ranks rather low in academic standing.

Culture: A few bars, a movie theatre, a smoke filled casino, and a couple of churches.

Shopping: There is a grocery store, a hardware store, and a building supply in Ocean Shores. For shopping other than that, Aberdeen is 25 miles away.

Medical services: Sparse and of poor quality. Nearest "good" hospital is in Olympia. The locals have a saying, "I would rather die in the ambulance on the way to Olympia than in the ER at Aberdeen." Serious medical problems are evacuated by helicopter to Seattle. You had better have good medical coverage to pay for it. But, Ocean Shores does have a good veterinarian.

Real estate: Values are inflated even though there is a surplus of properties on the market. Taxes are high and getting higher. A new LID to pay for street repair is about to go into effect that will cost each property owner about $5,000.

Utilities: Drinking water in Ocean Shores is considered some of the worst tasting in the state, and the cost among the highest priced.

Politics: The City Council represents the real estate developers, not the residents.

Other than that, it's a good place to live.

[wythors]

My wife and I love going to the beaches on the Washington and Oregon coasts on a regular basis and Ocean Shores is at the very bottom of our list of places to go. There is literally nothing to do there. There is no scenery to speak of and the beach is pancake flat with no dunes or other features of interest. On top of that, there is really no place to "go" nearby for further entertainment other than the afore mentioned smokey casino.

If you're set on the ocean coast, I'd be more inclined to look at the Long Beach peninsula. If you simply want a smaller town near the water, Port Angeles, Sequim or Port Townsend would be worth considering.