Most Affordable West Coast City from San Luis Obispo to Seattle (real estate, crime rate)

[mida68]

Looking for northern coastal city that is relatively affordable. Must be San Luis Obispo (which seems out of reach financially) or north up to Seattle. Looking for a coastal climate with large enough population to support careers & college kids. Pines, redwoods, but not sooooo humid moss/mold grows on everything. We live in the Temecula area now and looking get out of this desert and into a cooler "northern exposure".

Any hidden towns or suburban gems along the west or northwest coast?

[jennifat]

Maybe try some of the smaller cities in Western Washington like Aberdeen or Port Angeles. Superficially, both places are pretty run down, but are right next to pristine wilderness and otherwise have everything you should need and are close to Seattle. Both appear to be relatively inexpensive for West Coast towns.

[Exlamatir]

Originally Posted by jennifat

Maybe try some of the smaller cities in Western Washington like Aberdeen or Port Angeles. Superficially, both places are pretty run down, but are right next to pristine wilderness and otherwise have everything you should need and are close to Seattle. Both appear to be relatively inexpensive for West Coast towns.

There is a reason Aberdeen is cheap - it has a very depressed economy, a lot of poverty, a pretty high crime rate for a small town, and is run down. Port Angeles is also blue collar, but overall seems to be in better shape than Aberdeen.

[cristina_ell]

Originally Posted by mida68

Looking for northern coastal city that is relatively affordable. Must be San Luis Obispo (which seems out of reach financially) or north up to Seattle. Looking for a coastal climate with large enough population to support careers & college kids. Pines, redwoods, but not sooooo humid moss/mold grows on everything. We live in the Temecula area now and looking get out of this desert and into a cooler "northern exposure".

Any hidden towns or suburban gems along the west or northwest coast?

Do you want a town or a city? There are some reasonably priced coastal towns along the west coast, but the reasonably-priced ones are usually cheaper because they're really far from any real city (i.e. JOBS). If you need jobs (and don't fancy running a motel in an isolated town), then you're probably going to have to restrict your search to an area that has them, which puts you right back in Expensive-ville.

[TheFlats]

Sacramento and Portland are both within 100 miles of the coast and are really the last two large West Coast metros that are remotely affordable. If you want small town feel, avoid. But their schools and jobs situation will be better than those small burgs.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Hurry up with Portland, real estate is beginning to go through the roof!
And, it's not coastal, it's 90 minutes inland from the coast.

I second what's been said about Aberdeen. The place is a true hole.
A very gloomy place. Mold and moss grows on everything.
But, you could live there cheap if you could stand to live there.
Most of coastal Washington isn't much to get excited about.
(BTW, Seattle IS NOT "on the coast".)

A lot of the Oregon Coast is very small town and touristy.
No where near supporting careers and college kids.

In Oregon, you might check out the Coos Bay area, but, Coos Bay could be called the Aberdeen of Oregon.

Or maybe Astoria.
Astoria is almost two hours from Portland, and is a fairly big small town, again not exactly on the coast, but close enough.
Astoria weather is beautiful during the summer and wet as hell during the winter.
Mold and moss grows on everything.

The rest of the coast north is kind of the same.
Mold and moss grows on everything.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Eureka and Arcata CA area. Eureka has about 27,000 people. Arcata has a CA university. Not super populated, and fairly affordable. Ocean and redwoods. Not too hot, not too cold. Rainy winters, but not constantly damp like places I lived in WA.

The farther north you get, the damper and the icier/snowier winters - as far as towns big enough to support your family. Brookings, OR is sunnier than Eureka and here in Crescent City, but it's a small town.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by jennifat

Maybe try some of the smaller cities in Western Washington like Aberdeen or Port Angeles. Superficially, both places are pretty run down, but are right next to pristine wilderness and otherwise have everything you should need Yeszand are close to Seattle. Both appear to be relatively inexpensive for West Coast towns.

Yes, these are areas that are still affordable, but there is not much going on there. Plus, you are in the direct path of the great subduction quake, which may or may not happen the next 50 years. Just underatand that this area is under the gun, and then ply on top, dismal, grey, weather 9 months of the year. There was a reason Kurt Coabain was depressed, though I can't relate it directly to Aberdeen/Hoquiam.

[RustinginSeattle]

Just say NO to Aberdeen. Ugh. I think I would commit suicide if I lived there.

I know you're looking for cooler, but how cool? Be aware that most of the Oregon and Washington Coasts rarely get above 70 degrees and are often ensconced in damp fog. There's a reason that vampires live in Forks! It's damp and dark and sees very little sun.

This year excluded, I can barely deal with the lack of sun in Seattle. The coast would do me in for sure. I won't even camp there in the summer because it's too cold and damp for me.

I will also reiterate that affordable usually means few jobs, but try these... Olympia WA, Bremerton WA, Eugene OR, Eureka CA, Tacoma WA.

[kyle19125]

For affordable coastal areas where one can find suitable employment in most circumstances cities like Olympia WA, Everett WA and Bellingham WA should fit the bill.