Questions about Oregon's coastal cities

[puerco]

That photo could have been San Francisco 2 days ago. Tuesday was one of the coldest days I've ever experienced here. But now it's forecast to be in the mid-60s through the weekend. And sunny! Of course, weather forecast are often wrong.
You don't find Canary Island date palms in Astoria, Newport, or even Coos Bay.

[lekate]

I have lived in Oregon inland for 4 years (a few years back) and know about the weather...rain,wind, and cold...not a huge issue really, because I now live in Idaho in the nasty rainy slush they call snow....yuck(of course this is my personal opinion and do not mean anything by this it is just not where my heart belongs and I am actual from Idaho and lived most of my life...)! Anyway, I will be re-locating to the coast in about 2 months and I needs some honest opinions from a resident of the area..Please and thank you in advance.

Best coastal town for;

weather?

schools for my kids?

Friendly Oregonians?

Employment for my boyfriend...general labor not picky really has experience in customer service and food industry is a butcher currently? But is interested in anything as far as employment...

Rental prices for preferably a house?

Not really into the night life, but would like to at the very least enjoy the community but, really we pretty much keep to ourselves so small town seclusion is not a problem. With kids of course I need a grocery store close, at least a half hour away. We are very outdoorsy and love the Ocean and have our hearts set on a coastal town. My boyfriend was raised in a small town on the beach in Maine, so he is very used to weather as-well...
I am an online student so good Internet is a must...

[Steve Pickering]

Doesn't exist Girl. You were ok until you got to the part about a job for you or your boyfriend. If he was a Doctor or brought a new business here maybe and that is iffy. Otherwise there is nothing for you on the coast. The one thing we don't have is anything for a general laborer. Nothing.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

The coast is the retirement belt generally, and increasingly so the farther south you go. Employment is really tough. Even when jobs do open up, many businesses and agencies will hire someone with a familiar name -- "someone that somebody knows" -- over a newcomer with superior credentials. If your career doesn't involve some kind of professional or semi-professional credential, bring a cardboard sign with you that says "Anything Helps!" and prepare to sit on the accessways to the food stores practicing your forlorn looks with the rest of the unskilled workers lined up there. The other option would be to start your own business. Not only are there virtually no jobs available, but many businesses are still downsizing, so unemployment is actually getting worse in most coastal areas.

Personally, I wouldn't live on the coast if I had kids. The best bets would probably be Newport, Lincoln City and maybe Florence (I wouldn't consider anyplace south of Florence).
Even at its very best, the weather is Jekyll-and-Hyde. Sunny mild winter days in the 60's can be followed by hellish hurricane-strength gales where you're shut inside for several days in a row as your windows vibrate with the drumming of horizontal rain. Then just as spring seems ready to give way to summer, a rainless version of winter returns with dark skies and chilly weather from mid-June to mid-September. "Summer"...if you can call it that...usually runs from mid-Sept. to early Nov.

[lekate]

That is really scary as far as opportunity for employment...Do you actually know if it iis better in Newport,Lincoln city and Florence? I do apperciate your honesty and that is EXACTLY what I am looking for...honesty! I really have my heart set on Oregon, but I also have to be able to support my family....I would love to own my own business but that seems out of reach due to fiances. Could anyone give me any information on the northern towns? I would love to hear anything you have to offer....

[davefr]

Originally Posted by lekate

That is really scary as far as opportunity for employment...Do you actually know if it iis better in Newport,Lincoln city and Florence?

The larger the town, the greater the possibilities.

However the entire coast has among the worst employment in the State and the State has nearly the worst employment in the entire country. Benton, Gilliam and Hood River are the only counties with unemployment rates <8%.

http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/AllRates

You need to cast a much wider net in terms of where you live if a requirement is a job. Either that or you need to be financially prepared to go a long time without work.

[OregonYeti]

Originally Posted by lekate

....I would love to own my own business but that seems out of reach due to fiances.

Sorry to get off-topic, but sometimes I love typos, including my own. How many men are you engaged to? And how are these fiances getting in the way?

[CoastRambler]

I've lived in Newport, OR for the last 6 years and employment here is tough and housing is fairly expensive. Lots of people in subsidized housing for which there is none available due to demand. Most of my friends work at least 2 part-time jobs because a full time is hard to come by and don't expect much in the way of benefits like medical.

There are more construction jobs in Lincoln City due to the fact there are a large number of vacation rentals that are always needing to be fixed up. But good luck nailing one down (pun intended) as locals are on the inside track. Unless your BF can demonstrate excellent work ethic he'll be bumped down the list. At the coast most of our contractors have poor records for attendance. If it's a nice day out they're fishing, hunting or working a short day so they can go fishing or hunting.

Additionally, if you're not a fan of Law Enforcement Newport (Lincoln County) may not be your kind of place. We have over ten LE agencies that operate here and Newport needs your revenue! I've been pulled over more times in the last year than I have been combined in all my years of driving (37).