General information Florida Transplants & Locals Pros/Cons

[GuynDani]

Thank you all for your input. Waiting for the Mrs to get home. All the feedback is being invaluable. The Electrician thing kinda is a punch to the groin. I'd have to call around up there to find out what their rates are per hour. From that I can extrapolate an rough idea of the average hourly salary. +/- Working our normal jobs would be the last ditch. We've made other people money for far too long. I will say we're going to have to be very calculating in this. Nothing so far has screamed that anything would be anything but a fight to get started. We're not the kind to back down from a challenge. Not at all, just means may have to be super selective.

Will reply a bit more later.

Thank you Tulippsy. Your situation was the target info I was looking for as far as someone that did relocate. I was born in West Palm and lived in Lauderdale.

[GuynDani]

Thank you all for your input. Waiting for the Mrs to get home. All the feedback is being invaluable. The Electrician thing kinda is a punch to the groin. I'd have to call around up there to find out what their rates are per hour. From that I can extrapolate an rough idea of the average hourly salary. +/- Working our normal jobs would be the last ditch. We've made other people money for far too long. I will say we're going to have to be very calculating in this. Nothing so far has screamed that anything would be anything but a fight to get started. We're not the kind to back down from a challenge. Not at all, just means may have to be super selective.

Will reply a bit more later.

Thank you Tulippsy. Your situation was the target info I was looking for as far as someone that did relocate. I was born in West Palm and lived in Lauderdale.

[Tulippsy]

Glad to help! I just re read the part about running a restaurant. I don't know what food cart owners make, but I'm assuming you know about that scene here. This is the number one city in the country for entrepreneurs and artists who can actually make a living selling or serving what they produce. If you have the capital for a start-up, I would think it would be a no brainier to move to Portland metro. I think the economy is pretty good here and as gentrification coninues it's inexorable march through the city it will only get better.

Incidentally, we just returned from our first trip to the coast. We stayed in Cannon Beach. You will faint at the beauty and the 90 minute drive is almost as good as the destination! They really do it right here, too. NO billboards. Reasonable speed limits. No rampart development on the beaches. Heaven. Best birthday ever.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by GuynDani

I will say we're going to have to be very calculating in this. Nothing so far has screamed that anything would be anything but a fight to get started. We're not the kind to back down from a challenge. Not at all, just means may have to be super selective.

Super selective is smart. Walk into this with eyes wide open. Oregon coast cities are definitely not areas of growth at all, so you would not be moving to an area with a bustling economy. Strike one. Housing prices are pretty steep, particularly in the popular areas where a restaurant/pub would do well. Strike two. Be careful you don't strike out!

[patches403]

The only similarities between a beach in Oregon and a beach in Florida are that there's sand and water there.

The Oregon coast is beautiful and fun for a visit, but there's a number of reasons so few Oregonians live there full time. The generally miserable weather is a big reason: winters don't usually get below freezing much, but it rains more often than not, is damp and/or foggy much of the time when not raining, and the wind blows much of the time. Summers barely average 65 as a high, it's rare to see above 70, it's still often rainy and foggy and the wind still mostly blows. The wind combined with the constant dampness make even most sunny 65 degree days feel more like 55. People wear pants and windbreakers on the beach nearly every day year-round; it's a really nice day if you can stand on the beach without a jacket. The coast averages 2 to 4 times the amount of rain annually as Portland and the rest of the Willamette Valley. Other reasons include lack of industry, lack of decent paying jobs, housing is limited and expensive, and that the coast is cut off from the rest of the state by a mountain range.

I don't claim to know much about running a bar/restaurant at the coast, but the couple of clients I have that do say it is practically impossible to find and keep decent employees because the labor pool is so limited. If you do decide to buy a business on the coast, stick with a larger town such as Newport or Lincoln city or go with the popular North Coast cities that are the closest for Portlanders such as Seaside or Cannon Beach to make it easier on yourself.

If it were me, I would stick with cities in the Willamette Valley and I would live here for a year or two before buying, especially a business, to get a better feel for Oregon and in what part you want to be first. Oregon is so completely different from Florida that you should consider renting for awhile to see if you like the reality of Oregon as much as the idea of Oregon.

[mrwibble]

Originally Posted by patches403

Other reasons include lack of industry, lack of decent paying jobs, housing is limited and expensive, and that the coast is cut off from the rest of the state by a mountain range.

Pretty much described Bend there too. For what it's worth, we've been offered $320K for our house in Bend. We bought one the same size, less than a 5 minute walk to the beach, for $160K. Through our house hunt, I found coastal property to be very reasonable as long as you discount those right on the shoreline.

[Nell Plotts]

You would have better opportunities in Portland or near Oregon State or U of Oregon campuses.

[GuynDani]

Thank you all for the input. I have a bunch of trusted friends following this too. The clench factor isstarting. Lol