Which coastal town would be best for us?

[guavagirl]

I don't have an "attitude."
Like I said in my original post, we haven't lived or spent a ton of time in the towns north of Tillamook. Just vacations, quick stops, and driving through.

[patches403]

Originally Posted by guavagirl

But, I have lived on the coast. I said that in my first post. I lived there for 15 years and visit frequently. I own a house on the coast. I wasn't asking about jobs. I don't need any lessons about finance. I didn't ask whether or not I should move to the coast. I didn't ask which town in Oregon best fits my interests. There is no need for insinuating that I'm dreaming and out of touch with reality. I know there are better schools/food/jobs/etc. in other parts of the state. I've lived in those places too. Drugs and drug crimes are everywhere. You can say that about almost every town, if that's what you want to focus on.

I only asked, which of the three towns (seaside, warrenton, astoria) might be less bad for us than the other two. (not which town will make all of my dreams come true)


That's all.

Maybe you are bitter about your time living on the coast. Not everyone hates it there. I hope you are happy where you are now.



Maybe someone who is familiar with the area I'm talking about will chime in.

Of your three choices, I would take Seaside off the list. More likely than not you will be commuting to Astoria or Warrenton for work anyway so you just as well live closer to work. Plus Seaside is your stereotypical beach-side tourist town and is frequently full of tourists and the crappy traffic that comes with lots of tourists. Warrenton and Astoria are much less touristy.

As far as Warrenton vs. Astoria, if you would rather have a house on a big lot, you're more likely to find that in Warrenton or Hammond. In Astoria, many of the homes are on steep hills, are older and packed more closely together.

If I was moving to the North Coast to live full-time and wanted a large lot or acreage, I would pick somewhere between Gearhart and Warrenton to live.

The reason most people are warned away from moving to the Coast is because many people who move there, even native Oregonians, end up leaving within a few years due to the crappy weather, no jobs, lack of housing, isolation, limited things to do, and did I mention the crappy weather. For the vast majority of people, even Oregonians, the Coast is a great place to visit, but a horrible place to live.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I only asked, which of the three towns (seaside, warrenton, astoria) might be
less bad for us than the other two. (not which town will make all of my dreams
come true)

If it was me, I would live in Astoria and travel to Seaside if wanted.
It's not that far south.

Astoria has much more "character" than Seaside.
You might even consider Ilwaco or Long Beach, across the river in Washington.

I hate to say it, but Warrenton is a dump, and there isn't really anything to do there unless it's connected to fishing or boats.

[crazyme4878]

Originally Posted by patches403

The reason most people are warned away from moving to the Coast is because many people who move there, even native Oregonians, end up leaving within a few years due to the crappy weather, no jobs, lack of housing, isolation, limited things to do, and did I mention the crappy weather. For the vast majority of people, even Oregonians, the Coast is a great place to visit, but a horrible place to live.

Actually, I think the weather is pretty awesome. It's like a perpetual spring here. I wish it was a little warmer in the summer, but it's not that cold. And there aren't too many days where there is no sun.

I'm guessing you already weighed the option of using the Eugene airport and dismissed it? It would open a few more cities to you. Florence has a small co-op, a smattering of ethnic restaurants (Thai, several Mexican, Japanese/Sushi, Chinese-American), and I don't think the schools are that bad. At least I haven't heard much grumbling.

[Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z]

Originally Posted by guavagirl

I don't understand why every time someone posts on here that they'd like to move to the coast, they are bombarded with negativity and tales of how completely horrible the coast is. Someone has to live there. Especially people who enjoy it. I thought that saying that I'm very familiar with Oregon coast life would prevent it from happening. I mean, I'm not saying that I'm from southern california, never been to oregon and am assuming the Oregon coast is like San Diego and that the beaches are warm.

We've lived in the Willamette Valley and Eugene. That is not where we want to live. I know that Seaside, Warrenton, and Astoria are not full of natural food stores with a Thai restaurant on every corner. I'm just asking, of those three towns, is there one that might feel ever so slightly more accommodating.

Thank you.

Of the three you mentioned, I prefer Warrenton. Seaside is a major tourist trap with horrible congestion on weekends and during tourist season. I love Astoria for its architecture, but it isn't very "beach like", there. Warrenton is just over a bridge from Astoria, and has much closer proximity to beaches, while also being close to the retail and cultural offerings of Astoria (Warrenton is a little hole-in-the-wall with very little of either on offer, in and of itself).

Also, if you are looking for proximity/drive to Portland, remember that Hwy 26, which is the usual route that people take to those communities (unless they take Hwy 30--I think?--which is a very narrow, winding road for much of the drive, or go up through Longview) is often, not-so-affectionately known as "The Parking Lot" more of the time than not. Plus, it gets nasty in the winter, with the summit of the Coast Range in that area being something like 1,600 feet. However, the central Oregon coast is just as easily accessible--if not more so--if you take I-5 to Salem and then head west on Hwy 22, which eventually leads to Hwy 18, and then to Hwy 101 (aka the Coast Hwy), where you can go north to Neskowin, and eventually Tillamook, or south to Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, or Newport; or drive through 99 W to Hwy 18, and then along to Hwy 101. The summit of the Coast Range via those routes is only at about 800', and the roads are much safer (providing you don't drive like a fool) in Winter. While those routes can be somewhat to really congested during weekends and spring and summer vacations/tourist seasons, ime, it's never as bad as taking Hwy 26 to anywhere.

Whichever route you choose requires about 2 hours of driving time to get to Hwy 101.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by guavagirl

....... I own a house on the coast.......

If you already own a house on the coast, why don't you live in that? Almost all towns on the coast are about the same distance from one airport or another, and all the smaller airports have flights to PDX, and you can go on from there.

It would be faster to drive from Florence to Eugene airport and fly to PDX (or I think they also go to San Francisco), than it would be to drive Hwy 26 from the coast to PDX.

Of the towns you are considering, I like Seaside specifically because it feels like a beach town. Unfortunately, that beach town feeling brings in lots of tourists.

I would prefer not to live in any of the towns you are considering. I bought in Yachats. Yachats and Depoe Bay are the towns I like the best, but both of those has a longer drive to the Willamette than some.

[Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z]

I love Yachats. It's a neat town. I like Florence even better--at least the "old town" section right on the river. Problem with both of them is that they're a long drive from anywhere not on 101. So, like you say, flying, provided the OP can afford it, would be faster, provided they have access to a vehicle upon arrival at PDX.

I, too, love Depoe Bay. It's just about 15 miles south of Lincoln City, where we live, and a fantastic place to whale watch from the rock wall--or just north of there, at Boiler Bay. And, being just about 10 or so miles from Newport, which is the biggest town on the central coast, it's an easy jaunt to shopping IF you don't mind some pretty horrible stretches of road between Cape Foulweather and the outskirts of Newport. Driving my lifted Jeep Wrangler with oversized tires is like driving one of those inflatable bouncy castles when the wind and rains blow. They never quite manage to even out that section of road, so the OP would have to take that into consideration if they wanted LC or Depoe Bay, with a drive to Newport for shopping, etc.

[Dean Trails]

Steve,
Would living in say Hillsboro along the river be similar to a coastal experience? It has i think better weather and you are closer to good health care and some larger town amenities. Weather wise, i assume that Seaside and the others would have an abundance of foggy days as opposed to inland.

Oh, and ethnic restaurants will be much easier to find near Portlandia?

[Elk Wallow]

Steve Pickering seems to have disappeared a few months ago, unfortunately. He always told it like it is.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

Steve,
Would living in say Hillsboro along the river be similar to a coastal experience? It has i think better weather and you are closer to good health care and some larger town amenities. Weather wise, i assume that Seaside and the others would have an abundance of foggy days as opposed to inland.

Oh, and ethnic restaurants will be much easier to find near Portlandia?

Hillsboro isn't really along a river unless you are talking about the Tualatin River. In that regard, it's nothing at all like a coastal experience. But if you are looking for weather that is sunnier and warmer in summer and cooler and less rainy in winter, then Hillsboro (or anywhere in the Willamette Valley for that matter) is definitely different from the coast. And there's definitely access to better healthcare in the larger metro areas.

Originally Posted by Elk Wallow

Steve Pickering seems to have disappeared a few months ago, unfortunately. He always told it like it is.

Somebody's got to say it, so I guess I will. Things are much more civilized on this board since SP stopped participating.

I'll just stop there.