Is the Coos Bay/Florence area the "Last Hidden Gem" of Oregon?? (Portland: insurance, house)

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I have heard it said the reverse of "If you build it they will come" is also true.

If enough people started moving to areas like Coos Bay, wouldn't that attract investors?
In this day and age, there are plenty of industries that don't have to rely on ships, trucks, planes and trains.

I have also heard Coos Bay compared to Aberdeen, WA.
I have been to both places, and I think the comparison is valid.

It seems like if that is being said, there isn't any way to go but up!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I have heard it said the reverse of "If you build it they will come" is also true.

If enough people started moving to areas like Coos Bay, wouldn't that attract investors?
In this day and age, there are plenty of industries that don't have to rely on ships, trucks, and trains.

What kind of investors? What are they going to build? Another Wal-Mart for all the CA retirees driving their mobility scooters? A Golden Corral or Shari's Restaurant?

More housing? How many undeveloped and under-developed lots already exist in the Coos Bay area?

What kind of industry do you think is going to be attracted to Coos Bay?

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

What kind of investors? What are they going to build? Another Wal-Mart for all the CA retirees driving their mobility scooters? A Golden Corral or Shari's Restaurant?

More housing? How many undeveloped and under-developed lots already exist in the Coos Bay area?

What kind of industry do you think is going to be attracted to Coos Bay?

American Bridge was doing bridge fab there until the COPR railroad sucked the profit out of the line and closed it. By the time the line reopened (with state and federal funding), they had relocated. The Jordan Cove LNG terminal is the most recent major investment, but the NIMBY crowd is trying to block it.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

What kind of investors? What are they going to build? Another Wal-Mart for all the CA retirees driving their mobility scooters? A Golden Corral or Shari's Restaurant?

More housing? How many undeveloped and under-developed lots already exist in the Coos Bay area?

What kind of industry do you think is going to be attracted to Coos Bay?

That seems very short sighted.

I don't know?
I am not a business analyst or anything of the sort.
All I see is a town with a very workable deep water port, close to tons of beautiful natural scenery, not that far away from Portland and San Francisco, and extremely ripe for development.

A resort town? Golf courses? High tech?
Even if it becomes a CA retiree haven and heaven, that would make it tons better than what it is now.

You can't look at a place like Coos Bay for what it is now, you have to use a bit of imagination to see how it could be.

It's certainly not a Port Orford, Bandon, Brookings, Gold beach, or other retiree paradise.
But all that is creeping up the coast as the southern coast gets more and more expensive for retirees.

Coos Bay has a lot of potential to become that and even more.

If it had the road access to I5 like Newport does, who knows what it could become!


Also, "retirees" don't sit around in a stupor sitting around WalMart wearing Depends and drooling all over their mobility scooters all day, dreaming about going to Shari's for a discounted senior citizen's dinner every evening at 4pm.....

There are plenty of wise, experienced, active, and not to mention wealthy "retiree" minds to go around.

How can you imply something like that?
Boy, you are in for some big surprises when you reach retirement age!

[Metlakatla]

Coos Bay and Florence are 50 miles apart and have different demographics. I think perhaps the OP meant Coos Bay/North Bend.

I agree with those who see potential in Coos Bay/North Bend, and I also believe that the fires and other climate issues are going to impact coastal population levels if things continue as they have. It could also be that the upcoming "big one" is going to dissuade plenty of people from moving to the coast as well, so who knows.

The coast seems to attract active retirees rather than those roaming around Wal*Mart parking lots in scooters drooling on the pavement. They're the biggest voting block in Florence, and I've heard they routinely vote out the majority of chain stores/restaurants that want to come in. For a community of its size, Florence has a pretty good arts and culinary scene, and the retirees have a lot to do with that (Florence's Old Town is active all winter long when tourist activity is minimal, and places off the beaten tourist track stay busy as well).

Coos Bay could end up being the next "it" city. Who knows.

[BendLocal]

IMO, the weather on the Oregon coast isn't well suited for a retirement haven, especially for people that have spent time enjoying the moderate weather found in much of California. Of course if I was from Alaska I might think it feels like summer year round.

[Metlakatla]

The people who've retired in Florence must feel differently due to the many 55+ subdivisions and the fact that one-third of the population is retired. Personally, I found this summer far more pleasant that the ones I grew up with in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

https://thesiuslawnews.com/article/h...pardy-part-iii

In 2004, the City of Florence was awarded the “Best Place to Retire” from Frommer’s Travel Guide. The ranking made national news, including publication of the list in the online version of USA Today.

Retirees came to the town in droves.

Growth apparently slowed down during The Great Recession, but it's picked up during the last few years. In reference to the current real estate landscape:

People are moving here from out of state or out of town. We still have good prices for real estate for those who are coming in from California. I don’t know when the last time you visited California, but I don’t know if you can find a place for less than $650,000,” Rodet said.

People flip their house in California, take the cash, and buy or build a home to their liking in Florence.

https://nbc16.com/news/local/florenc...e-improvements

FLORENCE, Ore. -- The City of Florence is ranked the number one most beautiful place in the country, according to expedia.com

Maybe the same thing will start happening in Coos Bay/North Bend.

[BendLocal]

There are 46 Million + retirees in the US. I don't know where they are going but it doesn't look like many are headed to Florence.

2017.....8,947
2016.....8,801
2015.....8,611
2014.....8,544
2013.....8,521
2012.....8,516
2011.....8,512
2010.....8,480
2000.....7,263

[Metlakatla]

Nobody claimed that millions of people were flooding into Florence. What I said is that it's a retirement community that's popular with Californians and that's its population growth has picked up the pace during the past couple of years.

http://www.florentineestates.org/info.php?pnum=2

Maybe they'll discover Coos Bay next

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by BendLocal

IMO, the weather on the Oregon coast isn't well suited for a retirement haven, especially for people that have spent time enjoying the moderate weather found in much of California. Of course if I was from Alaska I might think it feels like summer year round.

And yet retirees flock here, in mass. For me, Bend with 23 inches of snow and six months of sub freezing temperatures is not suited well for my retirement needs, but to each their own. Hell the one day of snow every five years, and two days of freezing temperatures every year here are too much for me. LOL.