Is the Coos Bay/Florence area the "Last Hidden Gem" of Oregon?? (Eugene: rentals, movers)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

I don't know....when was the last time a new building was built in downtown Florence?

Old Town doesn't have available space for new buildings. It's more like the historic ones have been renovated and are being put to good use ...if the place were preserved in amber, it would have the failed timber town vibe of Oakridge, for instance, with every other downtown building boarded up and empty and plenty of weedy vacant lots.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Old Town doesn't have available space for new buildings. It's more like the historic ones have been renovated and are being put to good use ...if the place were preserved in amber, it would have the failed timber town vibe of Oakridge, for instance, with every other downtown building boarded up and empty and plenty of weedy vacant lots.

I was thinking more of places like Cannon Beach or Taos or Aspen where basically nothing can ever change because every detail of the existing town is regulated to stay exactly like it is. I don't mean economically dead like Oakridge which isn't at all preserved in amber. It is decaying away. It isn't 20-somethings who are insisting that Cannon Beach stay exactly like it is. I guarantee you that.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

The problem is, Coos Bay is nothing like the tiny little coastal retiree or tourist towns in Oregon.
It has a huge amount of potential!

There is A LOT OF BIG MONEY to be made there, and believe me, it will happen sooner than later.
It's surrounding communities will really be affected.


I hate to say it, but Retirees will be priced out and out-voiced very quickly.

The days of "Old Oregon" are quickly coming to an end.

Why do you think the lumber companies are logging out and not selling their land immediatley?
They know what is coming.

There is a lot going on in the background that "normal" Oregon citizens are not privy to.................

You might want to contact Ms. Brown, and ask some pointed questions.

What I find interesting, this thread has had almost a thousand views, but the five or so most recurring posters that provided most of the 60 or so replies don't really have anything to do with Coos Bay at all, and other than blabbering on and on about the sacred retirees, and really don't have a clueless clue on what is really going on down there.

That says plenty.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

The problem is, Coos Bay is nothing like the tiny little coastal retiree or tourist towns in Oregon.
It has a huge amount of potential!

There is A LOT OF BIG MONEY to be made there, and believe me, it will happen sooner than later.
It's surrounding communities will really be affected.


I hate to say it, but Retirees will be priced out and out-voiced very quickly.

The days of "Old Oregon" are quickly coming to an end.

Why do you think the lumber companies are logging out and not selling their land immediatley?
They know what is coming.

There is a lot going on in the background that "normal" Oregon citizens are not privy to.................

You might want to contact Ms. Brown, and ask some pointed questions.

What I find interesting, this thread has had almost a thousand views, but the five or so most recurring posters that provided most of the 62 replies, don't really have anything to do with Coos Bay at all, other than blabbering about retirees, and don't really have a clue on what is going on there.

Coos Bay is like Tillamook and Astoria in that it is on a bay, not the actual ocean. So you don't have beachfront property. Yes, there are nice beaches close by, but no one in Coos Bay actually has an ocean view much less beachfront property. So I frankly don't think it will ever be the retirement mecca of other nearby towns that do offer those amenities like Bandon or Brookings.

I'm not sure what kind of potential you think it has compared to other nearby towns like say Reedsport. I don't see it. If I had $10 million to invest in some kind of light industrial development. Why would I put it in Coos Bay compared to some place that has far superior access and is equally cheap. And has a larger potential labor pool. Like say Albany or Longview?

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Quit sticking your finger in your eye.

Right now Coos Bay offers the rest of the United States the last bit of the "Oregon Dream".

First, it's really very cheap to live there.
It's on the Oregon coast.
It is very close to natural wonderlands.
It's very undeveloped.
It provides a great future for those willing to make relatetivley cheap investments.
It's a great small town coastal Oregon place to raise a family if you can support yourself, which many people can do without local association to huge conglomerates.
The weather isn't bad.
The fishing, crabbing, clam digging, and the hunting is great!
The sand dunes for ATV's and such are right there!



It is more than a retiree haven to "age and die" in a place where you can look at fishing boats and such, and buy a cooked crab now and then.
I myself am "old" and telling you this!



What's not to like about it?
Can you look at a map and see where Coos Bay is located, and what it actually is?
It is nothing like Tillamook, Reedsport, or Astoria.

Face it, THE WORLD is looking at Coos Bay.
Better be ready!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Quit sticking your finger in your eye.

Can you look at a map and see where Coos Bay is located, and what it actually is?

It is nothing like Tillamook, Reedsport, or Astoria.

OK, I guess I'm dumb.

Coos Bay is on the shore of a bay formed by the Coos River
Reedsport is on the shore of a bay formed by the Umpqua River
Tillamook is on the shore of a bay formed by a variety of rivers
Astoria is on the shore of a bay formed by the Columbia river.

All of them are surrounded by the ocean on one side and mostly public lands and mountains on the other side.

All of them are reached by very curvy 2-lane highways.

All of them are characterized by declining industries (timber, fishing, and agriculture)

What makes Coos Bay unique? Is it that the harbor is deeper and accessible by big ships? What else do they export besides logs? What do they import? Anything? Juneau and Ketchikan also have deep water harbors that are MUCH deeper than Coos Bay. I don't see industry clamoring to build up there.

[Metlakatla]

https://kval.com/news/local/cruise-s...for-first-time

I hope they can learn something from Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway's mistakes and not allow the offshore jewelry companies in.

As far as blabbering about retirees, this thread title has Florence in it, and it's kind of hard to blabber about Florence without mentioning the retirees.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Texasdiver,
Well, that is exactly how Portland was described twenty/thirty years ago.
Except for the highways.

I believe you are sticking your head in the sand because you don't like what you think is going to happen.

But then again, I don't believe you have any real connection to Coos Bay, and you are just in the moment, enjoying your participation in the CD arguments.

Coos Bay may not ever become a center of heavy industry, but it is going to change very rapidly, very quickly, and your words will end up in my "told you so" folder.

Remember "Amber".
That was spot on.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

https://kval.com/news/local/cruise-s...for-first-time

I hope they can learn something from Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway's mistakes and not allow the offshore jewelry companies in.

As far as blabbering about retirees, this thread title has Florence in it, and it's kind of hard to blabber about Florence without mentioning the retirees.

How would you do that? Ban jewelery shops? I lived in Juneau for 10 years and would agree that there are too many corporate jewelry shops that only open for the cruise ship season and board up the rest of the year. But I'm not sure how you actually regulate that. If there's a market then someone will tap into it. Take away the corporate owned shops and they'll just pop back up as franchise operations with fake owners operating through shell corporations. Make them operate year-round? There are huge numbers of businesses that only operate in the summer. Going to make the salmon fishermen fish all winter when there are no fish? Going to make the kayak tour guy operate in December when there are no tourists?

In any event, I think Coos Bay is a LONG LONG way away from 1 million + cruise ship passengers that visit Juneau every year.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Texasdiver,
Well, that is exactly how Portland was described twenty years ago.
Except for the highways.

I believe you are sticking your head in the sand because you don't like what you think is going to happen.

But then again, I don't believe you have any real connection to Coos Bay, and you are just in the moment, enjoying the CD arguments.

Coos Bay may not ever become a center of heavy industry, but it is going to change very rapidly, very quickly, and your words will end up in my "told you so" folder.

I don't have any stake in Coos Bay one way or the other. I have friends who grew up there and who have long since left and who have no interest in returning. Growing up in Eugene in the 1970s and 80s I always remember that Coos Bay was always poised to become the next big something. Yet nothing every happens. So I'll believe it when I see it.

I'll be happy to be "told so" as I don't think Portland should be the sole economic engine in the state. But I still don't know what you expect Coos Bay to become. Are you expecting it to become the next Tacoma with heavy industry and trade? Or the next Bend as a recreation mecca with lots of outside tourist and retiree dollars? I don't see either of those to kinds of things happening frankly.