Raising a family in Coos Bay vs Newport (Portland, Eugene: for sale, real estate)

[pattyabeyta]

Hello! My family and I are planning to move to the coast come summer time. We have been considering coos bay and Newport. Which would be best to raise kids in? We are very outdoorsy and love the beach, hiking, fishing, etc. How are the schools? Housing market? (For sale & rentals) Job market? any tips or info is greatly appreciated!

[texasdiver]

Newport is more touristy. Coos Bay is more downscale blue collar as it is a bit further off the ocean and not really beachfront like Newport. I think the schools in Newport are probably higher rated than those in Coos Bay on the comparative rating sites. Probably because I suspect it is a somewhat more affluent area.

Housing market everywhere on the coast is going to be tough. But it will probably be easier to find a place in Coos Bay because it is less touristy and less over-run by vacation rentals.

[pattyabeyta]

Thanks for the info! Which beaches are better in your opinion? Newport or the ones near coos bay?

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pattyabeyta

Does coos bay still have good beaches nearby to visit?

Coos Bay has great beaches nearby to the south at state parks like Shore Acres and Cape Arago but they are going to be a 20 min drive. Newport has lots of beaches and beachfront property right inside the town that are within walking distance depending on where you live.

The difference is that Coos Bay is on a bay set back from the coast so doesn't have beachfront property. Tillamook and Reedsport are the same. The beaches that are closest to Coos Bay "as the crow flies" are all on the other side of the bay and it's a long drive around the bay across several bridges to get to them. But that is also what makes Coos Bay less of a tourist resort destination so housing might be easier to find a you aren't competing with all the AirB&Bs as is the case in all the beachfront towns.

Newport is also on a bay but also backed against the ocean so the beaches are all closer and there are lots of neighborhoods with beaches within easy walking distance.

Study google maps and you will see what I mean.

[ejisme]

I haven't spent any significant time in Coos Bay, so I won't speak about living there, except to say it's the largest town on the coast. Yes, beaches are nearby, but the city is on a bay, not the ocean. It's a long ways away from any bigger cities, so could feel more isolated (2+ hours to Eugene, OR).

Newport has beachfront and more tourists, but also a pretty good business district. All your basic daily needs can be found in Newport (Coos Bay too). There is quite a bit of non-tourist housing neighborhoods to the east of the HWY 101. Do a zillow or other real estate search online and see what's available. Newport is much less isolated from the Oregon population centers. Corvallis is 60 minutes away. A bit over an hour to Salem, and then Portland IAP is 2 1/2 hours away. I would assume public schools will be fine in Newport, with a bit more of a tax base to support a quality education.

[pattyabeyta]

Thanks so much! You're a huge help!

[Metlakatla]

I live on the coast. Don't move here for the beaches. That's what weekend getaways are for.

You don't say what you do for a living, so it's hard to say whether local job markets will have what you want.

Housing is very difficult to find. Rentals are going to be basically nonexistent in Newport.

You couldn't pay me enough to raise a child in Coos Bay. Maybe Newport, but finding housing is going to be....interesting.

Have you visited either place, done preliminary housing searches, anything like that?

[sam812]

Originally Posted by pattyabeyta

Thanks so much! You're a huge help!

I would avoid Zillow and the like. This is the site I have been using to watch the housing market there. I am not recommending the agency as I know nothing about them. They have all the listing for all the realtors and unlike Zillow the list is not filled with properties that really are not for sale.

https://dorettasmith.com/real-estate/most-recent/

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by pattyabeyta

Hello! My family and I are planning to move to the coast come summer time. We have been considering coos bay and Newport. Which would be best to raise kids in? We are very outdoorsy and love the beach, hiking, fishing, etc. How are the schools? Housing market? (For sale & rentals) Job market? any tips or info is greatly appreciated!

Job market for what type of jobs?

[blazenjames]

The Oregon coast is a trashy place to live. Sure the beaches are nice during the summer but otherwise it's cold, dark, dank and depressing. Job market is low wage, drug use is high. I would not raise a child anywhere on the Oregon coast.