Can anyone tell me about Gold Beach Oregon? (Rogue River: teaching jobs, elementary school)

[mrspink]

So...my husband and I were looking into moving to Montana where someone suggested Oregon. So I've looked around and would like more information about Gold Beach.

What is the average cost of living? How are the school systems? (my husband is a teacher, so what about salary) What are activities people typically like to do? I'm just curious as to the lifestyle there. Weather wise...can anyone inform me what the weather is like there? Are newcomers welcome?

[rogue576]

I grew up there during the 70's, it was mostly a mill town back then. When the mill shut down in the early 80's the population dropped and alot of people moved away... I moved too and came back around 1986 the mill had reopened and there were jobs, the mill closed again in '89 I think, then burned and was dismantled after that. If you like a small town, you probably will like it there. Hunting and fishing are great. Cost of living is (or was) high, 2 super markets and prices are higher on the coast, gas and diesel are more too. I went from 1st thru 12th grade there, the schools were funded and good back then, not sure how it is now. The weather is typically windy..., it snows about every 7 years, floods every 10 years (not alot of snow, and usually flooding isn't bad). It is mild and usually rains alot from aug thru may. I remember wearing a t shirt most of the time, even during the winters. Oh did I mention it was windy? LOL If you want to walk on the beach make sure you do it early, the wind usually picks up around 10 am and blows til it gets dark. One way to avoid the wind is to go up river, Agness is about 30 miles east up the Rogue River and a nice place to swim (we used to go up the Illinois River to swim or up to Shasta Costa Creek). I'm sure you will find Gold Beach very nice, I still miss it, but had to move to find employment. I still have family there and get to go back and visit. Hope this helps.

[joannjewelry]

I lived in gold beach a few years back and plan on returning soon. I will be retiring there but my main love was working with the special needs children at the elementary school. I just didn't make enough to stay there but my retirement will take care of that. The living is what you make it there. It's peaceful but there's lots to do if you want. The cost of living wasn't bad but there were lots of social services which no longer exist. I mean it's basic again; not special. The weather is amazing. In the winter, the rain comes horizontal mostly at night and then the mornings are like heaven.

[Steve97415]

I think that there are four things that are requirements for living in Curry County:

1. You should have been born before 1950 and have very old-fashioned sensibilities.
2. You should be a summer-hater. The idea of daily highs in the mid-50's during July and August would appeal to you. Since you hate warmth, the idea of frequent fog and overcast is also appealing since it shields you from your enemy, the sun. There's a reason the natives call it "Cold Beach."
3. You should be self-sufficient in your needs. If you are one of those Costco or Walmart-dependent types, you may have a hard time with the limited retail in GB.
4. Your interests should incline strongly toward marine activities. Deep-sea fishing, crabbing, kayaking and other such activities are some of the major payoffs that make putting up with the isolation and civic poverty worthwhile. If these things aren't that important to you, then you should ask yourself what you think the payoffs will be for you. Sunset walks on the beach are fine for the first few weeks, but what is going to fill the rest of the day?

Gold Beach is very very small and quite isolated. Since most people in Curry County are retired, the schools suffer from declining enrollment and the district is losing teachers. In general, Oregon is not a very good place to look for a teaching job as the supply of unemployed teachers far exceeds the number of positions that open up each year. But that goes double for the coast. Since the economy is so poor there, few families with children want to live there. It isn't that the cost of living itself is terribly high, but that the COL-to-salary index is so unfavorable. Minimum wage is the norm. Curry County is a place where people who've made their money elsewhere come to spend it out. Many of the locals who have to pay for housing and bills at prevailing wages live in poverty.

[Steve Pickering]

With the unions taking care of the laid off going back to work first (and this is the unions job), there are no teaching jobs on the Oregon Coast for outsiders far into the future. There are some special skilled hired in the last couple of years, but all were local or knew someone.

[Fiddlehead]

I would choose Montana at this time. Wages are equally low, but Montana at least has some jobs. Oregon is in the dumps.

[Thor6809]

OR is doing well.

[Elk Wallow]

Not the coast, as usual.