Considering relocating to oregon coast..could someone help me out with some info/questions? (Portland: job market)

[JustMarried10]

We are considering relocating to oregon from the south / east coast sometime soon but i dont know very much about oregon, and i have a few concerns, if anyone could help me out with some info i would be very appreciative. My biggest concern is that we are a mixed race family; our daughter is in preschool and already she is being teased/bullied about her racial background. We have talked to her teachers a few times but it has not helped very much. I dont want to move somewhere where this would intensify... does anyone know how mixed race families are generally recieved/treated on the oregon coast? We love the idea of an outdoorsy city/town with a lot of nature and space and that is what originally drew us to consider oregon.. are we on base with that? Is there a place on the oregon coast that yall would recommend for 20 somethings with young children? Also, we are very liberal and my husband and I have many tattoos... would we be aliens in a strange land? Is the job market surviving in oregon? My husband and I are both college students and finances are VERY tight, so we would need to find jobs quickly.. is that probable? Thanks for your help and time.

[Rob Allen]

The mixed-race and the tattoos will not be an issue; you'll rarely even get a second glance in western Oregon. You'll find plenty of people like yourselves. Unfortunately, you'll find lots of twentysomethings looking for jobs too. Oregon has some of the worst employment statistics in the country right now.

The Oregon coast is mostly for tourists and retirees. There aren't any real cities there. The biggest towns would be Coos Bay/North Bend, Astoria and Newport, which are all in the 15,000-25,000 range. You can probably find seasonal work as summer approaches, but permanent jobs are harder to find. Do you have any particular skills or specialties?

Also, you mention that you're students. The coast has community colleges, but if you want a Bachelors degree, you'll have to head inland to the Willamette Valley.

All in all, you might be better off looking at Portland or Eugene rather than the coast. The unemployment figures are just as high, but there's more going on than just tourism.

[davefr]

The racial issues shouldn't be a major factor IMHO. However if you need quick jobs and finances are tight then stay away from the coast!!
Unemplyment is sky high and family wage jobs are nearly non-existant.

You need about 1-2 years reserves saved up before you move to Oregon if you don't have a job already lined up. I'd double that for the coast.

[Waterlily]

I was just reading the local newspaper online for Coos County. The unemployment rate is 12.1 and about the same for Curry county. There's not much chance of finding a job for someone new who moves here.
It would be best to wait until things get better.

[Silverfall]

I agree with the others. Stick to the valley for jobs. Portland or Eugene are the more liberal cities in Oregon and there are plenty of pierced and tattooed folks around here.