Ocean Shores? (Olympia, Pacific, Riverside: sale, real estate market, to rent)

[OKSunny]

Whats the deal with Ocean Shores--is it just for rich people?
Its beautiful and somewhat affordable but where is there to work?
I am thinking that this is a place where people have their second homes? I hope I'm wrong, because I would LOVE to live somewhere like that. I'm in Oklahoma and it's like another planet.
I will be graduating in a year (Masters in Library Science) and I can make 40-70K in a bigger city. Anywhere close by I could work if I lived in OS?
Thanks so much

[allforcats]

Hi. Since you're from Oklahoma, I can imagine how amazing the photos of Ocean Shores, WA must seem to you! Here's something magical to add to your idea: when you drive up onto the beach at Ocean Shores, and the many groups of Seagulls finally yield to you so you can put your car somewhere on the sand and get out, when you stand at the shoreline with the Pacific Ocean softly lapping at your feet in gentle, little white waves, if you look right (north) you can see very far to a small island in the distance, if you look left (south) you can see into infinity, and when you look straight ahead (west) you can see as far as the curvature of the Earth...

Ocean Shores is neat. And it's almost not there. Do you realize it has a population of only 5,000? That almost 50% of the males there work in hospitality or construction? There's almost no 'there' there. HOWEVER, I was completely amazed to find that it DOES have a library!! with all of 22,107 books!! It also has three schools (elem., j.h., and s.h.) with all of about 650 kids. Perhaps they too are libraryized? Here is the City-Data.com page with tons and tons of statistical info for you:
//www.city-data.com/city/Ocean-...ashington.html

Ocean Shores is fun for a day trip or a vacation. That's what we do. Rich people definitely do not live there. Check the climate info on that link and you'll see why. Also, check the income statistics -- the estimated per capita income is less than $24,000. Check also the industries in which males and females work, and you'll see why. Notice there are only three little schools and one microscopic library with a microscopic operating budget...

But if you scroll down some -- holy cow! look at all the motels! Y'see? That's what Ocean Shores is about -- people driving up on the sand, talking to the Seagulls, running with their dogs at the edge of the usually very very cold Pacific Ocean, riding horseback on the beach, taking pictures of each other, building sand castles...

Have you considered Olympia, WA? That is the capital of Washington and has a population of over 45,300. A very educated, smart population. A big library. Tons of colleges, universities and lower schools, all with library needs, therefore employment possibilities. Supermarkets. Farmer's market. Stores. Bookstores. Shops. Restaurants. Cafes. Movies. Theater. And so forth... Olympia has its own waterfronts on an arm of the Pacific. It's a lovely place to live and work, and you could find good choices of places to rent. //www.city-data.com/city/Olympia-Washington.html

And Ocean Shores could be your weekend delight. It's about 65 miles west from I-5, the north-south major freeway that's on the west side of Olympia (see a map). So Ocean Shores might be up to 80 or 90 miles from where you work in Olympia. Between Olympia and Ocean Shores would likely be a hard and tiring commute during summer, and an impossible commute in winter which is nine months long here, due to flooding, winds and ice, so Ocean Shores is not a place to live if you work in Olympia.

Ocean Shores is beautiful and delightful, and there are so many other places up and down the WA and Oregon Pacific Ocean shores (as it were ). Lots of magical natural places to spend years discovering. Places with few to no employment possibilities and loads of breathtaking beauty...

OKSunny, I hope this has been helpful to you. Happy thinking!

[OKSunny]

thank you so much for your detailed and informative reply
I love your moniker by the way--cat lover? Me too, well an animal lover

I will check out all the links you provided

And you were correct about me being amazed by the pics....flat, plains get boring after 32 years

I want my son to grow up somewhere breathtaking....except he'll probably feel the same way about WA when he grows up as I do about OK...I'm just sick of the heat and humidity here

thanks again

[allforcats]

I am an animal person, too, but everything I ever needed to understand to become a human of unconditional integrity and joy and serenity -- I learned from cats...

Your son may fare better than you think. The forests, the mountains, the green growing things, the lakes and rivers and streams and creeks and waterfalls, the bears and mountain lions and elk just beyond sight, and the Bald Eagles and deer along with horses, cowies, llamas, herons, Canada Geese, big fat crows who own the world, coyotes, chickadees, hummingbirds -- all right there where you can see and hear them -- all of this, in my observation, seems to have greater 'sticking power' than flat, featureless plains seem to have. He may wander, but he will come back.

I love how you love your son... What a treasure he has in you...

[Fat Freddy]

There are rich people living in Ocean Shores. You only have to look at all the huge houses on Duck lake to realize that. There are also many rich summer residents who inhabit the beach mansions.

However, most people who live here are either retired, work in real estate, construction, or the tourist industry.

Real estate in Ocean Shores has had periods of boom and bust. A couple of years ago was a manipulated boom period. Those responsible grabbed huge profits and moved on, leaving the real estate values artificially inflated, and the market unstable.

Construction is tied to the real estate market. It's pretty depressed right now. However, even when it's booming, most of the construction companies are family owned, so it's not an ideal place to come looking for construction work.

The tourist industry employs a lot of people, but they are generally seasonal low paying service jobs like hotel maids. Many of these jobs are filled by immigrants.

The tourist stores employ retail clerks, and the restaurants hire waitresses, bus boys, and dishwashers, but they are usually family or local young people.

There are two main stores in town where the locals shop, the IGA Grocery, and the ACE Hardware. There is also Levee Lumber Building Supply. Quite a few people work at these places, but there is not much turn over.

There are also city jobs like the Police, Fire Department, Street Department, etc. But these have all recently laid off people because of budget problems.

Which brings up another issue - taxes and fees. Ocean Shores is one of the most expensive places in the area to live. Taxes are high and they are always coming up with ways to get more money from the residents. Recently they did some repaving of some of the roads and it is going to cost everyone a few thousand dollars depending on how much their property is worth.

The water in Ocean Shores is probably the worst tasting and most expensive in the state of Washington. However, they are about to spend several million dollars to fix this. Supposedly it won't raise the water rates, but I'll believe that when I see it.

The City Council recently passed a bill to pick everyone's pocket of about $200 by threatening to cancel the EMT ambulance service. With a town full of old folks, no doctor in town, and the nearest hospital 25 miles away, they didn't get much resistance.

And don't get me started on how they wanted to sell off the city owned Weatherwax Nature Preserve to developers who wanted to make it into a gated community of condominiums.

I could go and on with the negative stuff, the collusion between the tourist industry, the real estate developers and the local politicians, but what would be the point? If you read the history of Ocean Shores, you will see that it started out years ago as a real estate hype by a California land developer. Over the years the scammers and hypsters have changed, and what started out as a huge sub-division has changed into an official "city".

But, the attitude remains that this area is a resource to exploit, develop, and profit from, not a treasure to appreciate and preserve as a place to live. However, the Weatherwax sale was stopped by citizens who organized and made their voice heard.

Maybe in a few years, those who want to live here and preserve this beautiful and unique place will outnumber those who want to destroy and profit from it.

************

Here are some pictures of Ocean Shores that don't usually appear in the tourist literature.

The first one shows the beach on a non-crowded day. When the sun's out there will be ten times this many people and vehicles.
The second picture shows why all the residents have NOAA alert radios turned on 24 hours a day.
The third picture shows the town's main intersection. The stores you see are the IGA and ACE hardware. There is also a state liquor store there.
Then there is our Marina. It used to be full of fishing and pleasure boats, but now the bay has filled in and they can't get in nor out.

[OKSunny]

Fat Freddy..thanks for the input..I think I vetoed Ocean Shores almost as quickly as I considered it..the pictures sucked me in...thanks for providing an alternative view. The Tsunami sign is crazy....but I guess I have put up with tornadoes all my life so Im kinda used to freaky weather.....but a Tsunami, wow!
The intersection pic looks like everywhere in OKlahoma. BLAH

[OKSunny]

Originally Posted by allforcats

I am an animal person, too, but everything I ever needed to understand to become a human of unconditional integrity and joy and serenity -- I learned from cats...

Your son may fare better than you think. The forests, the mountains, the green growing things, the lakes and rivers and streams and creeks and waterfalls, the bears and mountain lions and elk just beyond sight, and the Bald Eagles and deer along with horses, cowies, llamas, herons, Canada Geese, big fat crows who own the world, coyotes, chickadees, hummingbirds -- all right there where you can see and hear them -- all of this, in my observation, seems to have greater 'sticking power' than flat, featureless plains seem to have. He may wander, but he will come back.

I love how you love your son... What a treasure he has in you...

I agree..cats are great. I have a dog & a cat, both rescued from the street, I won't get an animal any other way. They are so different, but both have unique qualities I appreciate.
Thanks for all your help, I'm sure my son will love it in WA. He is 7 now, but I can already tell he has the personality of someone who is going to be into "extreme sports" or other physically dangerous endeavors---always jumping off high places and climbing up high into trees..enough to give his poor mother a heart attack! I am afraid since there is nothing like that to do here in OK he will look to other dangerous things (i.e street car racing, or even worse criminal activity to get that rush) Maybe Im being paranoid but OK is known for trouble making (bored) teens. Hopefully he will be able to find that thrill in something more constructive, mountain climbing, surfing, and the like.
Thanks again for all your help, you are very sweet.

[allforcats]

There are also kayaking, canoeing, white water rafting, parasailing, hot-air ballooning, skiing, snowboarding, waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, sailboarding, rockhunting. I've probably only scratched the surface (I'm a scholar, not a gadabout ).

[RobE]

Friends of my parents retired to Ocean Shores after spending most of their lives in Riverside County, CA. They love it. Never been there myself, though.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by RobE

Friends of my parents retired to Ocean Shores after spending most of their lives in Riverside County, CA. They love it. Never been there myself, though.

That sounds real, about your folks' friends. Ocean Shores is a wonderful place to do as little as you want. For anyone who's accustomed to seeing things around him all the time, like trees, buildings, fences, roads, or hills and mountains, the first moment's sight of the endless vista out over the ocean is completely disorienting, and then changes one's definition of "Earth"! And right near is seemingly endless ancient rainforests. AND snow-capped mountains! It's an amazing area... You should visit there sometime and drink in the beauty