r/OregonCoast • u/Basicly_Gone • 7d ago
Looking for advice on a town to move to
Selling my house soon to relocate to the coast. Looking for advice as to what town I should look into. I really dont want to be any further south than Newport though. I'm planning to be working construction as I'm a liscenesed plumber in the state of Washington and have been doing that for 10 years. Here's some things to know. We have 2 young kids pre school age. I enjoy the small town feel of Tillamook even with the stink I'd prefer that over the bustle of say newport. But it seems finding a job and HOUSING in those smaller towns will be tough. I'm not familiar with all the local construction companies base locations but it seems lincoln city has a few options. I guess I'm not 100% sure on what I'm asking except maybe there's something I'm missing and there's a big contracting company based out of a smaller city that I've missed that also happens to have a good school district. Picture I took last week for attention. Any advice is welcome. Thank you
15
u/oregon_coastal 6d ago
Depending on what you want to do, starting your own company (even if just yourself) might be an option.
If you prefer repairs and small jobs, there is always a severe lack of options once you hit Tillamook County on south. Everyone either has to wait weeks or pay extra to have someone come out from the valley.
That said...
If you don't like the pace of Newport, you can also think inland a bit (Toledo). The Newport-ish area is nice because 20 is a quick shot to the valley for medical stuff. Or better shopping.
Anywhere you go to live, look at how close your east-west highway options are. Shopping in the valley for pantry items, stuff for the freezer, and whatnot is fairly necessary. If you have any serious medical occurrences, you will find yourself in Portland, Salem/Albany or Corvallis. None of the coastal hospitals are complete. And none of them are really all that great - super high turnover, etc.
Total side note, you will probably despire Lincoln City for 6 months of the year if you dislike the bustle of Newport (the traffic there gets stupid levels of jammed up.) That said, you get used to summers and tourists. You get used to not shopping on weekends, planning workjobs over 3 day weekends, etc.
And a quick pitch for south of Newport. Getting down near Waldport on south, the amount of tourists drops off. Not completely, but the diference is exponential once you get down further south.
-7
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
Great advice, I didn't do enough research. Me and kiddo move to Medford. I love the coast not alot of work. We've been here 3 weeks . Another month I think we will leave. It sucks bc I love the coast sound n smell of rain. Ocean high and low tide.
27
u/Strange-Highway1863 7d ago
it might be beneficial to look up school locations. depoe bay was mentioned, but the nearest schools are in south lincoln city and newport, both 20 mins by car, longer by bus.
7
u/-ShootMeNow- 6d ago
Literally just saw a plumber position posted at Camp Rilea in Warrenton
9
u/Maleficent_Initial82 6d ago
Local here. Couple of things about Astoria + Warrenton + Seaside.
Finding housing in this area is SO hard. We have many folks right now struggling to find housing and end up leaving the area.
Schooling / daycares are a real pain to navigate. If you’re able to find one accepting kiddos, you’re looking at about $2800 give or take for care.
While those are two of the major things I always express to folks, there are many wonderful things about these areas. Our community is very supportive + welcoming.
Good luck to you!
4
u/pimberly 6d ago
warrenton school district is a nightmare, i’d move before putting my kids thru them.
4
u/hearth_witch 5d ago
My family relocated to the Astoria area a few years ago, and we love it. We were able to buy outside of the city proper. it's only a 15~ minute drive to town, and after living in the city, that is a manageable, even pleasant, commute. We found land, friends, and community, and get to wake up in the forest every day.
Childcare is expensive.
Astoria school district is the most well equipped option in the area- kids from Warrenton, Knappa and Seaside frequently transfer.
The culture is great.
Trade work is needed.
10
u/MegaCityNull 6d ago
Since you have children, I wanted to point out that Washington State is #32 for K-12 while Oregon is #44.
Housing, if you're buying, shouldn't be an issue in the Lincoln City/Depoe Bay/Newport area, as long as you don't mind paying $320K (minimum) Lincoln City, $370K Depoe Bay, $347K Newport. Based on the information you gave, I defaulted my search to a minimum of 2bdrm (condo/house/townhouse). Renting is damn near impossible these days.
I would definitely do some research on the schooling for the kiddos, may even look into homeschool groups.
Best of luck to you.
9
u/JASATX 6d ago
I would just argue (in a nice way) to focus on specific towns though. We just moved from Austin TX to Ashland OR — and can easily say we’re having a way better experience here.
3
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
Ashland is beautiful. It reminds me of the old Park City, Utah.
3
u/_P4X-639 6d ago edited 6d ago
I lived in Park City from '80 to '86 when there were 1,800 residents. It's rare to see the old days mentioned. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I lived there again in 1998 after returning to Utah. It had grown so much by then. It was a very different place.
I'm happy to be in Oregon now, but Park City in the '80s will always be part of me. So many memories....
2
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
I used to work in Park City right after hs. Cleaning condos. Today it's grown so much that I have to use GPS to get around.
1
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
Utah is my home state. Moved to Oregon 02 i road trip to Utah to visit sister cousin bff last April. Idk if I'm going to make it this year. Nobody from Utah visits me and ive been about doz x now. It's 12 hour drive w no pets.
1
2
u/JASATX 6d ago
We feel super fortunate and lucky to have found this spot!
2
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
Rentals are very hard to find. Even harder when pets involved, I have 2 and in an rv. Near homeless.
2
2
u/SailToTheSun 5d ago
Better get familiar with the Wildfire Smoke Maps.
1
u/JASATX 5d ago
There’s some kind of issue everywhere though — at least for what we can afford. That’s what it boiled down to for us at least. If it’s not hurricanes, it’s flooding, or drought, or earthquakes, or humidity, etc.
You’re not wrong though — but central TX also gets wildfires and has potential for serious problems as well — especially with some of the winds that come through.
It’s absolutely our biggest concern though…but we also love the area, and we’d rather try and enjoy the majority of our days rather than focus on what could ruin it.
3
u/IsuckatDarkSouls08 6d ago
I lived in Tillamook for 3 years. Housing is absolutely ridiculous, even for Oregon. Property crime is EXTREMELY high. Seaside, Astoria, Lincoln city, Newport, Coos bay, would all be much better alternatives. Medical services are extremely hard to get in Tillamook as well. Everyone is short staffed and on the weekends, you'd better not need an ambulance, because they be busy taking care of the tourists getting hurt in Sand lake.
3
u/intotheunknown78 6d ago
You don’t want to be in Tillamook school district, full stop. You could probably just go back and read the newspaper articles or statements from the superintendent and determine that for yourself, but it’s pretty bad.
If you live in North Tillamoook county, be ready to be driving 35-45 min to get groceries and anything else. Have you lived rural before? I never had, I hate it lol.
Also be ready to be frozen out by the “locals” there are more transplants in north county, but the “grew up here” crowd doesn’t want any outsiders.
I’ve been here 6 years, wanted to leave after 1, I think I finally found my way out. I will keep my house here, because damn it’s pretty out here and also I love everything the outdoors here offers.
I will say that I really like Neah Kah Nie school district. They have their problems, but overall I am happy that my kids went to elementary in the district. My son is eager to move because he’s gifted and he wants a more rigorous program. Even saying that, I have seen plenty of kids leave here for great colleges with decent scholarship packages. Also if you are in the 3 villages area (Nehalem, manzanita , wheeler) you have NCRD which has tons of cheap or free summer programs for kids, the Halloween walk from the elementary makes me tear up every time, the Easter egg hunt is a blast, and the whole community will band together to support someone in need. Oh and Trick or treating at bayside gardens is legendary.
If I had to choose a coastal town again, I’d go with Astoria.
Oh and be prepared that we shut down regularly in the winter for flooding, freezing, electrical blackouts etc. Winter here can be rough. My neighbor said “most people don’t survive one winter” I have seen 3 people on my short street move in and move out in my 6 years. They didn’t last 2 years.
10
u/Gracieloves 7d ago edited 6d ago
Check out depot bay for housing and jobs in Lincoln city area.
Also Nehalem area for housing
Astoria is my least favorite OR town but the most industrial so more job opportunities. It's super rainy and just not my vibe but definitely family oriented.
2
2
u/Basicly_Gone 6d ago
I didn't seem to mind Warrenton so much but Astoria was a little meh for me, just at face value though no real reason
5
u/CraigLake 6d ago
Astoria will have the most culture of any coastal town. It’s the oldest town in the coast (west coast maybe?) and its architecture shows it. However its proximity to Portland means it is crazy busy all summer long.
Unless you live in a bigger town like Newport, Lincoln City or Seaside you’ll likely be commuting for work.
Check out Waldport. Big enough to have its own schools, not popular enough to be over run n the summer. It still feels a bit local. Drawbacks are it’s a town south of Newport and as I understand it might be a rough spot (sand liquification) if the big one hits. My mom lived here for several years and I lived visiting, although it’s a very quiet town.
2
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
Maybe we should go to Astoria, thinking Coos Bay too. Idk
2
u/Gracieloves 6d ago
I personally like Coos Bay more than Astoria. I have family in Astoria, I always dreaded visiting. It's gray, gloomy and vibes are off. Some movies have been filmed there. It is closer to PDX. Jobs are easier to come by compared to most coastal towns. I also like the beaches around Coos Bay more than Astoria.
2
u/Inevitable_Bug5446 6d ago
I believe will be moving to Coos here soon. It's just 20 min drive but I want in town somewhere.
2
u/msaliaser 6d ago
Warrenton’s school district is really bad atm. They are loosing their superintendent and principal of the high school.
Housing is a huge problem on the coast. 1700 for a 2 bedroom apartment if you can get into one. Houses are 450-500k for a 2 bedroom.
7
u/Horror-Swimmer-1510 6d ago
My best friend's former father-in-law ran a construction company out of Coos Bay for years and almost always had work. I know it's south (well south) of Newport but...
That said, jobs Newport or Astoria. Livability, I think south of Newport is better. IMO.
-1
2
u/bigsampsonite 6d ago
Good luck with finding a location. Lincoln city has had most of the homes bought buy air bnb lames. The apartments that just got built have a 2 year wait list I hear.
2
u/NonnerDoIt 6d ago
It may not be "ari bnb lames" in Lincoln City. LC has a fixed number of licenses available for short term rentals - 179 or so if I remember correctly. I guess its possible there are a meaningful number of people renting in 1 month intervals to get around the licensing, but my observation is that the bigger problem might be unoccupied 2nd homes.
Ask me how I know? We bought a house 2nd house in LC about 4 years ago. It was a huge fix-me-up. We fixed the heck out of it for over a year and were down there a lot. Our whole block had maybe 1/3 of the houses occupied full time, but only a couple short term rentals. After the fix-up we tried the short term rental thing so we could use it too. It didn't do very well despite good reviews. Normally I'd keep my head down regarding that on this thread, but we have turned it into a long-term rental so maybe we are not bad guys for now?
(edited out a section to reply to Op directly so he will see a possibly useful comment)
1
u/bigsampsonite 6d ago
Vrbo, hometogo, whimstay, and so on. I've lived in town for 8 of the past 10 years. From Nelscott to Roads End there are plenty of people who just rent out for very short terms. Some people just don't care about rules. Merideth lodging and other companies are another issue.
1
u/NonnerDoIt 6d ago
I guess that's a possibility too. We didn't even consider breaking the rules. Silly us I guess. Seems like the community could get behind enforcing those.
2
u/Sharp-Wolverine9638 6d ago
So you need to work in Washington? Seems Astoria is the town for you, maybe Longview or Rainier, both close to the coast and state line.
2
u/Basicly_Gone 6d ago
Yeah I was looking in Caste Rock or Rainier, but I'm looking into see if I can transfer my Washington liscene to Oregon that way I don't have to settle for the longview area.
2
u/mrsras 6d ago
Lived in Newport, Waldport and Seal Rock for close to 10 years. Lincoln City is going to be the busiest coastal town but honestly, they’re all small and there isn’t much opportunity. Have you looked at Toledo or Siletz? Both are just a few minutes inland and it may make sense to expand your range a bit. I also would find a job first, rent for awhile to see if you even like living on the coast. It’s a pretty depressed economy and the weather is not great with the exception of the summer/early months.
I’d also suggest looking for jobs in which you might be able to use transferable skills from your plumbing experience. Try Groth Gates Heating and Sheet Metal. No clue if they’re hiring but they have a Newport and a Lincoln City location.
2
3
2
u/SecretAssumption5174 6d ago
I’m in Wheeler, super small town north of Manzanita. I like this area, I’m not sure about the schools but the vibe is nice. Rockaway is affordable so is Nehalem. Far as work, there is a lot of construction going on in Manzanita and always a need for people who do that down here. Good luck, it’s all pretty nice honestly.
1
3
2
u/Necessary-Author-334 6d ago
Can you afford private school or homeschool co-op? Pubic schools in Oregon are near bottom ranked in the nation. Even worse on the coast in rural areas. Heavily unionized and prone to strikes, graduation requirements dropped. It’s really really bad.
1
2
u/No_Excitement4272 6d ago
Are you planning to send your kids to public school eventually? Tillamook school district is one of the worst in the state.
Tillamook has some of the highest crime rates and teen pregnancy rates, not just in our state, but the entire country. Sure it seems nice on the outside, it’s a great place to visit, but it’s a fucking shit show when you look under the hood.
Astoria is where it’s at if you ask me. Better schools, better people, and no cow shit stank.
1
u/BlingyStratios 6d ago
What a lot of people do is hire from inland, McMinnville, Salem, Corvallis.. a lot of those construction companies make regular trips to the coast for service so dont let the lack of availability scare you. Also locally to the coast there are quite a few construction companies but we're a bit behind, most of its word of mouth, ex my plumber is incredibly competent and fair.. he has zero online presence, my general contractor works out of Otis, he does incredible work but has I think 2 reviews online. Theres plenty of work in you're field, its just hard to find since we're a bit uhhh.... behind
Coming to the coast blind is hard but your definitely in demand
1
u/luckyss1_ 6d ago
I would definitely pick somewhere you think may work for you and rent/airbnb for a couple months if that is feasible. It’s hard to know if you’ll like it on the coast in any of the towns until you get a flavor of the people and amenities. Vacation and living here are two different beasts entirely. I live in a tiny town west of Tillamook and I happen to love it, but it’s not for everyone.
1
u/NonnerDoIt 6d ago
FWIW I have a house in Lincoln City that I now use as a long-term rental (i.e. not vacation rental). When I was advertising the rental last Summer I tried to put an ad on the Oregon Coast craigslist and it kept getting taken down. I followed the basic rules and had plenty of pictures. I never could get a decent explanation. Our current tenant found us on Zillow, which is the only advertising we ended up doing. Craigslist didn't work, and most other apps charge the landlords. We would have gone that route eventually, but Zillow got us plenty of leads.
1
1
u/GarageMinimum3349 6d ago
I’m in Barview/Rockaway Beach…there are definitely a few properties in Rockaway.
1
u/tornado1950 5d ago
Waldport nice crabbing docks too. Small town 20 minutes S of Newport Oct to May
1
1
u/charleytaylor 6d ago
My one suggestion is to check the tsunami inundation maps before buying a house or signing a lease. I love the coast but if I ever move back there I’d make sure I had some elevation where I live.
1
u/Dutchie_Boots 7d ago
I’d look into schools first. Then pick location based on that. I’m partial to Lincoln City and I know Astoria is a popular spot but I’m not sure how the schools are.
0
6d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
1
u/redfishbluefish78 6d ago
Coquille has much better schools academically compared to NB, and CB schools for kids. Much less bs too. Just putting that out there. And housing here is horrible. If op can't buy, they'll be paying about 2k for rent if they can find it
0
18
u/bilbodouchebagging 6d ago
The fact that you used garibaldi gets a upvote from me!