Pros and Cons of Living on the Oregon Coast
What do people like most about living on the Oregon Coast? What are some of the downsides? There might be some things about the Oregon Coast that you might not like, that you wouldn’t know about if you haven’t lived there. And you might find some pleasant surprises. There might be a few things that you consider a con, but someone else considers a pro. I’ll save that as a third category for last and you can comment below and let us know if it’s a pro or a con too you. In this blog, I’m going to show you the good, the bad and the ugly on the Oregon Coast and I’m going to show you why so many people move here, and what to watch out for if you’re thinking about moving somewhere along the Oregon Coast.
Let’s start with the cons and save (the good stuff) the pros for last. And then finally we’ll have that small third category where you decide.
Ok, our first con – Gardening – this one might seem a little random gardening can be difficult on the Oregon Coast. The weather can make it difficult. It can get pretty windy along the Coast so you may need to keep your garden shielded. You’ll also probably find lots of wildlife anywhere along the Coast such as deer and elk that will eat various things in your garden. You’ll probably want a raised bed with compost rather than planting directly into the ground because you’re probably going to find a lot of sand in most places. So if you’re a gardener, these are things to consider. Not a deal-breaker for anyone I’m sure but something you’ll need to account for. The growing season lasts from mid-February to early to mid-October.”
Next is Housing. To be fair, this is probably going to be a con for many places in the country and really just about everywhere in Oregon right now. But the housing on the Oregon Coast is higher in coast than the national average and there is a shortage, meaning there are more buyers than sellers. So it’s tough to find a home right now. Of course, if you do find a home, or if you own a home, this could be added to the pros category because you’ve probably seen your home go up in value dramatically every month. But for many, it remains a con. Of course, you can always reach out to me at the Home Team Brokers if you need help.
After housing, we have Income and Employment. Median household income is highest in Clatsop county at 55k and lowest in Coos County at 45k. Everything else along the Coast is somewhere in between. These rank slightly lower than the statewide number for Oregon which is closer to 76k and the national with is 67k according to the census bureau. Unemployment is also slightly higher along the Oregon Coast compared to the rest of the state and the rest of the country. The highest I found was in the high sixes in Lincoln county. Most of the other counties were in the 5’s. None of Oregon’s largest employers have headquarters on the Coast. Some of them do have jobs open along the coast such as Fred Meyer or Les Schwab Tires. I think the largest employer on the Coast would be Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. They emlpoy around a thousand people. If you’re in healthcare, there are hospitals on the South Coast, Central Coast and North Coast that are all hiring right now according to indeed.com. But all in all, if you’re moving to the Oregon Coast, you’ll want to make sure you can find the employment you want with the income you need.
Tying right into our last few items on our list is the High Cost of Living. Oregon ranks higher than the national cost of living average, mostly driven up by the Portland Metro area but you’re not going to find that the cost of living on the Oregon Coast is a whole lot cheaper. Some housing will be cheaper in many locations on the Coast, not all, but most. Other than that, your costs are right in line with most of the rest of the states. You can check out our cost of living video here if you want to dive further into that subject.
If the high cost of living, high unemployment, and low income isn’t enough, we also have Natural Disasters. Technically, we do have a few volcanoes that can reach the Coast with their ash (Mt Hood and Mt St Helens) which last blew 40 years ago. Its ash blew East and riched as far as Wisconsin. Although that isn’t likely because the end doesn’t blow that far enough West. But, we do have to watch out for what many have called “The Big One”. If you recall, Japan had a massive earthquake in 2011 which caused a tsunami – and that tsunami actually reached Oregon. It completely obliterated everything it touched along the Coast in Japan and it went pretty far inland. There are some pretty wild videos online if you haven’t seen it. This “Big One” that is being predicted by some could be similar to the earthquake Japan saw in 2011. So how do they know this? Geologists dig deep into the Earth and take samples that allow them to see how often earthquakes and tsunamis have occurred in the past. According to the averages, we’re past due. There is something off the Pacific Coast called the Cascadia Subduction Zone that is responsible for massive earthquakes that cause tsunamis. The last one was in 1700. You’ll notice driving along the Oregon Coast tsunami evacuation routes. So that may be something to consider. If you’re going to live on the Oregon Coast. You’ll want to have some sort of provisions in the case of a major earthquake and if you live near that water, you’ll want to know the evacuation routes. If you really want to be prepared, we have a house near the water and we keep life jackets even though we don’t have a boat. If by chance a tsunami does come and you can’t get out of there in time, because they come fast, they literally travel at hundreds of miles an hour, you’ll probably be thankful you have a lifejacket. No matter how strong of a swimmer you are.
And if all that isn’t enough, how about high crime? Ok, it isn’t that bad but Oregon does rank 35th nationally in crime reported. So we’re slightly above that national average. We do rank lower for Violent crime – most of the higher crime in Oregon is property crime. Check out our Worst Nighborhooods on the Oregon Coast video – we talk more about crime there. And for the Oregon Coast, it’s pretty consistent with the rest of the state. The coast is slightly higher than some parts of the state but it’s mostly petty crime and property crime rather than crimes such as murder, rape or violent crimes.
And then finally, how about some higher Taxes? Oregon ranks as one of the highest in the country coming in at 9.9%. So we’ve got the high-income taxes here.
But, we don’t have Sales Tax. Which is going to kick us off with our pros. So if you buy a loaf of bread for 3.99, you pay 3.99 at the register. If you’re an Oregonian and you’re used to that, you probably know how annoying it is when you travel outside of the state and when you buy something it’s more than the price listed because you have to pay tax. For all the people that are used to paying sales tax; let me tell you, it’s a lot nicer just paying the listed price. A lot of people who live near the Oregon border in Washington travel over the border to do their shopping. It used to be the case that if you were traveling out of state and bought something, you could show your Oregon driver’s license and not have to pay tax. I don’t know if that’s still a thing. I assume it’s not because I never ever see it done when I’m traveling. Comment and let us know if know more about how that works.
The next pro is the beauty and recreation. Oregon is known for its trees – it’s very green here. Quite literally. If you’re coming from somewhere such as Southern California, you’ll notice the difference. Everything is green on the Oregon Coast. I love California and your weather certainly is better but you get a lot of brown down south. And because it’s beautiful, the people here like to take advantage. Which means there are endless trails and state parks. There are lots of places for recreational vehicles. Lot’s of places for camping. And really, some spots on the Oregon Coast are some of the most beautiful in the world. Now, I say that realizing I might be biased. But, I have noticed when traveling outside of the state or even the country. If you ever go somewhere that sells art of photographs. Out of all the places in the world, I will often see at least one thing from the Oregon Coast. I remember being in Tahiti one time, one of the most beautiful places in the world and there was a shop that sells prints and they have a picture from Samual L Boardman state park, located on the Southern Oregon Coast. So that should tell you something.
This kind of ties in with outdoors and recreation but I’ll separate it because it’s so big and that is Hunting and Fishing. Hunting and fishing is big in Oregon but the advantages on the Coast are that it’s pretty much year-round. There is always something in season whether it’s hunting or fishing. The crabbing is year-round here. It’s huge. I don’t know that some of the big game hunting is the best. I think Eastern Oregon is most desirable for that. The terrain on the Coast is rugged and the forests are very thick. But we do have some incredible elk. You just might have some difficulty getting to them. A lot of the best seafood and crabbing is on the Central Oregon Coast. Including deep sea fishing. We do have a lot of rivers that run into the Coast. So if you like river fishing, maybe you get seasick, you’ve covered there. One of the most popular spots is in Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River(Northern Oregon Coast) at Buoy 10. And what people are mostly fishing for in the rivers are Salmon and Steelhead. A steelhead is a trout that isn’t landlocked, that travels to the ocean. So if you’re a hunter and fisher, you should be happy just about anywhere on the Oregon Coast.
Ok, so even though the numbers for income and unemployment aren’t the best in the country, we are one of the fastest-growing economies in the country. It helps that more people are moving here rather than leaving here. USA Today reported that Oregon was the 6th fastest-growing state in the country. Some of us have mixed feelings about “out-of-staters” moving here. But all in all, it helps jobs and home values when we have a robust economy with tax-paying workers rather than living in states where people are living. And if you buy a home, it then becomes more difficult to sell your home when that time comes. If you buy a home in Oregon, you can feel confident that it will be a solid investment for years to come.
Next is Beer and Wine. If you love craft beer and northwest grapes, Oregon might be the best place on the planet to live. Granted, most of the breweries are near Portland and most of the wineries are in the Willamette Valley – but there are great breweries and wine all along the Coast as well. And if you don’t tend to visit breweries or wineries, all of the restaurants always carry local stuff. So even when you’re eating out at your local favorite restaurant, you’re benefiting from all the great beers and wines.
Ok, last pro. Lots of the pros and cons were dictated by data, such as crime numbers, income, employment etc. There aren’t many metrics for this last one so this is kind of my personal opinion but I’m going to say the People. The people are a pro of the Oregon Coast because they in general are hospitable, warm, and laid back. All in all, the people are great. Even to “outsiders”. You kind of hear that Oregonians aren’t very welcoming to people such as Californians. I don’t feel that way. I’ve personally never witnessed that sort of behavior. A lot of my new neighbors have California license plates. They’re great people. Consider that, most people moving from out of stats such as a Californian is doing so by choice. They’re probably like-minded people. And everyone that I have met had been great. So I would definitely put the people as one of the biggest pros. Whether a lifelong Oregonian such as myself or someone that just moved here, the people that live here are great and part of what makes living in Oregon or on the Oregon Coast great.
And finally, the last category. We’ve got pros and cons but I mentioned we have a third “undecided” category. I really don’t have much for this category but there was one thing that seems to be a pro for some and a con for others. And that is cannabis. Or marijuana. It’s legal here in the state of Oregon. Some people see it as a good thing. Some maybe not. Either way, here’s how it works here. You can’t just open up shop and sell anywhere. It goes city by city. Or municipality by municipality or county by county. So you’ll see some cannabis shops in some cities and not in others. I think you’ll find them in most cities, but if you don’t want to be near that, there are some cities that don’t have any.
Final thoughts, ok I know all the cons might sound like a lot. Higher crime, taxes, cost of living, higher unemployment – low income. Why is that? Well, I think a lot of Oregonians retire on the Coast. Which could drive up home values and the cost of living. And drive down the median income. So it’s probably not as bad as it seems. And why do they move there? Well, it’s a nice place to live. Most people don’t consciously retire to places that are undesirable. So take that for what it’s worth.
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