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Oregon Bassist's Club!

#321
I've got a pretty off-topic question for some of you long-time Oregonians.

I am considering putting in for a job in the town of Gold Beach, a real little town down in the SW corner of the state just above Brookings and the state line.

Does anyone know anything about it? Or can anyone talk about the general feel of the place?

My fear is that my kids (11 and 12) would be bored to tears even though we do love the beach and doing a lot of outdoors stuff.

I like the idea of living close to the beach but from what I understand Gold Beach is very tiny with a lot of retirees. I'm concerned about the schools, availability of rental housing, whether or not there is a hospital, if crime or meth use/manufacture is high there (perhaps because of a lack of other things to do) etc.

I appreciate any info, advice, suggestions or thoughts about the town and the area. Thanks.
 
#323
Living on the Oregon coast is a mixed bag. Some places are nicer than others of course, but the majority of the towns I've seen, which is all of them up and down HWY101 are quite beautiful places to visit, emphasis on the visit.

Most of the smaller towns, aside from Seaside, Lincoln City, Newport, etc don't have much going in terms of infrastructure and things to do, outside of working, outdoor activities, taking in the view, etc.

There's also the location of hospitals and doctors to consider when living on the coast as larger hospitals with full emergency facilities are pretty scarce. Living that far South, you might even have to go to Eugene. Something to consider if you have kids. Can you say life flight?

Gold Beach is a quaint little town on a stretch of coastline that has some of the most spectacular sea cliff views on the Oregon coast where the waves really bash the heck out of things, but it also falls into a geographic area that can get quite warm in the Summer. It's not uncommon for temperatures to reach upwards of a 90-100F when the rest of the coast is in the high 60's.

You may want to have a look at the Gold Beach City Hall website to get some more information on schools and other resources and do a search for the local business association or bureau.

Another thing to consider is utilities. Most of the towns and places I've been to on the coast do not have natural gas lines, so I hope you or the spouse doesn't mind cooking on electric cooktops and using electric baseboard heating during the Winter. You can get a large propane tank, but that may be limited on rentals. There is cable tv in some areas, but not in others, so you'd have to go with satellite and internet connectivity can be a toss up as well, some isp's are quite limited in there speed offerings.

My advice would be to take a little recon vacation and check things out. Make sure to stay overnight, hit up the local eateries and talk to the locals about living there. Things always look nice in the brochures (websites) but can be a different story once you get your boots on the ground.
 
#326
Wow-thanks for all the info gents!

I'm really having second thoughts about putting in for this job. We love the beach and we're sure it's beautiful there, but I don't think we'd be making a good decision settling for such a small, isolated place. As some of you said, great place to visit probably, but living so far away from so much might get to wear on us after awhile.

Also, the job I was going to put in for is the same title/position as a job I used to hold in another part of the country and I didn't like it at all. Pay is decent, but not sure of the benefits and it's one of those jobs where you pretty much give up your personal life and have no free or leisure time.

Guess I'm going to keep looking. I put in for a job in Corvallis which I think would be a much better fit (wish me luck!) I enjoy my current job but just need to earn more money. We got our kids into a really cool school in Portland and we are reluctant to move, so I'm also trying to focus the search in this area.

We love Portland, but could happily live in another part of the state (hopefully still somewhat near the coast) as long as it was a decent-sized place, but we hope to remain where we are until my kids get out of middle school in 2-3 years.

Thanks again, everybody!
 
#329
I moved to Brookings from Memphis in Jan 2010. Most of the concerns mentioned above are very valid,I am approaching retirement age at 57,and was looking for a place to live when that happened. Brookings is pretty quiet,which actually appealed to me a great deal after spending the last 40 years in the major-metro area of Memphis. I hope and expect more medical options to come to our area in the future,but given the economy,who knows? I will say that I enjoy the Oregon southern coast living just fine,and I have met more musicians here than when I was in Memburg! And like most of Oregon, it does rain a LOT in the winter,but summer is pretty magnificent. (again,compared to Memphis summers,anything would be an improvement.) I don't have children,so can't really comment,but I think the schools here are probably pretty decent,and if then kids like camping/outdoorsy stuff,this is the place!
 
#335
I have lived in Oregon all but eight months, and only been to GB twice. Once driving through - stopped for breakfast - and once on a motorcycle tour and we did the jet boat tourist thing. Way fun, though. From what I know, it's a nice place to live, but I'm sure it all depends on your needs, wants, and expectations. When I was teaching, my school played GB in football and other sports playoffs. Speaking to those those who grew up there or long-term residents, of course they loved it. Some recent transplants wished for more. I'm no help at all, am I?
Good luck with the job search.
mj
 

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