Ocean Shores--good, bad and the ugly (Pacific, Westport: appointed, condos, hotels)

[Fat Freddy]

So far I have been able to avoid working out there.

But if they ever catch me and I have to take one of those .12 a day jobs, I'll let you know how it goes.

I hear the food is real good though.

[sean98125]

Ocean Shores is always going to be fairly modest because there isn't a critical mass of well-paying, year-round jobs. And because the people who with the kind of money that can transform a town and who want a vacation or beach house will buy in more appealing areas with better views.

[Rrrrichard99]

For better or worse, of course. But I know what Ocean Shores, Hoquiam and Aberdeen looked like 10 years ago, and what I see now (in 2008) is improvement, and in some regards, vastly improved. Not everyone is a fan of the big box retailers that have begun to line the streets of Aberdeen, but to me they are the lifeblood of modern existence. There's Home Depot, WalMart, plus a big Top Foods and Starbucks, etc. just twenty minutes away from OS (from the gates, anyways). Seabrook is a wonderfully upscale development to the North that will benefit OS and particularly Pacific Beach. The IGA on Chance in downtown OS is about to double in size--that will make the drive to Aberdeen optional for some, like me.
As for the marina, that sounds like a snafu and a lost cause, but as I said, the casino has big bucks and more pull than any other local entity. Even so, recrafting the marina is entirely optional. Running a ferry service is optional. But surely tearing down the SilverKing and building something real nice, with an uncompromised view of Grays Harbor, the city lights of Westport, and the Pacific, is not only feasible but highly likely. Over time, that is. One thing is certain: change is inevitable. I know the nation is reeling from this mortgage debacle and a bum economy, but there are still tens of thousands of Californians that would like to get the hell out, if they could only sell . . . Check back in another 10 years, and I'll wager life will be better yet in Grays Harbor.

[sean98125]

Grays Harbor will improve, I'm sure. I just don't know how much Ocean Shores is going to grow, though. They only get about 130 sunny days a year (about a month less than Seattle gets) and twice the rain that Seattle does. I have a feeling that a lot of Californians might not like that as much as we web-footed Northwesterners would.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by Rrrrichard99

... there are still tens of thousands of Californians that would like to get the hell out, if they could only sell . . . Check back in another 10 years, and I'll wager life will be better yet in Grays Harbor.

Not if we get invaded by those tens of thousands of Californians.
I hope they all move to Texas or Arizona.

[Rrrrichard99]

The drive from the gates of OS to Top Foods is more like 30 minutes, especially with those lane restrictions past the Hoquiam bridge.
As for these marauding Californians, I am really not worried. The worst people I've met in this state are definitely the natives. I imagine the poorest Californians will stay where they are, or perhaps continue migrating to the greener pastures of Las Vegas. I doubt they will pony up 200 - 400k for a new house or a condo on the southern end of Ocean Shores anytime soon.
But for the shrinking middle class and wealthier set, living in million dollar-plus homes in congested and increasingly crime-ridden neighborhoods, the savings and benefit would be tremendous, and they would be more than welcome. They could retire on the difference, as many already have. Even Seabrook prices would be a bargain for them. If they could only sell their homes!
I agree that the high winds and general marine coast climate is not right for everyone, but the Pacific Ocean never fails to impress, and it works like a charm for those of us that relish its savage beauty. Today was a classic example: windy as hell, spitting rain, black clouds and whitecaps up the yin yang. I wouldn't exchange that for anything. I think too much sunshine sucks, and that a modest storm is a thing of beauty. Let all those leather-faced sun worshippers turn to raisins in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California. They are welcome to it. If the Mexican government will allow it, that is.

[Fat Freddy]

It's not the quality of the California hordes I am concerned about, it's the quantity.

I don't mind seeing a couple of ants in the house, but when I see a huge army of them marching across the kitchen counter, I get concerned.

I lived in California for many years and I watched my fellow ants march across the state devouring valley, mountain, desert, and seacoast, and I watched them invade Oregon and spoil much of the beautiful Northern Coast.

Luckily, the colony of California ants who first set up the real estate scam that was to become Ocean Shores, was eradicated by toxic economic conditions, but many groups followed, and today they are busily chomping away under the guise of "progress".

I would like to see everything west of Point Brown sink into the ocean, including all the hotels, condominiums, tourist hype, and real estate brokers.

Except for the Veterinarian and Pizza Shop of course.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by Rrrrichard99

The drive from the gates of OS to Top Foods is more like 30 minutes, especially with those lane restrictions past the Hoquiam bridge.
As for these marauding Californians, I am really not worried. The worst people I've met in this state are definitely the natives. I imagine the poorest Californians will stay where they are, or perhaps continue migrating to the greener pastures of Las Vegas. I doubt they will pony up 200 - 400k for a new house or a condo on the southern end of Ocean Shores anytime soon.
But for the shrinking middle class and wealthier set, living in million dollar-plus homes in congested and increasingly crime-ridden neighborhoods, the savings and benefit would be tremendous, and they would be more than welcome. They could retire on the difference, as many already have. Even Seabrook prices would be a bargain for them. If they could only sell their homes!
I agree that the high winds and general marine coast climate is not right for everyone, but the Pacific Ocean never fails to impress, and it works like a charm for those of us that relish its savage beauty. Today was a classic example: windy as hell, spitting rain, black clouds and whitecaps up the yin yang. I wouldn't exchange that for anything. I think too much sunshine sucks, and that a modest storm is a thing of beauty. Let all those leather-faced sun worshippers turn to raisins in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California. They are welcome to it. If the Mexican government will allow it, that is.

Great post. Last paragraph is hilarious!

[Fat Freddy]

Talk about The Ugly, the latest hype is some company that wants to build hundreds of of wind generators off the north shore.

The only thing that Ocean Shores really has going for it is the view of the ocean and now some hucksters want to rip that off in the name of profit and progress.

It will also ruin the fishing, impact the boating, and harm the environment.

The powers that be are touting it as a great idea, as they open their pockets to let the money fall in.

In a couple of years instead of watching gliding and diving birds silhouetted against the setting sun, we can watch giant propellors turning atop the skeleton rigs of giant wind turbines.

[rheadabovewater]

Are these wind generators supposed to generate power? We have them in No. California and they have been a great assistance - I do understand your feelings about the view, that's a bummer - but is there a silver lining to it as well?