RN moving on up! Coos Bay, Brookings... someplace nice~! (Portland: for sale, rent)

[karenfromaz]

Oh how I am ready to move! Been looking at Coos Bay, Brookings, or anywhere close to the coast. I'm moving to be close to the ocean and Oregon fits my attitude and lifestyle better than any other state that comes to mind.
Single, female, active. Not looking for anything outlandish as I live simply. Basically, need a job, some friends and some place to live. Responsible, too. So.... where to begin? Where NOT to go/live? Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from you. No kids, so no concerns about being close to schools. I do have a couple of indoor kitties, though. So that may come in handy to know in regards to housing.

[kareor]

To Karen from Karen,

If you like small time living Brookings is great. Unfortunately we haven't
seen Coos Bay so can't share anything about that. We couldn't move
to Brookings full time yet so I continue to work in California and we
travel to Brookings four times a year. We have a small house there
and hope to move there full time in about 3 years.

We left there last weekend and hope to travel back in October.
Brookings is a beautiful area with tons of trails to walk and we really enjoy
beaches that aren't packed full of people.

I have met a couple of nurses who work in the area. You might check
out the Pelican Bay prison 30 minutes south in California. State benefits
are usually pretty decent and aren't affected by the budget crisis in
the state. I've considered the prison but don't want to do night shifts anymore. Too old for that!

If you check out Brookings Oregon or Harris Beach on Flicker you can
find some awesome pics of the area. Check out the Curry Coastal Pilot
on line and check out their employment ads. The closest hospitals in
the area are in Gold Beach and Crescent City. Both places are 30 minutes away.

It'll be fun for you to do all your homework to try and decide where to
move to. You will enjoy researching all the areas!

[scone]

Check out the seaside towns from Manzanita to Gearhart, as well. They have a demand for RNs and some interesting social life going on. Plus, they aren't too far from Portland if you want to take a weekend in the city.

I love the Gearhart beach, BTW. It's really broad and long, like the beaches on the east coast. Enough space for a long run or a bike ride.

[karenfromaz]

Thank you both! I am going there in three weeks for a recon mission, so to speak. Will check out your places. Thanks again.

[tiffela74]

Hey, if you come this way to Coos Bay, we've got the hospital, clinics, assisted living facilities, and the demand for home health care professionals too. Plenty of houses for sale, and several for rent. I love living here. Its certainly not a wild and crazy nightlife place (unless you want to count the raccoon fight on my deck the other night w/SIX of the not so little buggers!!) but theres some really terrific folks out here that Im sure would give a warm welcome.
just make sure you come in off the 101 drag....its pretty ugly along there IMO.

Best of luck!!
Tiffany

[oregun76]

Are you sure about Coos Bay? You may want to do some more digging. I grew up there and visit often, but only because family is still there. My kids refuse to go. Call it "The meth capital of the world". Not a lot is available in the way of good jobs. It use to be a timber town. That is all gone now, leaving many families destitute and depressed. Could be the reason the meth rate is so high! It is a good 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive to the nearest decent-sized towns (Eugene and Roseburg). As far as the hospital.......I do not know if it can even be called that. They almost killed my father and I have heard so many similar stories that I hope all my loved ones travel to Eugene, Portland or Roseburg for all future medical care!!!!

[tiffela74]

oh brother....I totally disagree! Coos Bay is nowhere near that bad. Both my husband and I make more money here than we did living in Clackamas. The Meth task force has done an amazing job of reducing the meth use/distributation around here, we have a lower meth problem than Tigard, Portland, Beaverton, Wilsonville, Woodburn, and many other city/towns. ya, there are families that live there that are desitute and depressed, but we sure have a lot of other families that are happy and thriving. (my family included)
I for one, have been very happy with Bay Area Hospital and the people who work there. Ive been there w/kidney stones, my husband w/a back injury, a child w/a busted arm, and a little one with a rare kidney disorder and all of us have had exceptional care. We have had less wait time and quicker care than we have at any hospital/clinic in the Portland/Tigard/Clackamas area.
Its got great parts, and bad parts. Just like anywhere else. Life is what you make it.
Tiffany

[Steve97415]

One thing about the Oregon coast that is markedly different from California -- and something many visitors fail to realize at first -- is that the demographics of the coast and the valley are highly stratified, i.e., the coast is VERY retirement oriented: jobs are few and low-paying even though cost of living is higher. Most younger professionals live in the Willamette Valley or Rogue River Valley and drive to the coast for recreation because the economies of those areas are far more supportive of professional occupations. Many coastal counties in Oregon are on the brink of economic collapse. Retirees alone don't make for a very stable economy. Check out "State of Jefferson" on wikipedia to get an idea of the problematic politics of southern Oregon. Be careful of getting starfish in your eyes. Morning strolls on the beach sound romantic, but they only go so far. Just like desert sunsets or citrus trees in your own yard, what once seemed attractive soon becomes routine. And the fog and gloom get old real fast.

As a medical professional, you can probably get a job almost anywhere, but realize that along the Oregon coast the average resident age is around 68 and a lot of people are in their 80's. I attended more funerals my first year in Brookings than I'd attended in my entire life up to that point. Social attitudes tend to be right out of the 1950's as well. It will be like living in Sun City...without the sun.

[tiffela74]

Coos bay has a younger population than that. I work with kids, and believe me, theres a LOT of young families out here. Id be way out of a job if there wasnt a large kiddo population out here! We're fully staffed and could probably use more, for an even better kids to staff ratio. And believe me, its not an elderly set of parents that are bringing in these kids.
Theres definatly opportunites for the non geriatric crowd out here. I know personally of a few new buisnesses that have been started up and are running well, making a profit. Some creative, some not so much. You might have to search out for what will work for you, but if youre willing to work at it, it can certainly be done, here as anywhere.
As for like Beautiful Brookings, hey, the good news is if youre in the medical profession, more elderly means a need for more care! Its on my list for somewhere to retire someday.....hey, everyones got to retire somewhere, why not somewhere that calls to your soul? I figure if anything else, if i go by simply scenery alone, I'll not even know when Ive died and gone to Heaven, can it be more beautiful than the Oregon coast?
Tiffany

[Oregonbeachlover]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

One thing about the Oregon coast that is markedly different from California -- and something many visitors fail to realize at first -- is that the demographics of the coast and the valley are highly stratified, i.e., the coast is VERY retirement oriented: jobs are few and low-paying even though cost of living is higher. Most younger professionals live in the Willamette Valley or Rogue River Valley and drive to the coast for recreation because the economies of those areas are far more supportive of professional occupations. Many coastal counties in Oregon are on the brink of economic collapse. Retirees alone don't make for a very stable economy. Check out "State of Jefferson" on wikipedia to get an idea of the problematic politics of southern Oregon. Be careful of getting starfish in your eyes. Morning strolls on the beach sound romantic, but they only go so far. Just like desert sunsets or citrus trees in your own yard, what once seemed attractive soon becomes routine. And the fog and gloom get old real fast.

As a medical professional, you can probably get a job almost anywhere, but realize that along the Oregon coast the average resident age is around 68 and a lot of people are in their 80's. I attended more funerals my first year in Brookings than I'd attended in my entire life up to that point. Social attitudes tend to be right out of the 1950's as well. It will be like living in Sun City...without the sun.

Wow, Steve, I have read some of your posts and you have to be the gloomiest poster on this forum! Some of us have worked hard in the valley for decades so that we could buy a home on the coast. And ABSOLUTELY NOT does the beauty of the ocean/beach EVER become mundane. I thank God everyday that I have such a blessing. Yes, there are many retirees living on the coast...that is what they have worked hard to be able to do. You are right about a lot of tourist-oriented jobs with low pay, but there are other types too. Retirees still spend their money. Oh my gosh, now you are back to harping on the weather. Give us a break!