This sign proclaiming Newport as "The Friendliest" welcomes visitors to town.

I heard a quote one time that stuck with me, “The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does.” When I first heard it, I thought it sounded like having nosy neighbors that knew more about your life than you did. Then I moved here and the quote really started to make sense!  I come from a large city, where you can get anything at any time, day or night. That’s not necessarily a good thing, trust me. It can take the value out of people and things. It can also make people faceless and forgettable.

Then I move to a city whose motto is “The Friendliest”. Hmmmm, it sounded like a challenge to me, not an invitation! So I started to test this city’s motto as I began to look for various services that everyone needs when they start to settle down.

I started to ask my friends and my friends’ friends who they call when they need something and I was shocked at how quickly and decisively everyone answered.  And woe to the person who puts their doctor or hair stylist or Real Estate Agent down! Loyalty is definitely alive and kicking on the coast!

So after compiling my list, I started calling and making appointments for various things and everyone was so helpful and yes, I’ll say it, friendly! Everyone I talked to and then went to was accommodating, knowledgeable and fun. No one made me feel like only a number and everyone made me feel welcome.

And now, many years later I still have and will always have my “Go To” people that, if for some reason I couldn’t get in to see them (this has never happened)  I would do without, rather than see someone else. For example: My eyes are solely taken care of by Dr. Hyduchack and his fantastic staff at Newport Vision Center.  My teeth are healthy because of Dr. Parsons and his fabulous staff at Canyon Way Dental Clinic. My hair will ONLY be cut and colored by Robin at Hair Expression. I can walk upright because of Dr. Shones and his enthusiastic crew at Shones Chiropractic! I am healthy because of Dr. Bice and his wonderful staff! And of course I only turn to Windermere for buying and selling homes on the coast (come on, do you really expect me not to plug Windermere every chance I get!)

Don’t get me wrong, there are many, many great businesses in town besides these and I know they are someone else’s “Go To” people.  That’s the beauty of small communities, you find a business that has everything you need and a fun staff and they become more than just business, they become your friends!

So the motto was tested and found to be true. Thank you one and all for making the Oregon Coast a place to call home!

Sandra

Christmas Boat Parade, Yaquina Bay, Newport

Snow is a very rare occurance on the Oregon Coast. Sant Claus usually sees scenes like this from his sleigh. While your new Newport or Waldport home or condo may never see much of the cold white stuff, that doesn’t mean that Christmas on the Oregon Coast is a low key affair. The towns dazzle with Christmas lights, the Christmas boat parade in the Yaquina harbor is internationally famous, and the Newport Symphony Orchestra is in full swing at the Performing Arts Center. Christmas shopping on the Central Coast is a major draw, with the local merchants offering one of a kind items and the outlet malls posting their deepest discounts.

Oregon Coast real estate shows very well during this time as the crisp days give way to magnificent views from your new oceanfront windows. Put all this together with the Christmas tree you cut yourself in the forest, a cup of hot cider in front of your own fireplace, and you will agree that there is nowhere finer to spend the holidays than on the beautiful central Oregon Coast.

Pity the poor novice when they begin to try the native sport of clamming in Waldport, Newport, or elsewhere on the beautiful central Oregon coast. Like the fellow pictured above they often attack the clams with their shovel rather than using the time honored ‘stealth’ approach. You see, when you walk out the front door of your Oregon coast beachfront property, more likely than not you will be the only person on the beach. This means that the clams are all yours.

The photo, above, shows a damaged  Razor clam. These delicious treats actually start burrowing when you start digging, so an experienced Oregon clammer will first spot the telltale dimple in the clean white sand. Then they will dig to the side of the dimple, not over it. Then the race for the clam starts. Can you dig faster than a clam can burrow? Oddly enough, probably not. That must be why they are in such plentiful supply along the Oregon coast. In fact, all of the Lincoln County beaches are able to supply the presistant clammer with a goodly supple of this delicious bivalve mollusk.

Although many restaurants claim to make their chowder exclusively from Razor clams, you will find that your own homemade, locally caught, chowder will win the raves of visitors to your new Oregon coast home with beach views.

Lately those looking for Oregon Coast real estate, particularly those looking for beachfront property in Newport and Yachats, have noticed something new. Poetry groups, writers workshops, and reading clubs have been springing up like proverbial mushrooms after a spring rain. It seems that retired folks actually enjoy snuggling up in front of a woodstove or fireplace and digging into the classics they always promised themselves they would read one day. This has led to groups such as ‘Writers on the Edge’ who are hosting authors who read their own works. The younger set has even organized ‘poetry slams’ which are becoming quite the scene on weekends.

No one is sure if it’s the gentle rain or the dramatic coastal landscapes which are behind this movement. All the thriving booksellers are sure of one thing:  business is up – way up. Sitting in a friend’s coastal condo last week, I remarked that this summer has been unusually mild. She was assembling yet another bookcase from Ikea to hold her increasing library of book purchases. She wiped the hair out of her eyes smiled and said,  ”Good, I’ve got a lot of reading to do and this is absolute heaven for a book lover like me.”  I looked out her front window at the scudding clouds and the crashing surf and had to agree.

The simple and best answer is to connect with an experienced Real Estate Broker who lives on the Coast. We know the highways, byways and all the great places to visit. It is impossible for a visitor to be aware of all the unique neighborhoods and areas – many of which are off Highway 101 and easily missed.

Image courtesy of Bridgemeister.com

When touring the Central Oregon Coast it helps to remember that Highways, 101, 18, 20 and 34 are our main thoroughfares. As such traffic volume triples and quadruples during the Summer months and on holiday weekends. With so much scenic beauty to enjoy it is very common to be stuck in traffic behind cars and RVs that are so wrapped up in sight seeing that they forget about sharing the road and progress at a stately 35 to 45 MPH from one view point to the next. It may not seem like a big issue but it is. Our narrow roads are designed to accommodate traffic at 55 MPH and the flow goes pretty well. Drop below that and pretty soon we have major congestion and a dramatic increase in the number of rear ender accidents. What a crummy way to spend a vacation. So keep the speed up to the legal limit, make use of pull outs and enjoy the views. The next greatest challenge is the high use of bicycle traffic on the Coast as a very popular route. Most of the highways have designated bike lanes where space permits. There are really narrow areas where the riders actually have to travel in the traffic lane which creates hazards for drivers who are not paying attention — so give them plenty of room.

So, connect with an Oregon Coast Realtor and let us do the driving; you will be happy you did. Our two offices specialize in Newport Oregon Real Estate as well as communities north and south of Newport.

Some people are of the opinion that it frequently rains along the beautiful central Oregon Coast.

While it is true that the area can sometimes see up to 80 inches of rain per year, the drama of a winter storm is absolutely worth the experience. Imagine sipping hot tea in front of a roaring fire in your own coastal home or condo. The wind outside is whipping whitecaps on the ocean, and the entire fishing fleet has returned to the Depoe Bay or Newport harbors. You immerse yourself in a good book or old movie while Mother Nature rearranges the local beachscape with her pounding waves.

It’s no wonder that so many artists and writers call the Oregon Coast their home. In fact, the number of bookstores vastly exceeds the number of any other type of retail business, with the possible exception of local restaurants. And in the morning you know the agate rock beds will be exposed, the beachcombing will be epic, and the sun will rise over the Coast Range on another glorious day.

There is one simple secret to extremly productive crabbing on the Oregon Coast. Just drive to the Alsea Bay in the little town of Waldport, 15 miles south of Newport.

The bar at the mouth of the  Alsea (pronounced Al-see) Bay silted up a hundred years ago. Only the smallest of boats ever cross this treacherous opening to the Pacific. However, this means there is no commercial crabbing inside the bay and the crabs have been multiplying there ever since. Oregon charges about $5.00 for a license to crab. The public boat launch in the old town section of Waldport is free and pots can be rented at local businesses near the docks.

The  concept is simple and the results are delicious. Just tie some old fish heads or chicken necks to the bottom of you crab pot and throw it overboard, atttached to a float. Wait 15 minutes and the pull the pot and see how many delicious Dungeness crabs you bring up into the boat. Always observe local regulations, but when last checked the limit was 12 crabs… per person!

This is a great family experience and the sights on the bay are breathtaking. You’ll see sea lions sunning themselves just a few feet from your boat and a vast array of birdlife, even a bald eagle or two. Chances are extremely high that you will be having all the crab you can eat for dinner that night back at you Oregon Coast home.

#1 SLOW DOWN!  That was a hard one for me.  The coast has a different time frame than the rest of the world.  Things are more relaxed…which is great because you actually have time to meet people, remember their names and make lasting friendships and enjoy the view all at the same time. 

#2 Don’t expect all directions to include a street name.  This one floored me!  I needed to get from a friend’s house in Toledo to a friend’s house in Waldport.  It went as follows:

• Turn left out of the drive way and drive until you reach that church with the red door, turn right (OK…what street is that? No Answer)
• Take that street until you see the police station and turn right (Ummm..OK, but I’m scared now)
• Follow the road until you see DQ (OK, seriously, what street am I on now? Still no answer),
• Turn left on HWY 20 (YES! A STREET NAME)
• When you hit Newport turn left at HWY 101 (We are on a roll, that’s two street names in a row!)
• Take 101 to Waldport and turn left at the street after the one with the light (are you kidding me?) there is normally a nice old man named Earl on that corner (I kid you not, my friend not only said this, but Earl was actually there! I waved.) 
• Follow that until you get to a polka dotted mail box, take that gravel road until you get to the white house and You Are There!  (This last part was said with a cheeky little grin that I know was meant to humble this California girl!  It worked.)

#3 If you think you know how to pronounce some of the landmarks, you probably don’t!  For example:

• Yaquina (ya-KWIN-a)…not Yakeeena
• Not to be confused with La Quinta (Keeen-ta)…..not La Qwinta
• Siuslaw (Sigh-u-slaw) Not sue-we-slaw
• Philomath (Fill-LO-muth) Not Filowmath
• Yachats (YAW-hots) Not Yaa-chets
• It’s Lincoln City, not Lincoln
• Siletz (Si-LETS) Not SI-letzzzz

#4 If you show up with an “I’m a Food Snob” attitude, like I did, you will be put in your place…nicely.  We have the best food here!  From fabulous seafood with a view at Georgies to awesome locally made beer and Kobe burgers at Rogue.  We have something for everybody! 

#5 If someone asks you if you are a Ducks Fan or a Beavers Fan, answer quickly and decisively and stick with that decision, forever!  That, my friends, is how I became a Ducks Fan!!!

I am thankfully still learning, daily, about the Central Oregon Coast.  This is where I work, play and raise my family, and I love it here!!

Best Beach on the Central Oregon Coast

Yet another in a string of beautiful public parks, Ona beach has some surprises for the first time visitor. The parking area is located just off highway 101 below a residential area named Makai. The beach is usually deserted although the picnic area next to the parking lot is very popular.

A paved trail takes you along and eventually over Beaver Creek across an arched footbridge and out on to the white sand beach.

Beaver creek cuts the beach in half but also offers hours of fun for the little ones to play in the 6 inches of warm water well away from the pounding surf. This is the beach for sandcastles, clamming, and agate hunting. Campfires are legal and a sunset weenie roast can be the perfect end to a magical day at the Oregon Coast.

Breathtaking oceanfront home for sale which adjoins Ona Beach. MLS #: 09-1997 Listed at $500,000 Learn More

Yachats' 804 trail

There is a trail in Yachats, Oregon that was deeded to the citizens after a lengthy court proceeding.

It is an old ’road’ from the late 1800′s and is the most pleasant and famous stroll in southern Lincoln County. Today it is no more than a dirt trail that hugs the Pacific coast only a few feet from the tidepools and thundering surf. It can be bicycled, walked, and has even hosted folks who are in wheelchairs.

Cove after cove lie in front of beautiful Oregon Coast properties. The trail has access points to all of them as well as offering some fairly productive fishing holes. Most folks start the walk at the parking area at the mouth of the Yachats river where there is free and public parking. The trail is accessed a few steps from your car and this experience will put you instantly face to face with the mighty Pacific.   For ‘storm watchers’ it doesn’t get any better than this.