Nice, with caveats. - 4/8/2019

Residents since 1990. Pros: The weather is exceptionally mild. We find it a very inexpensive, convenient, and laid back place to live. North Bend has an airport (OTH) with daily flights to SFO. Opportunities for outdoor activities are many and most excellent. Cons: Coos Bay is geographically isolated. It's rural, filled with retirees. It has it's share of homeless, druggies, as does about every place these days. The housing costs are high, wages are low. Services are poor, or nonexistent. Everything is underfunded. The native population are the folks who are left after the best and brightest leave town when they graduate from high school. Most of the folks I know who moved here couldn't handle the lack of most everything and the isolation, and moved back to where they came from. So, to recap: we really like living here, you probably won't.

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Wht is this place like to live in 2016 - 6/24/2016

My son is thinking about moving to coos bay, I have read some comments, doesn't sound so good. He has a family and he thinks he can get a good job. He lives in colorado. Please be honest and tell me wht you think.

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nice - 3/29/2014

nice

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Scenic...And That's About It - 4/14/2010

I lived in Coos Bay for over 10 years. It is a nice place to visit (especially during the mild Summers) and probably a pretty good place to retire if you can afford it, but not a place to raise a family. The schools are horrible and shutting down all over the place. There are no jobs and what jobs there are don't pay much. There is absolutely no culture and no good colleges within probably 50 miles, and hardly any stores except WallyWorld. The oceans are beautiful and not at all crowded because they are too cold to swim in, but good for surfing and hiking along the trails. There are lots of lovely forests and hills. But the bay is polluted and smells like sewage, there is a big monstrous casino on one side of the city, and meth addicts on the other. Everyone who said the mall was a joke was right, I grew up there and it has always been that way. If you have seasonal affective disorder or mold allergies, I would stay far, far away as it is very damp and gloomy a great deal of the time. The temperatures are always mild, but often extremely windy with a cold rain. The worst thing about Coos Bay is the cost of living. Food is expensive, gas is outrageous, and the housing market - despite the high unemployment rate - makes home ownership unattainable for most residents. Those who have houses generally live in the rich areas, and those who do not live in apartments or trailers. Many middle-class people live in trailers or manufactured homes, and the taxes are sky-high. There are much better places to live in this country.

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No Jobs Even Before The Recession - 4/14/2010

I have lived many places and never had a more difficult time finding a job than I did in Coos Bay. What jobs are willing to pay compared with the cost of living is completely out of whack. You could do a lot better in the midwest or just about anywhere. Many people on the coast survive on minimum wage and live in low-income housing or run-down trailers. Opportunities for teachers are almost zilch, as many of the schools are closing down. Competition for jobs is also extremely tough, as even teenagers are competing with middle-aged people for grocery store bagboy positions. It was like this BEFORE the recession, now I hear it is even worse!

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horrible - 2/8/2008

I grew up in Coos Bay and realized that I need to give up hope for the place. Most of the people who live there are poor white trash, radical conservative and either really obese or on meth. People dont take pride in their appearance and dress horribly. NO educated people...the kids who went away to college never came back. The school system is terrible...most of the elementary schools closed down but there are like 3 alternative high schools for the pregnant 15 year olds. No room for any artistic or creative people. If you are outside going for a jog or riding a bike every person who drives by automatically stares you down because to them it must be weird. Lots of racism and bigotry..I would hate to be a minority or gay and live there. There is a huge meth problem. All of the local businesses are closing because of a 24 hour super walmart is more appealing to the locals. there is also a new "dollar tree" store. there is a worthless mall called the "pony village"that is half empty. this place is home to some really ugly architecture..old houses are rotting away and the only new houses are cookie cutter crackerbox cheap-o pieces of crap that cost half a million dollars. I guess there are some nice beaches and scenery but stay away if you have a family/class/dignity/aren't a WASP because you might get lynched by some good ol boys.

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Needs more... - 8/18/2007

Needs more of everything! Money for schools, job opportunities, activities for children and teens. This is a very economically polarized town. There are well-to-do people who enjoy sailing, arts, and dining. The rest suffer from lack of employment opportunities, unable to even purchase homes here that are outrageously priced. There is a HUGE meth problem, and I don't want my kids going to school here. I can't wait to move.

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Just Right - 12/29/2006

That it is always raining, is a misnomer. This town sees it's share of rain for a season, then has long periods, often in winter, of beautiful weather. The cold here is always bearable, the heat...always bearable and the people are rough and rugid, but kind to the core. It's a laid back kind of place with low expectations, little competition and tons of opportunity, if approached with a can-do attitude.

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More like OOOS bay - 12/5/2006

I have never seen so many obese women in one town. This town is WHITE TRASH. Theres lots of guns, taxidermy and meth production. Too bad its on the coast, b/c you would think it was the backwoods of Appalachia if the ocean wasn't right there.

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About Coos Bay... - 11/9/2006

I lived in Coos Bay for 1 year and ended up leaving because I was miserable there. Coos Bay is considered a paradise to some and a rat hole to others. It really depends on who you ask and where they're originally from. I have lived in several big cities, so Coos Bay felt very country bumpkin-like to me. Most of the people who live there are uneducated and poor. It claims to be a tourist attraction, but it seems to me like it never quite made it to that status. There are miles of beautiful bay front that are not being used and blocked by old machinery and crumbling docks. The main attraction on the bay front is the casino, which recently decided to block more bay front with an RV park. There are many negatives to Coos Bay, but I do have to say that now that I've left, I do miss the isolation of it. It was a more easygoing place to live. No traffic, friendly people, lazy weekends. It definitely has some pros, but the cons tend to outweigh those, especially if you are trying to raise a family there.

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On the Coast - 2/26/2006

This is a beautiful coastal piece of heaven. It is often raining and grey throughout the winter months. Best time to visit for the best weather is in August and September.

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