Reviews & Comments
Coos Bay, OR
Scenic...And That's About It -
4/14/2010I 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.
Coos Bay, OR
No Jobs Even Before The Recession -
4/14/2010I 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!
Coos Bay, OR
re: horrible - 2/8/2008 -
4/14/2010I totally agree about everything except that most of the people are conservative. Like any city in Oregon, I find that most people are pretty moderate if not left-leaning. Which is one reason the taxes are so high.
Columbus, OH
One of the 20 Most Violent Cities - The Numbers Do -
4/14/2010The crime here is terrible and rapidly getting worse, and also spreading to the suburbs. When we moved to our suburb 6 years ago there was hardly any crime and a lot more trees. Now we hear sirens every single night, and there was a vehicular homicide right around the corner! Some parts of Columbus look like downtown Detroit, with boarded up old houses and no businesses because they are so tired of getting robbed at gunpoint. Robbery is rampant, rape is rampant (one OSU student was raped outside in broad daylight and another was stabbed in the lungs by a total stranger). We liked Columbus but are trying to get out of here because of all the crime.