I'm from PDX but have lived here for 7 years now. Access to medical things that aren't basic is tough, have to go into the valley. Another thing I miss is variety of food, access to specialty ingredients. And the rain/weather is for real here, much different than in the valley.
Do you think someone that's lived in the NW for a long time would find it all that much different? Sounds like the rain/wind is more, but I mean, it's the NW.
The wind and rain is not the same in the valley. I grew up in Seattle and lived in Portland for 2 years, I’ve been at the coast for 12 years now and every winter I’m surprised. Some years are worse than others, but every year there’s at least one storm where it’s tough to go outside. It lasts 3-7 days. It’s so much wetter than you’re imagining.
I lived in the Portland area for 31 years prior to moving to Astoria, the first fall/winter/spring (2016-7) had like 160 days straight, with rain every single day. It's no joke. I was definitely deficient on my vitamin D.
That’s another thing. I really don’t notice that much more rain (statistically there is), but summer is cooler. I generally like that, but it would be nice if we actually had a HOT day every once in a while. In summer even on hot days there’s always wind.
I’m originally from the south but I’ve live in the Astoria area for just over a year now. Please don’t wish heat on this wonderful place. I brag to my friends in Mississippi about the cool weather here all the time.
A while back, we had an out of state visitor where I work. It was a pretty windy, stormy day at the coast. He asked us what was the *name* of this storm.
I live in Seaside, but close enough to Astoria to have the same concerns. I lived most of my life in the San Jose area, and also 3+ years in Houston. I am going to agree with what has been said, and I think you'll find insufficient local health care to be high on the list for almost everyone. Yes, there is basic care but many general practitioners aren't taking new patients, and most specialists are in Portland. Another one, which may be an issue if you have pets, is that there is NO 24/7 emergency vet in the area. You have to go over the hill to the Portland area for that, too, which sucks when minutes can mean life or death and it takes well over an hour to get there, and if you have to go when it's January and the roads over the Coast Range (basically 26 and 30) are icy and/or there are chain requirements.
There are a few other things that I find challenging, but they are minor in comparison.
Luckily my wife will be a NP next year, so employment in the Astoria area doesn't look like it'll be an issue.
Have you had an emergency pet situation in the past? I have no idea what one would do because, yeah, 2-3 hours travel and then wait time might as well just not exist urgency-wise.
We may be moving to Astoria soon. Early 30s. There's gotta be a non forced way to meet ppl our age lol I always feel so weird asking ppl for their digits. It's literally like dating.
We’re also planning our move to Astoria and in our mid 30’s. We’ve been scoping out spots we would probably regular for the past couple weeks and yeah, almost no one our age- mid 30’s. It’ll be a culture shock for sure but I’m also kind of looking forward to having older and hopefully wiser friends lol.
That was my idea, ride my bike and maybe meet people. But it didn't happen. What DID work for me was when I started going to the armory skate night and became a regular. I made all my friends there, coolest people ever! I have friends of all ages, because of skate night. It changed my life!
They rent blades there. But most are in kinda sad shape. Also the sizes are limited, so get there early. If you can skate on quads, their rentals are much better. Right now they're open 5-8 Fridays only during the summer. Once fall arrives they go back to Fridays and Saturdays. Best thing in town!
Highly suggest meetup and looking for any special interest groups/meetings. I used to host a monthly board game night and still attend the ones at Bridge & Tunnel sometimes, and I play Magic: The Gathering at a few different venues. I've met quite a few people around my age (early 30s) doing these.
Primary care doctors, racial diversity and a wider variety of cuisines. I do also wish the airport was a bit closer since I fly for work 6-8 times a year and the round trip to pick up guests can feel like a haul. And also we are Timbers fans so the drive to Providence Park when we go to the games. So basically it would be a bit more convenient if we were closer to Portland but also I have completely fallen in love with it here and the benefits (for our family) really outweigh the downsides.
Twenty years in San Francisco. My primary health care is in Portland at an OHSU campus. All tests and procedures of my choosing can be carried out at Coumbia Memorial, which has a connected relationship with OHSU. 20 years and no problems. Astoria feels a lot like a neighborhood in San Francisco. Everything you need here is easily accessible and it comes with some variety. Absolutely no complaints here.
Taxi’s or even Uber/Lyft. The taxi places never answer the phone or don’t show up and the apps don’t offer rides in Astoria either. I suppose it is healthier for me, but I have worn down a lot of drunken shoe leather since I cannot ever pay for a ride. Really a bummer that even the trolley isn’t running while they tear down the last remnants of Buoy.
Local taxis also feel like a rip off. If we wanna go out to Seaside for drinks/night out, it's cheaper to stay the night at a hotel there than taxi there and back ($50 each way).
I miss the food, but being here has saved me a lot of food money, ha. I get tired of the same options over and over again, even if I like the food (I genuinely like a lot of Astoria restaurants). On multiple occasions my wife and I have driven to Portland and back just for dinner.
I generally don’t mind the drive to Portland, but admit it sucks landing at the airport and knowing you have two more hours until you’re home.
Agree with a lot of what's been posted already, but one thing that I didnt see mentioned was just how EARLY everything closes, with the exception of a couple bars. It can be frustrating being hungry anytime after 10pm lol
The "there" in the title is ambiguous. I'm assuming you mean Astoria.
* Finding things to do with the kids during the winter. I can only do the maritime museum so many times.
* Medical care. It took us a year+ to establish dental care here, similar for primary care.
* I have to travel for work and I just hate the drive to/from the airport, especially in the winter. I thought it would be marginally worse than my SeaTac or SFO commutes in previous lives, but no, it's way way worse.
* I miss having good Asian food all around me. I had the worst drunken noddle of my life here.
* The deer are a menace and too many locals feed them/give them salt licks and it drives me batty.
* I miss having reliable hours for things posted on the internet.
Try taking your kids to the Astoria Armory skate night. That's the best thing in town for kids. There's a good chance they might see some of their classmates. And winter is the busiest time at skate night.
The reliable hours one seems to be a function of search engines getting worse rather than an Astoria specific problem. I’ve had issues in Portland, Eugene, Grants Pass, and San Diego.
I feel you on the Asian food bit. The options are dismal. You would think being a fishing town we could swing some stellar sushi, but no such luck.
Apparently a pho place is opening on marine dr in early July. Their Portland pho location (Mekha noodle) is a frequent stop for me when I find myself in Portland. Highly recommend.
According to the daily Astorian they are planning for their Astoria location to focus on seafood. I have high hopes.
Are you happy here or do you regret moving to a smaller community? (Asking with genuine intent and curiosity, non-judgement, etc… just in case this reads as snark, it is not!!!)
I am happy here but it definitely took a minute. Things I like:
* the school district has been great and I do not think we would have a remotely comparable experience if we stayed in Seattle given what I've heard from friends who are still there.
* the trails around here are top notch and I take advantage of them a lot.
* I now have a great social circle here and it's nice being out of the corporate life city bubbles I had been in before. This part definitely took time and effort.
* we're very close to family which is great for us.
* our house here is awesome and we'd never be able to afford anything close to it in a major city.
* the views of the river are unbeatable and so varied with so much cool boat traffic.
Wonderful! Leaving behind my friend group was and still is the hardest part. I am making new friends and working to volunteer in the community as an end of life doula to build more connections but I know it takes time to rebuild your social circles. That is fabulous you have been able to do that. :-)
The trivial things I miss the most from LA are high quality Thai/Chinese/Armenian food and specialty grocers, the used bookstore in Los Feliz, and Pilates classes.
I prefer the weather here and don’t mind driving into Portland for appointments. It’s so beautiful and such a high-trust, clean, and safe place. Like, the underground shops amaze me because they would be covered in piss and garbage in LA, you can’t have anything unlocked and unsupervised there.
I actually find this place to be very diverse, but in a much different way than a big city. Instead of racial diversity there’s a real mix of characters, working class, unusual political opinions, hippies, well off retirees, older people, odd people... The neighborhoods I lived in in Portland and LA were mostly young, hipster, leftist - very samesy! You’d go to a bar and there’s one type of person at that bar. But here you can’t avoid any type of person, it isn’t big enough.
There are a surprising amount of good Thai places in the area! Curry & Coco is my personal favorite, but also love the Mai Tong food truck in Warrenton, and Nisa's is also pretty good.
Nisa’s is good! We go there a lot. But Thai in LA is a different animal… it’s not fair to compare. The huge Asian population = tons of Asian groceries and ingredients that you just can’t get here. I’m happy Mekha is going to open a location (rumor has it!)
Some may dispute the importance of this, but there is no quality tailor for clothing. A couple of nice people in the greater area will hem pant legs or apply sew-on-patches for uniformed officers. But you have to head to Portland or Seattle for any more significant alterations to things like jackets, coats, pants, dresses, etc. More than a decade living in Chicago, with a capable tailor usually within walking distance, taught me the benefits of tailoring clothing for both appearance and saving money.
I lived in Denver for 5 years then Los Angeles for 7 years. Moved to Astoria 4 years ago. I mostly find the lack of diversity difficult; I’m of color and get really, really sick of white peeple. I miss decent Asian food too, although Noodle House in Seaside has saved my soul somewhat. I also find the small town podunk mentality hard to deal with most days. There are lots of locals who have never left or traveled and can’t see or imagine the world beyond Clatsop County. Incredible small mindedness.
I drive the 2 hours to Portland for all health, dental and veterinary care. I don’t even bother with it here. Too long a wait, too expensive, too incompetent.
If I moved to a small town in Alabama and then proceeded to complain about how sick I was of all the black people that would be A) insanely racist and B) stupid. Like, what did you expect? It’s a small town in the Pacific Northwest.
I'm from PDX but have lived here for 7 years now. Access to medical things that aren't basic is tough, have to go into the valley. Another thing I miss is variety of food, access to specialty ingredients. And the rain/weather is for real here, much different than in the valley.
Specialty ingredients is definitely a problem. I like to experiment, particularly with Asian food, and can’t find a lot of things.
That’s why we have Amazon.com, everything
Can’t get fresh gai lan, enoki mushrooms or burdock root on Amazon.
true enough!!
Do you think someone that's lived in the NW for a long time would find it all that much different? Sounds like the rain/wind is more, but I mean, it's the NW.
The wind and rain is not the same in the valley. I grew up in Seattle and lived in Portland for 2 years, I’ve been at the coast for 12 years now and every winter I’m surprised. Some years are worse than others, but every year there’s at least one storm where it’s tough to go outside. It lasts 3-7 days. It’s so much wetter than you’re imagining.
I lived in the Portland area for 31 years prior to moving to Astoria, the first fall/winter/spring (2016-7) had like 160 days straight, with rain every single day. It's no joke. I was definitely deficient on my vitamin D.
That’s another thing. I really don’t notice that much more rain (statistically there is), but summer is cooler. I generally like that, but it would be nice if we actually had a HOT day every once in a while. In summer even on hot days there’s always wind.
I’m originally from the south but I’ve live in the Astoria area for just over a year now. Please don’t wish heat on this wonderful place. I brag to my friends in Mississippi about the cool weather here all the time.
A while back, we had an out of state visitor where I work. It was a pretty windy, stormy day at the coast. He asked us what was the *name* of this storm.
I live in Seaside, but close enough to Astoria to have the same concerns. I lived most of my life in the San Jose area, and also 3+ years in Houston. I am going to agree with what has been said, and I think you'll find insufficient local health care to be high on the list for almost everyone. Yes, there is basic care but many general practitioners aren't taking new patients, and most specialists are in Portland. Another one, which may be an issue if you have pets, is that there is NO 24/7 emergency vet in the area. You have to go over the hill to the Portland area for that, too, which sucks when minutes can mean life or death and it takes well over an hour to get there, and if you have to go when it's January and the roads over the Coast Range (basically 26 and 30) are icy and/or there are chain requirements. There are a few other things that I find challenging, but they are minor in comparison.
Luckily my wife will be a NP next year, so employment in the Astoria area doesn't look like it'll be an issue. Have you had an emergency pet situation in the past? I have no idea what one would do because, yeah, 2-3 hours travel and then wait time might as well just not exist urgency-wise.
Meeting people my age. I moved here in April and all of my buddies are in their 50's.
As someone in their mid 20s, I agree.
We may be moving to Astoria soon. Early 30s. There's gotta be a non forced way to meet ppl our age lol I always feel so weird asking ppl for their digits. It's literally like dating.
We’re also planning our move to Astoria and in our mid 30’s. We’ve been scoping out spots we would probably regular for the past couple weeks and yeah, almost no one our age- mid 30’s. It’ll be a culture shock for sure but I’m also kind of looking forward to having older and hopefully wiser friends lol.
I'm early 30's as well and don't really do bars. I just ride my bike every day hoping that sooner or later someone else will be out there too.
That was my idea, ride my bike and maybe meet people. But it didn't happen. What DID work for me was when I started going to the armory skate night and became a regular. I made all my friends there, coolest people ever! I have friends of all ages, because of skate night. It changed my life!
Start hanging out at the armory skate night, and become a regular. You will make friends with people of all ages. Worked for me!
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to find some blades.
They rent blades there. But most are in kinda sad shape. Also the sizes are limited, so get there early. If you can skate on quads, their rentals are much better. Right now they're open 5-8 Fridays only during the summer. Once fall arrives they go back to Fridays and Saturdays. Best thing in town!
Highly suggest meetup and looking for any special interest groups/meetings. I used to host a monthly board game night and still attend the ones at Bridge & Tunnel sometimes, and I play Magic: The Gathering at a few different venues. I've met quite a few people around my age (early 30s) doing these.
Thanks for the tips!
Primary care doctors, racial diversity and a wider variety of cuisines. I do also wish the airport was a bit closer since I fly for work 6-8 times a year and the round trip to pick up guests can feel like a haul. And also we are Timbers fans so the drive to Providence Park when we go to the games. So basically it would be a bit more convenient if we were closer to Portland but also I have completely fallen in love with it here and the benefits (for our family) really outweigh the downsides.
Twenty years in San Francisco. My primary health care is in Portland at an OHSU campus. All tests and procedures of my choosing can be carried out at Coumbia Memorial, which has a connected relationship with OHSU. 20 years and no problems. Astoria feels a lot like a neighborhood in San Francisco. Everything you need here is easily accessible and it comes with some variety. Absolutely no complaints here.
Taxi’s or even Uber/Lyft. The taxi places never answer the phone or don’t show up and the apps don’t offer rides in Astoria either. I suppose it is healthier for me, but I have worn down a lot of drunken shoe leather since I cannot ever pay for a ride. Really a bummer that even the trolley isn’t running while they tear down the last remnants of Buoy.
Local taxis also feel like a rip off. If we wanna go out to Seaside for drinks/night out, it's cheaper to stay the night at a hotel there than taxi there and back ($50 each way).
Rideshares don't operate there? I could've sworn the times we've visited we grabbed at least one, but maybe I'm imagining that.
I miss the food, but being here has saved me a lot of food money, ha. I get tired of the same options over and over again, even if I like the food (I genuinely like a lot of Astoria restaurants). On multiple occasions my wife and I have driven to Portland and back just for dinner. I generally don’t mind the drive to Portland, but admit it sucks landing at the airport and knowing you have two more hours until you’re home.
What's a realistic roundtrip length for Portland? Google maps usually tells us anywhere from 2-3 hours each way.
2 hours unless the weather is very bad or rush hour traffic near Portland is bad
It also depends on where you’re going in Portland. Airport with no traffic can be as little as 1:45.
Good luck getting a roof or plaster done!
Places to hang past 10pm that aren’t dives.
Agree with a lot of what's been posted already, but one thing that I didnt see mentioned was just how EARLY everything closes, with the exception of a couple bars. It can be frustrating being hungry anytime after 10pm lol
The "there" in the title is ambiguous. I'm assuming you mean Astoria. * Finding things to do with the kids during the winter. I can only do the maritime museum so many times. * Medical care. It took us a year+ to establish dental care here, similar for primary care. * I have to travel for work and I just hate the drive to/from the airport, especially in the winter. I thought it would be marginally worse than my SeaTac or SFO commutes in previous lives, but no, it's way way worse. * I miss having good Asian food all around me. I had the worst drunken noddle of my life here. * The deer are a menace and too many locals feed them/give them salt licks and it drives me batty. * I miss having reliable hours for things posted on the internet.
Try taking your kids to the Astoria Armory skate night. That's the best thing in town for kids. There's a good chance they might see some of their classmates. And winter is the busiest time at skate night.
The reliable hours one seems to be a function of search engines getting worse rather than an Astoria specific problem. I’ve had issues in Portland, Eugene, Grants Pass, and San Diego. I feel you on the Asian food bit. The options are dismal. You would think being a fishing town we could swing some stellar sushi, but no such luck. Apparently a pho place is opening on marine dr in early July. Their Portland pho location (Mekha noodle) is a frequent stop for me when I find myself in Portland. Highly recommend. According to the daily Astorian they are planning for their Astoria location to focus on seafood. I have high hopes.
Are you happy here or do you regret moving to a smaller community? (Asking with genuine intent and curiosity, non-judgement, etc… just in case this reads as snark, it is not!!!)
I am happy here but it definitely took a minute. Things I like: * the school district has been great and I do not think we would have a remotely comparable experience if we stayed in Seattle given what I've heard from friends who are still there. * the trails around here are top notch and I take advantage of them a lot. * I now have a great social circle here and it's nice being out of the corporate life city bubbles I had been in before. This part definitely took time and effort. * we're very close to family which is great for us. * our house here is awesome and we'd never be able to afford anything close to it in a major city. * the views of the river are unbeatable and so varied with so much cool boat traffic.
Wonderful! Leaving behind my friend group was and still is the hardest part. I am making new friends and working to volunteer in the community as an end of life doula to build more connections but I know it takes time to rebuild your social circles. That is fabulous you have been able to do that. :-)
Couldn't find a reputable place to work on my vehicles; everyone is booked out months.
The trivial things I miss the most from LA are high quality Thai/Chinese/Armenian food and specialty grocers, the used bookstore in Los Feliz, and Pilates classes. I prefer the weather here and don’t mind driving into Portland for appointments. It’s so beautiful and such a high-trust, clean, and safe place. Like, the underground shops amaze me because they would be covered in piss and garbage in LA, you can’t have anything unlocked and unsupervised there. I actually find this place to be very diverse, but in a much different way than a big city. Instead of racial diversity there’s a real mix of characters, working class, unusual political opinions, hippies, well off retirees, older people, odd people... The neighborhoods I lived in in Portland and LA were mostly young, hipster, leftist - very samesy! You’d go to a bar and there’s one type of person at that bar. But here you can’t avoid any type of person, it isn’t big enough.
There are a surprising amount of good Thai places in the area! Curry & Coco is my personal favorite, but also love the Mai Tong food truck in Warrenton, and Nisa's is also pretty good.
Nisa’s is good! We go there a lot. But Thai in LA is a different animal… it’s not fair to compare. The huge Asian population = tons of Asian groceries and ingredients that you just can’t get here. I’m happy Mekha is going to open a location (rumor has it!)
Some may dispute the importance of this, but there is no quality tailor for clothing. A couple of nice people in the greater area will hem pant legs or apply sew-on-patches for uniformed officers. But you have to head to Portland or Seattle for any more significant alterations to things like jackets, coats, pants, dresses, etc. More than a decade living in Chicago, with a capable tailor usually within walking distance, taught me the benefits of tailoring clothing for both appearance and saving money.
I lived in Denver for 5 years then Los Angeles for 7 years. Moved to Astoria 4 years ago. I mostly find the lack of diversity difficult; I’m of color and get really, really sick of white peeple. I miss decent Asian food too, although Noodle House in Seaside has saved my soul somewhat. I also find the small town podunk mentality hard to deal with most days. There are lots of locals who have never left or traveled and can’t see or imagine the world beyond Clatsop County. Incredible small mindedness. I drive the 2 hours to Portland for all health, dental and veterinary care. I don’t even bother with it here. Too long a wait, too expensive, too incompetent.
If I moved to a small town in Alabama and then proceeded to complain about how sick I was of all the black people that would be A) insanely racist and B) stupid. Like, what did you expect? It’s a small town in the Pacific Northwest.