In '68 I quit a good job in central CA and moved to Bandon. For eight months I delivered propane for the area, first hauling it down from Coos Bay where it was delivered via railroad. My wife couldn't handle the isolation, so I quit amd moved back to CA. Actually, I was born in Portland and grew up in the surrounding area, but when I was 15, my folks moved to CA, so I do consider myself an Oregonian as my roots are there although I have lived the majority of my life in CA.
We already have too many California dickheads here. The producers of this infomercial are real estate operators. This is why our properties are no longer affordable for those who are long established here. If you are bringing money in from outside, that's one thing. If you have to make a living here expect low wages and limited opportunity. This infomercial is targeting those with money. Don't expect a warm and cheerful welcome.......
Pro of living in Bandon, from a resident: people are usually nice Con of living in Bandon, from a resident: it can be impossible to find anything you need in town, especially during tourist season 😅
Bandon is less susceptible to a tsunami than towns like Seaside and Walport, except near the river mouth. The latter two are lower in elevation, and Seaside is particularly vulnerable because the Necanicum River runs through town parallel to the ocean.
As a 5th generation Bandon native...this is not all quite accurate but it's close enough for people not familiar with the area to get a little glimpse of what Bandon is like. Cost of living (groceries, electric, gas and everything in between) is crazy. Most all of the service workers and people who work to support the businesses in Bandon, including those at Bandon Dunes have to commute from the cheaper areas of Coos Bay, Coquille, Myrtle Point or Powers. Housing is so scarce that the Bandon Dunes offers some employee housing but it isn't optimal or pleasant. The wages paid for most workers here are between 13 to 15 dollars an hour, the average rent for a 800 sq ft house is around 1600 a month. There are only a couple of apartment complexes in the area and most of those are low income/senior living and they have 3 to 4 year waiting lists. Crime is relatively low but per capita, not that low. The drug problems, car clouting and theft in general are pretty high.
If you need to go somewhere larger than Roseburg, Eugene is quite a bit closer than Portland -- about 2.5 - 2.75 hours from Bandon, or a tad more than that.
Just saw this and have a few comments. While the town is somewhat isolated, it is on 30 minutes from Coos Bay/North Bend which is the largest population center on the coast. In addition, there is an airport in North Besd that can get you to San Francisco in just a bit over an hour, (other cities too). The town did burn down in 1936 due to the gorse growing in the area, and the city is working on managing that problem. The Chetco Fire was down in Brookings, not Bandon. Bandon hasn't had any recent fires. The weather is good for coastal Oregon, we get less rain than Florence or Brookings. However you are remiss not to talk about the wind. Summer winds can be pretty strong. A good part of Bandon is out of the tsunami zone, and tsunamis are a danger to any coastal city. Also you probably should update your median price for real estate, I believe it's over $500,000 now.
Thanks for adding these thoughts! The isolation/airport/fire comments are more in reference to the entire southern 3rd of the coast. OTH services flights to SF and Denver only I believe. Good call about the wind. 580K currently. Thanks for watching!
Gorse was a headache when I lived there over 50 years ago. My understanding is some Scott planted it because it reminded him of his home country. Even when I was there, attemps were being made to get rid of it....interesting it is still considered problematic.
Bandon is a great town with unlimited access to outdoor adventures. Many beautiful walking/hiking/biking trails in the area, and of course strolling on the beach is unbeatable. Friendly people and a neat downtown with all the amenities you could hope for. As an outsider, one thing that puzzles me about the area is how bland in appearance almost all of the homes are. Seemingly very little creativity in home design and hardly any landscaping done with the homes. I grew up in a blue collar town where people simply didn't have the money to put into their homes, but that didn't prevent adding some inexpensive curb appeal to the homes.
Weather and sandy soil have a lot to do with the landscaping, some things don’t grow and others grow uncontrollably. Many people don’t live in Bandon full time so, rocks don’t need to be watered or mowed.
Like many other coastal towns Bandon didn't really exist before the 50s and remained a vacation town where people built cheap vacation homes but as much as that might apply to several other small coastal towns abandon Brandon suffered a great fire that wiped out everything with exception to a couple of structures. If you look up Bandon Oregon or historical fire you'll see the details and the timeline I don't recall exactly what it was but I do recall it was due to a plant called gorse. It has a high alcohol content in the green spiny leaves that burned very rapidly and very hot it's not a native plant and it is very very hardy, grows well in sandy soil and spreads very rapidly. Because of its very sharp needle-like points on the leaves it's very difficult to manage. I lived in Bandon for two-and-a-half years and managed the Table Rock Motel while also refurbishing one room at a time and taking care of all the maintenance, which was a good job to have following a divorce. In an excellent town to be stuck in after a divorce where the winter allows for lots and lots of thinking contemplating a much different future than anticipated. As for the houses and their brand appearances the majority we're built in the sixties and seventies intended to be use for vacations and vacation rentals I'm sure. Second homes are often built on a budget and following the fires I'm sure there were lots of people on a budget especially if they didn't have fire insurance
It is for people who are selling a home for 4 or 5 million and buying cheaper. Bandon City Council is loaded up with assholes who played this game.....It's their town now......
![What Oregon Coast Towns Are People Relocating To? [Top Viewed Towns]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RLWaeCc4-0Y/mqdefault.jpg)
![What Oregon Coast Towns Are People Relocating To? [Top Viewed Towns]](/img/tr.png)
I Loved living in Bandon I Miss it. I have nothing negative to say about band and I wish I could move back
My mailcarrier lives in Bandon; she and her family love it. I've never heard her saying anything negative about it!
In '68 I quit a good job in central CA and moved to Bandon. For eight months I delivered propane for the area, first hauling it down from Coos Bay where it was delivered via railroad. My wife couldn't handle the isolation, so I quit amd moved back to CA.
Actually, I was born in Portland and grew up in the surrounding area, but when I was 15, my folks moved to CA, so I do consider myself an Oregonian as my roots are there although I have lived the majority of my life in CA.
I want to move from the Napa Valley…. Used to the tourist thing for sure. Who knows……..
We already have too many California dickheads here. The producers of this infomercial are real estate operators. This is why our properties are no longer affordable for those who are long established here.
If you are bringing money in from outside, that's one thing. If you have to make a living here expect low wages and limited opportunity.
This infomercial is targeting those with money.
Don't expect a warm and cheerful welcome.......
Pro of living in Bandon, from a resident: people are usually nice
Con of living in Bandon, from a resident: it can be impossible to find anything you need in town, especially during tourist season 😅
Bought a house in Bandon moving their next month
Bandon is less susceptible to a tsunami than towns like Seaside and Walport, except near the river mouth. The latter two are lower in elevation, and Seaside is particularly vulnerable because the Necanicum River runs through town parallel to the ocean.
This is awesome info - thanks for adding and thanks for watching!
23 months to go.....can't wait to retire there:)
As a 5th generation Bandon native...this is not all quite accurate but it's close enough for people not familiar with the area to get a little glimpse of what Bandon is like. Cost of living (groceries, electric, gas and everything in between) is crazy. Most all of the service workers and people who work to support the businesses in Bandon, including those at Bandon Dunes have to commute from the cheaper areas of Coos Bay, Coquille, Myrtle Point or Powers. Housing is so scarce that the Bandon Dunes offers some employee housing but it isn't optimal or pleasant. The wages paid for most workers here are between 13 to 15 dollars an hour, the average rent for a 800 sq ft house is around 1600 a month. There are only a couple of apartment complexes in the area and most of those are low income/senior living and they have 3 to 4 year waiting lists. Crime is relatively low but per capita, not that low. The drug problems, car clouting and theft in general are pretty high.
What is car clouting? Thanks
If you need to go somewhere larger than Roseburg, Eugene is quite a bit closer than Portland -- about 2.5 - 2.75 hours from Bandon, or a tad more than that.
Eugene is a shithole.
I live here. Please drive the speed limit too. Please leave big city driving habits behind.
Just saw this and have a few comments. While the town is somewhat isolated, it is on 30 minutes from Coos Bay/North Bend which is the largest population center on the coast. In addition, there is an airport in North Besd that can get you to San Francisco in just a bit over an hour, (other cities too). The town did burn down in 1936 due to the gorse growing in the area, and the city is working on managing that problem. The Chetco Fire was down in Brookings, not Bandon. Bandon hasn't had any recent fires. The weather is good for coastal Oregon, we get less rain than Florence or Brookings. However you are remiss not to talk about the wind. Summer winds can be pretty strong. A good part of Bandon is out of the tsunami zone, and tsunamis are a danger to any coastal city. Also you probably should update your median price for real estate, I believe it's over $500,000 now.
Thanks for adding these thoughts! The isolation/airport/fire comments are more in reference to the entire southern 3rd of the coast. OTH services flights to SF and Denver only I believe. Good call about the wind. 580K currently. Thanks for watching!
Gorse was a headache when I lived there over 50 years ago. My understanding is some Scott planted it because it reminded him of his home country. Even when I was there, attemps were being made to get rid of it....interesting it is still considered problematic.
It was a great place to grow up as a kid.... Zero opportunity for most the the kids after they grow up in that town though.
4:43, also, it brings in a lot of money!
Bandon is a great town with unlimited access to outdoor adventures. Many beautiful walking/hiking/biking trails in the area, and of course strolling on the beach is unbeatable. Friendly people and a neat downtown with all the amenities you could hope for. As an outsider, one thing that puzzles me about the area is how bland in appearance almost all of the homes are. Seemingly very little creativity in home design and hardly any landscaping done with the homes. I grew up in a blue collar town where people simply didn't have the money to put into their homes, but that didn't prevent adding some inexpensive curb appeal to the homes.
Weather and sandy soil have a lot to do with the landscaping, some things don’t grow and others grow uncontrollably. Many people don’t live in Bandon full time so, rocks don’t need to be watered or mowed.
Like many other coastal towns Bandon didn't really exist before the 50s and remained a vacation town where people built cheap vacation homes but as much as that might apply to several other small coastal towns abandon Brandon suffered a great fire that wiped out everything with exception to a couple of structures. If you look up Bandon Oregon or historical fire you'll see the details and the timeline I don't recall exactly what it was but I do recall it was due to a plant called gorse. It has a high alcohol content in the green spiny leaves that burned very rapidly and very hot it's not a native plant and it is very very hardy, grows well in sandy soil and spreads very rapidly. Because of its very sharp needle-like points on the leaves it's very difficult to manage. I lived in Bandon for two-and-a-half years and managed the Table Rock Motel while also refurbishing one room at a time and taking care of all the maintenance, which was a good job to have following a divorce. In an excellent town to be stuck in after a divorce where the winter allows for lots and lots of thinking contemplating a much different future than anticipated. As for the houses and their brand appearances the majority we're built in the sixties and seventies intended to be use for vacations and vacation rentals I'm sure. Second homes are often built on a budget and following the fires I'm sure there were lots of people on a budget especially if they didn't have fire insurance
Bandon has burned down twice in fact. And some say a third inferno is foretold.
Off the beaten path you said ?
Um, not quite
Hwy 101 goes right through it. .
Bandon, the idyllic place people escape to, then try to turn it into the place they left!!
No shit.....This isn't even funny anymore......I make a point of being rude to Californians.
Saying homes are 500000 to 1000000 you can get a lot for that makes me laughy. This is not retirement.
It is for people who are selling a home for 4 or 5 million and buying cheaper. Bandon City Council is loaded up with assholes who played this game.....It's their town now......