EDITOR’S NOTE: Here is a link to “Circles” https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/guest-commentary-circles/
By Victoria Stoppiello
I found Kay Stoltz’ commentary very thought-provoking. She identifies “circles” of people who live in the Nehalem Bay area: Retirees, Socials, Old Timers, and Newbies. Having lived here since early 1986 (with a multi-year stint in Ilwaco, WA in the middle), I fall into the “old timer” category.
We initially moved to the coast because my husband and I each harbored a fantasy about living near the ocean through the round of seasons, including enduring some very blustery fall weather. Our only criteria was walking distance to the sand. Anthony had been hired by the City of Cannon Beach in 1985 as that town’s building official, but found rental housing there was impossible. Second homes were empty most of the time — sound familiar? People envied us “living” in Cannon Beach, but my comment was, “pretty face with a heart of stone.” Eventually the owner of a little house in Manzanita found us and that’s how we began living in this area.
We had stayed in friends’ homes in Manzanita and liked the quiet, the trees, the beach, and the fact you could “walk with your ears” because vehicle traffic was respectful of pedestrians. That is no longer the case; don’t assume you won’t be run over by a visitor driving 35 m.p.h. on a residential street…which leads into my question:
Why do people visit here or move here expecting the amenities, speed, impersonal interactions, or suburban-style housing they had in Beaverton, Bellevue, or Lake Oswego?
Did they not notice that the lifestyle on the coast isn’t the same as in an urban area?
Or, did they just want prettier real estate, with everything else the same?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Let’s continue this conversation … I’m interested in your answers to Victoria’s questions. Why did you move here? What were you expectations? Please send your submissions to editor@tillamookcountypioneer.net.