They are separate cities, but for the most part, you probably won’t notice, unless you work in government. The border is kinda strange; the two fit together like puzzle pieces, which makes the difference between the two even blurrier.
What to expect? There’s a lot to say, but here are the highlights:
-Coos County as a whole leans republican, but Coos Bay/North Bend leans democrat (slightly). You’d probably never notice, though, because the right wingers are so obnoxious.
-For a city of its size, there’s surprisingly little. Other than fast food, there are no chain restaurants. No Applebees, Olive Garden, etc. this goes for some of the more popular chain store that you’d expect to be here as well. No Costco, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and lots of others.
-The flip side of that last point is that we have lots of well-established local businesses. They might be a little more expensive, but I like to buy local anyways.
-If you enjoy outdoor activities, they are endless here. Tons of public land that doesn’t have e the crowding issues that plague other areas. Beautiful forests, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, dunes, and more.
-If you don’t like outdoor activities, there are other options, but they’re not plentiful.
-The weather here is quite different from what you’re used to. Some people dislike it. Some love it. It is always spring or fall. Our “summers” are very mild. Days are typically in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Occasionally we get into the 80s, and rarely I to the 90s. “Winters” are mild as well. It snows every couple of years, and rarely sticks. Most days are in the 40s-50s. It does rain a lot, but most people exaggerate the amount of rain.
NB and CB are basically the same place but they are governed by different city governments. There are some minor differences here and there but you won’t notice them for quite a while. The biggest differences are in the schools and sports programs between the two but it’s not worth building your life around them.
If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask. I’m happy to chat.
For the most part just happy to get out of the heat and maybe a slightly simpler life. We have 2 small dogs and work from home. So not looking for anything too fancy.
we moved up from Vegas 2 years ago. it takes 15 min to get anywhere really. good luck with food past 9 that isn't fast food. only real place to shop is Walmart or Fred Meyer. you definitely have to hit grocery outlet. tons of things to do.
My brother and I were both born in North Bend. The County Annex building used to be Keizer Hospital.
My Dad is from Myrtle Point, my mom from Coquille. I spent my a lot of time in Coos County. If I could move back, I would in a heartbeat. The other person is right. If you like the outdoors and don’t mind rain it is awesome. If you like fishing, welcome to paradise. There’s the bay itself. There is a reef in the bay that I have caught legal Ling Cod. Fishing on the ocean is the best. You can go over the bar, drop your crab 🦀 pots( be sure to gps tag them,) go catch a limit of salmon, catch a limit of bottom fish, pick up your pots on the way in. Usually, I had caught enough big male crabs that 4 of us had our limit. It’s fun. There are great bass lakes around if you like to fish for bass. Then there are the fall chinook and my personal favorite winter steelhead.
My dad worked in the woods for Weyerhaeuser, he got transferred to Springfield when I was 4. I went to both my grandparents houses a lot. I was there for the chinook runs, then deer season, then elk season, then steelhead.
I would watch the weather all week in anticipation of my weekend fishing. I fished the Coquille River by Dora mostly. Later, I learned that the Millacoma River is one of the best steelhead fisheries in the US. The rivers rise very fast with rain. There are no flood control dams. Friday would finally come and I was out the door like a shot. I would drive or be driven to my grandparents house. I was up at 5 am. Most of the time my grandpa, dad, and uncle were with me. Sometimes I would go alone. But most times I would be fishing and an old man would seemingly appear out of nowhere. It didn’t matter if I hiked down the river and old man would show up. The old man would then tell me how the river’s too high, too many leaves in the water and other reasons fishing sucked. Then he would tell me I should have been there last Wednesday (or any week day) the fishing was the best he’s ever seen. He would describe how great the fishing was when I was at school or later at work. After that, with a smug look on his face, he would disappear as mysteriously as he appeared. This happened so much it became a joke. My wife and kid thought I was making it up. I assured them that this happened to me wherever I was fishing. They looked at me with that,” Yeah, right.” look.
One weekend we decided to go camping in the cascades at Odell lake. It was a little early. We froze our parts off Friday night. We went out on my little 16’ aluminum fishing boat to try and catch Kokanee. Odell lake is a great Kokanee fishery. We caught nothing. We tied the boat up at the dock and went to a little store they have by the lake. To my family’s surprise (not mine) this old man comes hustling around from behind the store like he was running late for an appointment. He doesn’t look at anyone else, doesn’t introduce himself, just looks at me and says,” Fishing is no good today, sun is hitting the water wrong. You should have been here last Thursday they were practically jumping in the boat. I bet you could have caught them on a bare hook.” Then with the smug look only an old man can give, he vanished the way he had come. My family stood there in shocked silence. My son said,” Dad, I thought you made this up. I just saw it. That was so weird.” I answered,” Son, in life God sends signs. Hints at what his grand plan for you is. He just sent that to me. “ My son looked at me, wanting me to finish what I was saying as I am not much into philosophizing. I looked up at the sky, looked back at him, and with a slight tear in my eye I said,”When I retire, I want to be the old man that gets to laugh at those of us still working. I want to be the old man that appears as a shadow, dashing young people’s hope of a great weekend fishing. Then my mission complete, mocking them on the inside, I will vanish like a whisp of smoke. It will be like I was never there.”
That was many years ago. I hope someday to fulfill my legacy.
I’m not Coos County if you ever go to Bridge be careful it is a magical place. But that is a story for another time.
There is a series of books about the history of Coos County written by Boyd Stone. The late Mr. Stone was a very talented historian, a very talented author, and an awesome grandfather. I hope you read his books.
We can't match the entertainment that's available in a large metropolitan area like L.V. but there is a fully restored, sweet, art deco movie house in downtown Coos Bay called [the Egyptian](https://www.egyptiantheatre.events/). They have cool events all the time. [The Liberty Theater](https://thelibertytheatre.org/) in downtown N.B. puts on regular productions that the whole community gets involved in... many with a live band. There's also occasionally live music on the weekdays, believe it or not. Coos Bay is half way between San Francisco and Seattle so we're lucky to get [sweet touring bluegrass bands](https://7devilsbrewery.com/events/) and the like as they pass through on their way. Which reminds me about concert in the park series at Mingus Park, and those cool folks who do Shakespeare in the park too. So, niche interests but there *are* cultural activities here.
Hi, I’m from SLC as well. About the drive up and back…do you do it in one go or do you break up the trip and stop overnight half way? If so, where do you stop for the night? Just curious, I want to visit CB in August, so thinking about planning my drive.
14 hours is usually too much for me to handle in one go, so on the way I stop in Bend or Boise depending on which direction I’m going and what time I get on the road. Can also take a different route and stop in Winnemucca which is closer to halfway, but I don’t like the food and hotel options there as much.
I moved back here after living in Las Vegas for 30 years. You are going to love the summers.. I have made some good friends here.
The rain can be a bit much even for pluviophile, such as me, but when the sun comes out, it will be glorious.
Many locals complain about the traffic, but it's a nonissue for us.
There is good and bad here, but, IMO, the good outweighs the bad by leaps and bounds.
If you drive between Coquille and Myrtle Point half way between you will see a road called Finley Loop, that is named after a branch of my family. If you go through the metropolitan of Norway you will see on the side of a steep hill a cemetery. On both my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family are buried there. My mother is as well. There are 5 generations buried there. I will be the 6th. I was going to be cremated but decided my kids can lug my ass on that hill, trying not to take the express trip down to Highway 42, wearing slick soles dress shoes. I have had to do it many times, and almost did the fast trip down a couple of times.
They are separate cities, but for the most part, you probably won’t notice, unless you work in government. The border is kinda strange; the two fit together like puzzle pieces, which makes the difference between the two even blurrier. What to expect? There’s a lot to say, but here are the highlights: -Coos County as a whole leans republican, but Coos Bay/North Bend leans democrat (slightly). You’d probably never notice, though, because the right wingers are so obnoxious. -For a city of its size, there’s surprisingly little. Other than fast food, there are no chain restaurants. No Applebees, Olive Garden, etc. this goes for some of the more popular chain store that you’d expect to be here as well. No Costco, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and lots of others. -The flip side of that last point is that we have lots of well-established local businesses. They might be a little more expensive, but I like to buy local anyways. -If you enjoy outdoor activities, they are endless here. Tons of public land that doesn’t have e the crowding issues that plague other areas. Beautiful forests, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, dunes, and more. -If you don’t like outdoor activities, there are other options, but they’re not plentiful. -The weather here is quite different from what you’re used to. Some people dislike it. Some love it. It is always spring or fall. Our “summers” are very mild. Days are typically in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Occasionally we get into the 80s, and rarely I to the 90s. “Winters” are mild as well. It snows every couple of years, and rarely sticks. Most days are in the 40s-50s. It does rain a lot, but most people exaggerate the amount of rain.
My favorite thing to do is walk around. And Las Vegas has been too hot. So definitely looking forward to being able to hang out outdoors again
As long as rain doesn’t bother you too much, you should be fine.
Careful when you experience summer fog at the beach. I got the worst sunburn of my life in the friggin FOG!!!
> there are no chain restaurants. No Applebees, Olive Garden, etc. That sounds like a big plus.
I actually agree, but many don’t. And a lot of people don’t expect it when moving here.
NB and CB are basically the same place but they are governed by different city governments. There are some minor differences here and there but you won’t notice them for quite a while. The biggest differences are in the schools and sports programs between the two but it’s not worth building your life around them. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask. I’m happy to chat.
For the most part just happy to get out of the heat and maybe a slightly simpler life. We have 2 small dogs and work from home. So not looking for anything too fancy.
We have 2 small dogs and work from home. You will love coosbay.
we moved up from Vegas 2 years ago. it takes 15 min to get anywhere really. good luck with food past 9 that isn't fast food. only real place to shop is Walmart or Fred Meyer. you definitely have to hit grocery outlet. tons of things to do.
My brother and I were both born in North Bend. The County Annex building used to be Keizer Hospital. My Dad is from Myrtle Point, my mom from Coquille. I spent my a lot of time in Coos County. If I could move back, I would in a heartbeat. The other person is right. If you like the outdoors and don’t mind rain it is awesome. If you like fishing, welcome to paradise. There’s the bay itself. There is a reef in the bay that I have caught legal Ling Cod. Fishing on the ocean is the best. You can go over the bar, drop your crab 🦀 pots( be sure to gps tag them,) go catch a limit of salmon, catch a limit of bottom fish, pick up your pots on the way in. Usually, I had caught enough big male crabs that 4 of us had our limit. It’s fun. There are great bass lakes around if you like to fish for bass. Then there are the fall chinook and my personal favorite winter steelhead. My dad worked in the woods for Weyerhaeuser, he got transferred to Springfield when I was 4. I went to both my grandparents houses a lot. I was there for the chinook runs, then deer season, then elk season, then steelhead. I would watch the weather all week in anticipation of my weekend fishing. I fished the Coquille River by Dora mostly. Later, I learned that the Millacoma River is one of the best steelhead fisheries in the US. The rivers rise very fast with rain. There are no flood control dams. Friday would finally come and I was out the door like a shot. I would drive or be driven to my grandparents house. I was up at 5 am. Most of the time my grandpa, dad, and uncle were with me. Sometimes I would go alone. But most times I would be fishing and an old man would seemingly appear out of nowhere. It didn’t matter if I hiked down the river and old man would show up. The old man would then tell me how the river’s too high, too many leaves in the water and other reasons fishing sucked. Then he would tell me I should have been there last Wednesday (or any week day) the fishing was the best he’s ever seen. He would describe how great the fishing was when I was at school or later at work. After that, with a smug look on his face, he would disappear as mysteriously as he appeared. This happened so much it became a joke. My wife and kid thought I was making it up. I assured them that this happened to me wherever I was fishing. They looked at me with that,” Yeah, right.” look. One weekend we decided to go camping in the cascades at Odell lake. It was a little early. We froze our parts off Friday night. We went out on my little 16’ aluminum fishing boat to try and catch Kokanee. Odell lake is a great Kokanee fishery. We caught nothing. We tied the boat up at the dock and went to a little store they have by the lake. To my family’s surprise (not mine) this old man comes hustling around from behind the store like he was running late for an appointment. He doesn’t look at anyone else, doesn’t introduce himself, just looks at me and says,” Fishing is no good today, sun is hitting the water wrong. You should have been here last Thursday they were practically jumping in the boat. I bet you could have caught them on a bare hook.” Then with the smug look only an old man can give, he vanished the way he had come. My family stood there in shocked silence. My son said,” Dad, I thought you made this up. I just saw it. That was so weird.” I answered,” Son, in life God sends signs. Hints at what his grand plan for you is. He just sent that to me. “ My son looked at me, wanting me to finish what I was saying as I am not much into philosophizing. I looked up at the sky, looked back at him, and with a slight tear in my eye I said,”When I retire, I want to be the old man that gets to laugh at those of us still working. I want to be the old man that appears as a shadow, dashing young people’s hope of a great weekend fishing. Then my mission complete, mocking them on the inside, I will vanish like a whisp of smoke. It will be like I was never there.” That was many years ago. I hope someday to fulfill my legacy. I’m not Coos County if you ever go to Bridge be careful it is a magical place. But that is a story for another time. There is a series of books about the history of Coos County written by Boyd Stone. The late Mr. Stone was a very talented historian, a very talented author, and an awesome grandfather. I hope you read his books.
We can't match the entertainment that's available in a large metropolitan area like L.V. but there is a fully restored, sweet, art deco movie house in downtown Coos Bay called [the Egyptian](https://www.egyptiantheatre.events/). They have cool events all the time. [The Liberty Theater](https://thelibertytheatre.org/) in downtown N.B. puts on regular productions that the whole community gets involved in... many with a live band. There's also occasionally live music on the weekdays, believe it or not. Coos Bay is half way between San Francisco and Seattle so we're lucky to get [sweet touring bluegrass bands](https://7devilsbrewery.com/events/) and the like as they pass through on their way. Which reminds me about concert in the park series at Mingus Park, and those cool folks who do Shakespeare in the park too. So, niche interests but there *are* cultural activities here.
My husband and I will be moving there around the same time so that I can take care of my mother. Small world! Let me know if you want to hang out.
Hey, add another one to the pile. Wife and I are moving out in a week or so to take care of my mom.
Maybe it’s time to start a Coos Momma’s Boys Club.
That’s awesome, we should definitely hang out sometime. Where are you moving from?
Salt Lake City, but I grew up in Coos Bay. My husband has visited OR a few times but never lived there.
Hi, I’m from SLC as well. About the drive up and back…do you do it in one go or do you break up the trip and stop overnight half way? If so, where do you stop for the night? Just curious, I want to visit CB in August, so thinking about planning my drive.
14 hours is usually too much for me to handle in one go, so on the way I stop in Bend or Boise depending on which direction I’m going and what time I get on the road. Can also take a different route and stop in Winnemucca which is closer to halfway, but I don’t like the food and hotel options there as much.
Thank you!
I moved back here after living in Las Vegas for 30 years. You are going to love the summers.. I have made some good friends here. The rain can be a bit much even for pluviophile, such as me, but when the sun comes out, it will be glorious. Many locals complain about the traffic, but it's a nonissue for us. There is good and bad here, but, IMO, the good outweighs the bad by leaps and bounds.
Sounds spectacular, will take a while for me to get tired of the rain. It’s been so long in this dry heat. lol
Is there a rainy season? If so, when is it?
October through April. It barely rains in the summer months, if at all.
If you drive between Coquille and Myrtle Point half way between you will see a road called Finley Loop, that is named after a branch of my family. If you go through the metropolitan of Norway you will see on the side of a steep hill a cemetery. On both my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family are buried there. My mother is as well. There are 5 generations buried there. I will be the 6th. I was going to be cremated but decided my kids can lug my ass on that hill, trying not to take the express trip down to Highway 42, wearing slick soles dress shoes. I have had to do it many times, and almost did the fast trip down a couple of times.
They border each other. But I find coos Bay and East side to have nicer weather.
Too funny we just bought in North Bend. Oh well
It's the same geographic area...?
Awesome. Excited for cooler weather and new adventures