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Living in Florence, OR

Name: Florence, OR
Rating: 3.5

Ranks better than 71% of areas Follow

Population

8,597

Median Age

60.1 Years

What's it like living in Florence?

Florence has a Livability Score of 71_/100, which is considered excellent
Florence crime rates are 8% lower than the Oregon average
Cost of living in Florence is 8% lower than the Oregon average

What do the locals think about Florence?

38%

Family friendly

0%

Public transit is accessible

13%

Walkable to grocery stores

50%

Yards are well-kept

50%

Lots of parks

38%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

100%

A quiet area

38%

Sense of community

Based on 8 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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A town where people are generally nice to each other 4 rating By Anonymous ( May 30, 2022) First off, half of the population is over 55 or so, so it is a retirement town. It does have good services for older people. There is a bus which runs through the city to most shopping places for $1. There are also reasonably priced bus lines to Yachats north, Reedsport and Coos ...Read More Bay south and to Eugene east. There is a free bus which runs weekdays staffed by volunteers which take people to cancer treatment centers in Eugene. The hospital here, Peace Harbor, is small, 21 beds, but is Trauma Level 3 hospital, which is a higher level than most others on the coast. The people there are knowledgeable and caring. It is part of Peace Health, so is well integrated with Riverbend Hospital (Trauma Level 2) and specialty clinics in Eugene .

In the past it has gotten 70 inches of rain a year, about double what Eugene 60 miles east gets. It is located on the Siuslaw River, rather than directly on the ocean. The ocean is about 3 miles west. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area runs south from Florence to Coos Bay (about 60 miles) and features quiet beach recreation and unquiet ATV recreation so you can take your choice. There are beaches to the north as well with multiple ocean viewpoint areas to the west on Highway 101 and Siuslaw Forest (USFS) to the east. Cape Perpetua is justly famous.

There are multiple state and Forest Service campgrounds nearby as well as hiking trails mostly oriented to the ocean as well as two small wilderness areas having minimal to no trails There are many lakes for boating and fishing.

To be happy here, particularly as younger person, you have to love the outdoors. There is little to do otherwise. There are many clubs and an event center that provides entertainment oriented to older people. You can always drive to Eugene, which has many entertainment options , but it is 60 miles east on a winding road which requires your constant attention. It is NOT a freeway, but it is very scenic.

There are tourist oriented shopping experiences on Bay Street in Old Town which is along the river. Otherwise shopping is on Highway 101 which runs north and south through town. For day to day shopping you are taking about Safeway, Fred Meyer and Bi-Mart. The nearest Walmart is 60 miles north, south or east. Many make shopping trips to Costco, Target in Eugene to stock up. An ice chest is handy for that. There is one new car dealership, Johnston Motor, a Ford dealership. Except in tourist season there is no rush hour and few long lines at stores.

This is NOT an area for a young person to come to town without work or place to stay. The entire Oregon coast suffers from a shortage of affordable housing because house prices are bid up by part year residents and owners of vacation homes. There are retail jobs, construction and medical jobs, but there few manufacturing type jobs which could support a family. We were able to get in because we bought at the bottom of the great recession 10 years ago. We could not buy a house here now. If you are a medical professional you might do well as turnover is high here. We are glad our doctor is still here and probably so because his wife is fisheries specialist if I recall correctly.

If you love the outdoors and few crowds it is great here, If not you might find it very boring. A teacher I had once told me, it takes all types to fill the freeways. Read Less

Well, its beautiful! 2 rating By msawesomebananapants ( Jul 16, 2014) Theres rain. A lot of it.
Not much at all for children to do.
In fact its considered a retirement town. Theres a casino there. That people are still trying to get rid of. And its been there for years. Doubt its going anywhere.
Theres a lot of drug use. Kids seem to get in ...Read More volved into it as there isn't much to do.
However, if you love the coast and beautiful nature and rain, its definitely a place for you. I sure hope that things are changing there. But I'm glad I no longer live in the small town. Kudos to those who still do. Read Less

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