Living in Gearhart Oregon - EVERYTHING You Need to Know

What is Gearhart, Oregon, known for? 

If visiting or living in Gearhart, Oregon, you'll find this small town on the northern Oregon Coast is known for a number of things. Its slower pace, historic golf course, and beautiful scenery all come to mind. It's also one of the best places on the Oregon Coast to find sand dollars. So next time you're on the northern Oregon Coast, check out Gearhart beach at low tide, and you might go home with a few sand dollars!

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What cities are nearby Gearhart, Oregon?

If visiting or living in Gearhart, Oregon, some of the closest cities are Seaside - 3 Miles Warrenton - 11 Miles, Cannon Beach - 11 Miles, Astoria - 14 Miles, and Portland - 81 miles.

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What is the weather like in Gearhart, Oregon?

Living in Gearhart, Oregon, you'll find it rains around 91 inches yearly and 185 days out of the year on average. If you can deal with the rain and grey skies, at least you'll get 124 sunny days living in the area! With an average high of 68°F and an average low of 40°F, you'll never get too hot or cold living in Gearhart, Oregon. 

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What is there to do and see in Gearhart, Oregon?

If visiting or living in Gearhart, Oregon, there are many things to do and see in the area. If you enjoy whale watching, Gearhart is one of the great spots along the western coast to view whales migrating. You can view the whales from the beach with a pair of binoculars. Grab a picnic basket and a bottle of wine, sit back, relax, and enjoy whale watching! Gearhart Golf Links is Oregon's oldest golf course if golf is more your speed! Some say it's the oldest golf course in the western US! This historic course opened in 1892 and attracts golfers from all over the world. Clamming is very popular along the beach in Gearhart. The 18-mile stretch of Clatsop county beaches accounts for 95 percent of Oregon's razor clam harvest, and Gearhart is right in the heart! 

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A few other things to do and see: Iredale Shipwreck at Ft. Stevens State Park in Warrenton; Charter fishing out of Astoria, Hammond, and Warrenton; Grab a microbrew and meal at McMenamins Sand Trap Bar and Grill; Or for more action, check out Seaside, Oregon just three miles to the south or Astoria, Oregon fourteen miles to the north.

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What is the cost of living in Gearhart, Oregon, like?

The REAL cost of living in Gearhart, Oregon, if you factor in today's rent, utilities, food costs, transportation, healthcare, and the other necessities to live, you'd need to make $62,000 a year to live in Gearhart, Oregon, and rent (though it's nearly impossible to find a rental to live in). If you're looking to move to Gearhart, Oregon, and buy a home, you'll need to make at least $76,000 a year to afford the house payment, maintenance, and other living expenses needed to survive. This makes living in Gearhart, Oregon, one of the most expensive towns on the Oregon Coast. For more info on the cost of living on the Oregon Coast and its various cities, including how we calculated, check out my blog post, "The REAL Cost of Living on the Oregon Coast."

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What are home prices like if I'm thinking of moving to Gearhart, Oregon?

If looking to move to Gearhart, Oregon, you'll find there are very few homes available. At the time of writing the lowest reasonable home price you could expect to find would be $450,000, with prices going all the way up to 1.5M.

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I'm thinking of retiring in Gearhart, Oregon. Is it a good idea?

Living in Gearhart, Oregon, might be an appealing idea for retirees. Some pros would be a quiet town, slower pace, safe, beautiful, abundant outdoor recreation in surrounding areas, reasonably close to hospitals, and somewhat close to Oregon's biggest city, Portland. Cons would be lack of housing, higher cost of living than other coastal areas, and the weather might be tough to take. If the pros outweigh the cons, retiring in Gearhart, Oregon, might be for you. 

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What is the healthcare like in Gearhart, Oregon?

If living in Gearhart, Oregon, the Providence Seaside Hospital, a 25-bed smaller hospital, is located in Seaside, Oregon, just three miles away. The Columbia Memorial Hospital, a level-3, 25-bed hospital, is 14 miles away in Astoria. Between those two you should be able to handle most critical care needs. For more specialized medical care not available in the area, you'll find the Hillsboro Medical Center and the Kaiser Westside Medical Center, both in Hillsboro, Oregon, 69 miles away. Or, 81 miles away in Portland, you'll find several of the state's largest hospitals, where you'd have access to just about any specialist you would likely need.

 

I want to move to Gearhart, Oregon. How do I make that happen?

If you're considering moving to Gearhart Oregon, we're here to help! The information on this website, including the helpful links below, should give you some good information to aid your research. If you want to ask questions, try our Facebook Group > Moving to Oregon, where we have a broad group of locals and Oregon transplants to answer any question you might have. If you're looking to buy a home in Gearhart or other communities on the Oregon Coast, getting pre-approved for a mortgage should be your first step. For Mortgage Info, reach out to me. I specialize in working with people moving to Oregon and the Gearhart area and would love to help you buy a home and move to Gearhart, Oregon.

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For FAQs about moving to Oregon or living in Oregon, check out my blog, 31 FAQs About Living in Oregon. For more information about living in Oregon, check out the homepage of LIVING IN OREGON.