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Gold Beach, Oregon
| Gold Beach is a
small town on the beautiful southern Oregon coast, just
a few miles north of the California border. It has a
population of about 1,800 people, the majority of hope
are conservative. Acute and primarily
working-class, Gold Beach is remote and can't feel like
the ends of the earth, particularly in winter. Yet it
has a certain appeal, with its gorgeous ocean views and
cool climate. The cost of living is roughly 10%
above the national average, and the median home price is
about $235,000. The median household income is
below the national average, and of the population, 50%
is 45 or better.
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Gold Beach has been around since the
mid-1800s, although it had a different name in its
early days. It finally got the name Gold Beach
when the precious metal was found in a nearby
stream. Although it is
small, Gold Beach has its own hospital, Curry General
Hospital, which is a Level IV adult trauma
center. It, too, is small, with just 25 beds,
but it accepts Medicaid and Medicare patients and
meets national averages in nearly all areas.
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| Quiet
and peaceful, Gold Beach does have a few good
restaurants, a pharmacy and some specialty shop
retailers. The local high school football
program is also very active and a social center point
for many people.
As
might be expected, summers are cool, and winters are
chilly. Fog is common, as is wind. The sun shines
roughly 190 days of the year.
There is no public transit system, so it is necessary
to have a car, although because it is such a small town,
nothing is that far out of walking distance.
The town has not been growing, perhaps because of its
isolated location, but for retirees seeking a small
coastal town off the beaten path, Gold Beach may be just
the ticket. It is charming and safe, with a crime
rate well below the national average, and it is
certainly authentic. Developers and large commercial
interests have not yet discovered this seaside village.
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