9 Wallet-Friendly Small Towns To Retire On The Pacific Coast
Each July, lavender fields bloom around Sequim, a sunny pocket of Washington's Olympic Peninsula that has drawn retirees for decades. Farther north, fishing boats crowd the harbor in Petersburg, Alaska, a town Norwegian settlers built around the sea. Places like these still sell homes below their state's median price, according to the Census Bureau. Most also have a hospital in town or a short drive away. For retirees who want the ocean in view without draining their savings, the Pacific Coast still has room.
Sequim, Washington
Sunshine is the big draw in Sequim. The town sits in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so it gets far less rain than most of western Washington, and that drier climate has long attracted retirees from across the Northwest. The paved Olympic Discovery Trail makes for easy daily walks and bike rides, and the Dungeness Spit, one of the longest natural sand spits in the country, leads to a lighthouse inside a wildlife refuge. Each July, the Sequim Lavender Festival turns the surrounding farms purple. Olympic Medical Center runs a campus in town, with its main hospital a short drive away in Port Angeles. Homes have a median value of about $409,000, comfortably below the state median.
Hoquiam, Washington
Hoquiam's timber barons left behind some impressive houses. The Polson Museum fills a grand mansion built by a timber family, and Hoquiam's Castle, an ornate Victorian home, still stands on the hill. Today the old lumber town is the budget pick of this list, with the lowest home prices of any town here. Harbor Regional Health's hospital is right next door in Aberdeen. Each spring, tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds stop at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge just outside town, and the beaches of Ocean Shores are a quick drive west.
Oak Harbor, Washington
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island keeps the economy of Oak Harbor steady, making it a working town as much as an island retreat. As the largest city on Whidbey Island, it has the shops and services retirees need, and its median home value of about $461,000 is below the Washington median. Windjammer Park sits right on the waterfront, Joseph Whidbey State Park offers sunset beach walks, and the bridge and forest trails of Deception Pass State Park are just north of town. For hospital care, WhidbeyHealth Medical Center is about 10 miles south in Coupeville.
Astoria, Oregon
Victorian homes climb the hills above the Columbia River in Astoria, founded as a fur-trading post in 1811 and one of the oldest American settlements west of the Rockies. The Columbia River Maritime Museum tells the story of the treacherous river bar offshore, and the Astoria Column offers sweeping views from the top of a 125-foot tower. Down by the water, the Astoria Riverwalk passes docks, sea lions, and cafes. Columbia Memorial Hospital is in town, and homes carry a median value of about $445,000, below the Oregon median.
Lincoln City, Oregon
Hand-blown glass floats turn up on the beach in Lincoln City, hidden there by the city's Finders Keepers program for anyone lucky enough to spot one. The town stretches along about seven miles of sand on the central Oregon Coast. The D River, which runs just a short distance between Devils Lake and the ocean, is often called one of the shortest rivers in the world, and Devils Lake itself is a calm spot for kayaking and fishing. With a median home value of about $413,000, Lincoln City sits below the state median, and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital provides care in town.
Gold Beach, Oregon
Jet boats roar up the Rogue River from Gold Beach into the river's wild canyon, one of the town's signature trips. The town sits where the Rogue meets the Pacific on Oregon's southern coast, and the graceful Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge, built in the 1930s, spans the river's mouth. Just south of town, Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor offers trails along high bluffs with long views of the coast. At about $372,000, the median home value is the lowest of the three Oregon towns here, and Curry General Hospital provides care in town.
Arcata, California
Saturday mornings in Arcata center on the historic plaza, home to one of the region's best farmers markets. The college town on Humboldt Bay also has Cal Poly Humboldt, which keeps the calendar full of lectures, concerts, and classes. The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary offers flat, easy trails past ponds filled with birds, and the Arcata Community Forest has miles of paths through tall redwoods right on the edge of town. For coastal California, homes are a relative bargain at about $485,000, roughly a third below the state median. Mad River Community Hospital is in town.
Kodiak, Alaska
Giant Kodiak brown bears roam the island that gives Kodiak its name, and the town itself can be reached only by plane or ferry. That remoteness on Kodiak Island comes with a modest price tag, since homes sit just under the Alaska median at about $347,000. A large US Coast Guard base adds steady jobs and services, and Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center serves the island. The Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church and the Alutiiq Museum reflect the island's long history, while Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park offers WWII bunkers and clifftop trails.
Petersburg, Alaska
Norwegian settlers founded Petersburg, a fishing town in Southeast Alaska, and their heritage shows in painted rosemaling designs and the Little Norway Festival each May. The harbor is lined with fishing boats, and nearby LeConte Glacier, reached by boat, is one of the southernmost tidewater glaciers in North America. Whale watching, hiking, and fishing are part of daily life. Petersburg Medical Center provides care in town, and the median home value of about $308,000 is well below the state median.
Retiring On The Pacific For Less
These nine towns prove that ocean views and a sensible budget can go together. Each pairs homes below its state median with healthcare close by and plenty to do outside. Before you sign anything, visit in the rainy season and price out homeowners insurance. Make sure the travel time to the nearest hospital and airport fits your plans as well.
