The Towns On The Pacific Coast Where Retirees Are Moving To

Up and down the Pacific coast, a handful of towns are drawing a steady stream of new arrivals in their sixties and seventies. Six of them stand out, running down the California shore and up through Oregon, each with its own balance of walkable streets, open beach, and services close at hand. Prices swing widely, so a place near the water might sit under $450,000 or climb past a million depending on the town. Some keep a hospital and a bus line inside town limits; others lean into quiet coast and room to roam. Here is where older newcomers are settling, and what each town puts within reach.

Seal Beach, California

Seal Beach provides a useful starting point for someone who wants coastal living with services specifically intended for older residents. Its senior shuttle connects the pier with Leisure World and shopping areas, making transportation worth investigating alongside individual properties. Main Street's restaurants and shops lead toward the waterfront, where a walk can continue onto the pier. Gum Grove Nature Park offers a quieter alternative, with a eucalyptus-shaded trail beside the Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Those services operate in a community where an estimated 43.7% of residents are 65 or older, up from 39.9% in the earlier Census survey. The mobility data also identifies an estimated 279 older newcomers from other U.S. counties. Housing choices require a closer look than the citywide price suggests: Zillow's September 2026 typical home value was about $838,000. That figure includes different property types, so it should not become the budget for a house within walking distance of the beach.

Cambria, California

Farther up the California coast, Cambria offers more coastal open space to explore beyond its village shopping streets. The roughly one-mile Moonstone Beach Boardwalk makes an oceanfront walk an easy outing to repeat. Fiscalini Ranch Preserve extends the options across coastal bluffs and wooded trails. Between walks, the East and West Villages have independent shops and galleries; October brings the Scarecrow Festival's displays through town. This quieter setting does not come with a lower housing price. Cambria's typical home value was approximately $997,000 in September 2026, about $159,000 above Seal Beach's. Older adults nevertheless make up an even larger share of the community: an estimated 45.0%, compared with 41.0% in 2015-2019. The Census mobility estimate identifies 159 residents aged 65 and over who had arrived from another U.S. county.

Pacific Grove, California

Pacific Grove costs more than Cambria, with a typical home value of approximately $1.37 million in September 2026. Its location on the Monterey Peninsula puts Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula in neighboring Monterey, an important consideration when comparing healthcare access.

At Lovers Point Park, lawns and beach access provide somewhere to spend an afternoon without planning a longer excursion. The waterfront recreation trail continues toward Monterey, while Asilomar State Beach offers a separate coastal trail with paths toward tide pools. A newcomer can explore different stretches of shoreline without making every outing a drive along the coast.

The ACS estimates 134 older residents had arrived from another U.S. county during the previous year. People aged 65 and over accounted for 30.6% of the population, compared with 27.5% in the earlier survey period. The estimated older population itself increased from 4,261 to 4,571 between those releases.

Florence, Oregon

Crossing into Oregon changes the housing calculation substantially. Florence's September 2026 typical home value was about $445,000, less than half Cambria's and roughly one-third Pacific Grove's. It also has a hospital within town, PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center. A public bus route now links the town to Eugene, worth checking against the appointments and journeys a household expects to make.

Florence's everyday gathering area is on the Siuslaw River rather than directly beside the ocean. Historic Old Town's Bay Street has shops and restaurants along the waterfront; beach outings require heading toward the coast. The Oregon Dunes provide longer excursions nearby, while Darlingtonia State Natural Site offers a short walk to native carnivorous plants north of town. An estimated 171 residents aged 65 and over had moved into Florence from another U.S. county during the previous year. Older adults make up 43.3% of its population, giving newcomers a substantial existing community of residents in the same age range.

Newport, Oregon

Newport keeps Florence's approximate housing budget while offering a working fishing harbor and several distinct places to spend an afternoon. Its typical home value was about $447,000 in August 2026, close to Florence's figure the following month. On the Historic Bayfront, a waterfront meal comes with views of harbor activity. Nye Beach provides another neighborhood to explore, with beach access and the Newport Visual Arts Center. Yaquina Head adds lighthouse visits and coastal walks nearby. Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital is also in town. The Census estimates 149 older residents had arrived from another U.S. county during the previous year. Newport's estimated population aged 65 and over rose from 2,724 in 2015-2019 to 3,240 in 2020-2024. Its older population share increased from 25.8% to 30.6%. Those changes also reflect aging among existing residents, so they cannot be attributed entirely to the newcomers.

Lincoln City, Oregon

Lincoln City shares Newport's county and has its own hospital, Samaritan North Lincoln. Its recreational focus shifts toward a long stretch of beach and the smaller outings available along it. Finders Keepers places glass floats on local beaches throughout the year, giving a familiar walk the possibility of an unexpected find.

In the Historic Taft District, Lincoln City Glass Center lets visitors watch artists work or book a hands-on session. Siletz Bay provides another place to spend time beside the water. Buying here costs somewhat more than in Newport or Florence: the September 2026 typical home value was approximately $495,000.

The Census estimates 82 residents aged 65 and over had arrived from another U.S. county during the previous year. Older adults represented 28.3% of the population. There is a longer regional history behind those arrivals. Portland State University's Lincoln County forecast identifies migration among people approaching retirement, although its historical age-specific evidence covers 2000-2010 rather than recent moves.

Weighing Services Against Space

The six communities sort cleanly along price. The three California towns carry typical home values of about $838,000 in Seal Beach, roughly $997,000 in Cambria, and about $1.37 million in Pacific Grove, while the three Oregon towns sit between about $445,000 and $495,000. Oregon also places a hospital inside each town, where the California options lean on facilities in neighboring communities. Against those differences, the arrival counts themselves stay small and carry wide margins of error, so they point to a direction of movement rather than a measured wave.

Data note: Population shares and older-arrival estimates come from ACS Tables B01001 and B07001. Arrival estimates have substantial sampling uncertainty; approximate 90% margins of error run between 53 people in Lincoln City and 115 in Seal Beach. They do not measure net migration. CMS aged-beneficiary enrollment supplied county context, but enrollment growth also includes residents reaching Medicare eligibility. IRS county migration files identify origins for all-age flows; their public age breakdowns cover aggregate state-level flows. Retirees' origin counties therefore cannot be identified here. Housing figures are Zillow typical home values, not median sale prices.