The Pacific North Coast

The Pacific North Coast is known for its beautiful outdoor scenery and recreational potential. In fact, many Americans move to this region due to the fact that the outdoor life here is encouraged by most residents. Certain parts of California that do not fall within the Pacific North Coast region are also viewed in similar ways, though the connections between the two may be different.

View of the beach from a turnoff spot off highway 101 near Pacific City in Oregon. One of the pictures I took during my recent trip to Oregon in February this year.

(Source: My Camera!)

Each have their similarities and differences when it comes to the different recreational activities available within each region. The Pacific North Coast is famous for its various forested areas and campgrounds that surround (and are within) the cities. Areas in Oregon, such as Corvallis or Pacific City, are filled with different outdoor activities that can be enjoyed by everyone, such as the trail that runs through Bald Hill behind where Oregon State University is located, or the dunes on the Oregon coast that give a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and its jagged coastline. Similar areas are found within California as well in both the Northern and Southern portions of the city. Beaches, such as the ones in Carpenteria, have situated campgrounds where both whales and sea lions can be seen during particular times of the season, and trails such as the various ones that run through the dry portions of Santa Clarita can have spectacular views within the hills that overlook the surrounding valley.

This is the view over one of the larger dunes found in Pacific City, about 350 feet above the shoreline below.

(Source: My Camera!)

The differences, though small, are still noticeable enough to be discussed. For example, one outdoor activity that does not occur in the Pacific North Coast as much as it does within California is ocean surfing. Ocean surfing is more popular within the California coast due to the fact that the water is often quite warmer here than in the Pacific North Coast, and because California beaches are often not as rocky or dangerous, making it safer to surf in case of an incident. Areas in Southern California, such as Emerald Bay or Laguna Beach, are primary surf spots all throughout the year. Other differences include that people who live in California normally do not move there due to its outdoor recreational value like they do within the Pacific North Coast. Most people who move to California enjoy the views of the area and would much rather find a good spot to live where they can wake up to these views instead of actually going out to explore them. This is more difficult to do within the Pacific North Coast regions, due to the fact that most of the areas here that have such beautiful views are public land that cannot by law be privately owned, making it next to impossible to build any type of home there. An example of this can be seen down the Oregon coastline, where it is prohibited for an individual or company to own any portion of the beaches.

Warning: Some surfing is not for the faint of heart.

(Source: http://surfing-beach.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/california-surfing.jpg)

But if these two regions have more similarities than differences, then why is the population within the two regions so contrasting? This answer can be found when we look over the other differences between the two. People move to California for many other reasons, such as its abundance of different career opportunities, the ability to create a better life for one's family, it's dry and warm climate, and its welcoming diverse community. However, the Pacific North Coast has limited opportunities when compared to California, due to its hard to reach region which makes exporting goods difficult, its cooler climate which limits agricultural opportunities, and its homogeneous population which defeats the ability for diversity to occur. Simply put, the opportunities presented within the Pacific North Coast are overshadowed by the ones presented within California.

Picture taken along the Oregon coastline. The large rocks here are home to mussels and the starfish who eat them.

(Source: My Camera!)