Florence : Oregon

Florence, Oregon, is located on the Oregon coast at the mouth of the Siuslaw River, and is midway between Coos Bay and Newport.  The population in 2012 was 8,484 with about one-third of that number retirees.  The average age of the community is 57 years-old, which is 10 years older than the state's average age of 47 years.  Florence was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. The former mainstay of the economy was logging, fishing and agriculture, but today tourism plays an important role along with commercial fishing and shipping promted by The Port of Siuslaw.  The Three Rivers Casino is run by the Confederated Tribe of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.   Picture of the Siuslaw River Bridge at Florence and picture of the Aerial View of Florence are both courtesy of Wikipedia and Sam Beebe.

According to City-data.com, the median sale price of a home in mid-2013 was about $160,000. Zillow reported the price to be higher at $183,100 for the same period.  Homes close to the water will be priced higher.

Florence is a small community on the Oregon coast with a boardwalk, marina, and Old Town Florence;  the town also has a small airport that is manned seven days a week by a dedicated  Airport Volunteer Group;  there are many parks and sites which are managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department;  Lane County Community College has a center in Florence. Here is what one of our visitors who lives there says about Florence: "It has a fantastic endowed library, great senior center, a nice fitness center with pool, and great thrift stores and antique stores, garage sales everywhere, very senior friendly with lots of stores and businesses giving senior discounts,  and there's a hospice and alzheimers center and assisted living for those who might need it. Plus a whole page in paper of volunteer opportuniities and clubs".

Weather-wise Florence is not an ideal spot as it can average over 60 inches of rain in a given year, with many overcast days.

Retirees who want to live in a coastal town that has a community college, a historical Old Town, lots of festivals, and is very walkable, would enjoy living here.

Tourism is important to the economy; the Peace Harbor Hospital is a main employer.

The average January temperature in Florence is 43 degrees.  The average July temperature is about 60 degrees. Although Florence can get its share of rain, it gets very little snow.

Old Town Florence offers art galleries and restaurants along the water;  Cultural events occur often in the Florence Events Center which hosts concerts, musicals, art exhibits and ballets; festivals include Wings and Wheels Aircraft Fly-In and Car Show, the Winter Folk Festival, and the Rhododendron Festival which has been celebrated for over 100 years.