Seaside, Oregon is a well known tourist destination on the North Oregon Coast and is a popular weekend getaway for residents of nearby metro's Portland and Seattle. Seaside's history dates back to the Lewis & Clark expedition as the site of the salt-making cairn while the group was camped at Fort Clatsop, and began to be developed in the late 1800's into a popular vacation spot for upper class Portland residents. Seaside's world famous Promenade stretches 1.5 miles along the ocean beach and is dotted with hotels, shops and beach cottages making for a spectacular walking route to see much of Seaside's history. The heart of Seaside is the turnaround where Broadway meets the Prom, most everything you could ever need is located within walking distance of here. Seaside has a year round population of about 6,000 residents, but that number swells many times over during the Summer months. The many hotels, B&B's, condos and rental cottages fill to capacity during the Summer season with those on Summer vacation and in town for many of the annual events held here including a beach volleyball tournament, several car shows and the Hood to Coast relay.
In recent years many of the smaller motels and hotels have been demolished and rebuilt as much larger venues to provide lodging for the large summer crowds. Seaside also has great shopping including several boutiques downtown and the newer Seaside Factory Outlet Mall located on Hwy 101.
Those seeking a weekend home will want to be close to the fun and fine dining in downtown, and usually settle on a cottage in Northwest or Southwest Seaside. Located just outside of the busy downtown, these neighborhoods are close to the beach and allow a getaway from the Summer crowds while still being close to the action and walking distance to the beach. A unit in one of the many Seaside Condominium complexes is also a popular choice, giving you a turn key vacation getaway with the annual maintenance that goes along with a beach cottage. There are many Condo's to choose from including The Tides, Bridgeport Condos, The Seaside Beach Club, The Mirage, The Sand and Sea and the River Tide Suites.
Many fulltime residents like to be close to the beach and shopping, but often do choose to be in a more traditional residential setting. There's several options here including the Stillwater Heights area, Summit and Elkridge Court and the Sunset Hills areas all located East of Hwy 101 in the foothills. The new developments of Vista Ridge and Thompson Falls have new homes available, and also vacant lots available for custom construction.
There's also lots of outdoor recreation opportunities in Seaside, but for those seeking an inside activity for rainy days you'll want to checkout the new Seaside library, the Sunset Recreation District Pool, Seaside Aquarium or perhaps the Funland Arcade.
The Seaside School District includes Seaside Heights Elementary, Broadway Middle School and the Seaside High School.