10 Oregon Towns With A Slower Pace Of Life
You may think the entire state of Oregon is slow-paced, but Oregonians know how busy their backyards can be. This is especially true in cities like Portland, Salem, and Eugene. To experience a legit laid-back life, head to the smallest towns and the farthest corners of the Beaver State. There, you can find such whimsical attractions as a cranberry festival, an iconic movie bridge, and even a brewery operated by Benedictine monks. Put the following towns on your list for a slow-paced Oregon vacation.
Coburg
Coburg is a sleepy bedroom community for booming Eugene. It sits just several miles north of the city and houses around 1,300 people. Residents and retreating Eugenians are lulled by Farmfancy, a home and garden store billed as "rustic farm junk meets fancy"; Chiefs Brew House, a brewery and restaurant offering craft beer and homestyle comfort food; and the Coburg Pizza Company, an intergenerational pizzeria serving innovative pies. No need to visit those haunts in a noisy, smelly car. Virtually all of Coburg is walkable, as is the scenic Willamette River that winds around town.
Bandon
As one of the most remote beach towns in Oregon, Bandon is a true getaway for stressed suburbanites. There are only around 3,300 residents, many of whom are as chill as Bandon's waters. Far from tropical, the waters are less suited for swimming than paddling, boating, fishing, and crabbing. But the best activity is sightseeing.
Bandon is surrounded by spectacular landmarks, both artificial and natural, including Circles in the Sand and Face Rock, respectively. Pair the latter sight with a taste of Face Rock Creamery, then sample Bandon's signature cranberries at Cranberry Sweets & More. Bandon grows so many of them that it hosts the Cranberry Festival each September.
Carlton
It is hard to get rowdy when nestled in picturesque vineyards and warmed by a good Pinot Noir. That describes the average experience in Carlton, AKA "Oregon's Wine Country Capital." With just over 2,000 people, Carlton has approximately 100 residents for every winery. They include Cana's Feast Winery, Lemelson Vineyards, and the Carlo & Julian Vineyard and Winery.
If you are not a connoisseur or consumer, do not whine. Carlton boasts plenty of wineless wonders like the Carlton Bakery, which sells delicious European-style pastries, and the Carlton Coffee Company, which offers other kinds of refreshing beverages.
Jacksonville
Located hundreds of miles from the Wine Country Capital, Jacksonville is a lesser-known wine hub. Roughly 3,000 residents and sprinkles of tourists can relax at the Rellik Winery, DANCIN Vineyards, Daisy Creek Vineyard, and many other vino destinations inside the town and along its gorgeous outskirts.
As with Carlton, not all Jacksonville attractions are wine-based. The Back Porch Bar & Grill and Churro Rush exist for the pleasure of non-winos. Moreover, Jacksonville sits near the California border, so you can have an outdoor interstate adventure in this wild and fertile region.
Paisley
Paisley is a "city" of about 250 people in the Oregon Outback, a high desert ecosystem in the south-central part of the state. Given its super-small size and super-rustic location, Paisley attracts with serenity, which is packaged and served in such hole-in-the-wall haunts as the Paisley Mercantile and the Pioneer Saloon and Restaurant. Established in 1883, the latter is considered the oldest bar in Oregon.
To find serenity in its natural habitat, plod outside Paisley in pretty preserves like the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Lake Abert & Abert Rim Watchable Wildlife Area, and Paisley Five Mile Caves, where some of the oldest human remains in North America have been excavated.
Yachats
Less than a third the size of Bandon, Yachats is even more of a coastal getaway. Its quaint, sea-kissed attractions include the Luna Sea Fish House, which serves state-renowned seafood like halibut and king salmon, and the Green Salmon Coffee Company, a sustainable café offering coffee, tea, organic cocoas, and wonderful merchandise. Yet the peacefulness of in-town Yachats is the antipode to the effervescence of off-coast Yachats. Keep your distance when you marvel at Thor's Well and Devil's Churn, two unique formations that manipulate ocean water like a wizard casting spells.
Hood River
Though livelier than other communities on this list (especially if you consider the wind), Hood River still has only several thousand residents and is thus a tranquil retreat by most metrics. The mere sight of the Columbia River to the north and Mount Hood to the south is enlightening enough without paddling the former or climbing the latter. But you can do both and more in this natural arcade.
If you prefer gazes to games, keep your eyes on the spectacular horizon as you walk from business to business in Hood River proper. Worthy stops are Broder Øst, Doppio Coffee & Lounge, and Romul’s.
Brownsville
Home to roughly 1,700 people in offbeat Oregon, Brownsville might be the sleepiest town in the state if it were not for a certain movie. Stand by Me was filmed in Brownsville in 1985 and is responsible for many of the tourists that arrive 40 years later. Thankfully, a lot of the picturesque structures shown in the film still stand (though under different names), including Carlson's Hardware, the Brownsville Fitness Center, and the Calapooia River Bridge.
Visit Brownsville in July to pair those sights with Stand By Me Day, an annual blending of fiction and reality culminating in a very real—and hopefully cleaner—pie-eating contest.
Mount Angel
Mount Angel is divine. It was partly settled by Benedictine monks whose calming influence survives. Apart from Mount Angel Abbey, which overlooks the town on a namesake bluff, Mount Angel's heavenly attractions include the St Mary Catholic Parish, Queen of Angels Monastery, and Benedictine Brewery. The last of those is an actual beer brewery run by monks on the Abbey grounds. If trying to avoid crowds, do not visit during Mt Angel Oktoberfest, which reportedly draws 350,000 people as "the largest folk festival in the Northwest."
Joseph
Occupying Oregon's northeasternmost county, Joseph is about as far as you can get from suburbia. Unsurprisingly, this "city" has just over 1,000 residents and is isolated by nature, namely the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which spans approximately 2.4 million acres in both Oregon and Idaho.
After exploring that serene preserve on foot, bike, boat, horse, and/or skis, relax in Joseph proper at a relatively large number of shops and eateries. Chief among them are the Stubborn Mule Saloon & Steakhouse, Embers Brewhouse Restaurant and Pub, and Arrowhead Chocolates.
Oregon has no shortage of towns with a slower pace of life, but the best of them can still stimulate in subtle ways. Whether you are sipping Pinot at a Carlton winery, walking between film sites in Brownsville, or touring Catholic monasteries in Mount Angel, you can spend a full Oregon vacation without getting tired or getting bored. Test these serene, sweet spots as soon as possible.
