Am I An Oregon Coast Local?

No. I'm A Proud "Resident Non-Local™"

Photo by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash

I have lived in Newport, Oregon, for the past year and a half. Before that, I lived thirty-eight miles away in the “Valley.”

People living on the Oregon Coast refer to the Willamette Valley just as “The Valley.” Something like 80% of all people in Oregon live in “The Valley.” Coast Locals call residents of the Willamette Valley, “Valley People.”

Okay, they don’t really call them “Valley People,” but they should. Instead, they call them something even worse:

A Tourist

Newport, Oregon, is known for three things: 1.) Tourism 2.) Fishing 3.) Writers

Maybe not #3, but lots of writers, such as myself, like to sit here and think about writing while staring out to sea. If you’re a tourist don’t sweat it. We need you for your money.

Now that I’ve lived on “The Coast” for over a year and I know all the local hotspots, mostly hidden paths down to the beach, am I a local? Hell no, and Oregon Coast locals will tell you that to your face. Not that I asked.

I have met people who have lived here for thirty years that are not considered a “Local.” The ONLY way you will ever be considered a local is to have been born here. It. Is. The. Only. Way.

You could’ve moved here when you were six months old. Not a local. If you say, “My parents moved to Newport when my mother was eight months pregnant” you probably still wouldn’t be considered a local. Especially if your parents were from San Diego.

Since I shall never be a local, I have come up with a term for those of us not born on the Coast but live here anyway:

Resident Non-Local™

Tell locals proudly that you are a resident non-local. They will have no idea what you’re talking about…

… but they’ll appreciate it.