"Once a Quiet Community, Now a Tourist Destination" Oceanside by glabah

Like many of the places on the Oregon coast, Oceanside was once a quiet community that had a lot of rustic charm, but has now been built up so that it looks like a wealthy suburb of a crowded urban area. Summer days, even weekdays, are crowded.

In the photo above you can see the huge contrast between the small cabins on the lower part of the hill, which is how Oceanside used to look. The huge newer houses further up the hill are far more involved and luxurious than what used to be here.

At the same time, there are certainly places on the Oregon coast that are more crowded, and this little community is located far from highway 101. In fact, the community is mostly set at the end of a road that doesn't lead anywhere, which makes it quite a bit more pleasant than communities that are separated from the Ocean by highway 101 or some other through road.

Oceanside Beach is a State Park

The primary attraction of Oceanside, of course, is that it sits right on the Pacific Ocean and it has a beach (note that a number of places on the Oregon coast DON'T have a beach, but instead have large rock formations instead). The beach here is a state park. However, the parking lot is almost always full of vehicles.

In the distance you can see Three Arch Rocks, which is a series of three large rocks just off the coast, each of which has its own unique natural arch in them. There are several smaller rocks that are part of this formation. These are a popular location for sea birds to nest, and it has been set aside as a National Wildlife Refuge.

However, it is difficult to see the unusual arches in the rocks from Oceanside. Instead, the arches are most visible from Cape Meares State Park just north of here (see photo of Three Arch Rocks from Cape Meares).

• Pros:End of Road so no heavy auto traffic as in some places, has a beach
• Cons:quite crowded in the summer and on warm days