PORTLAND, Ore. — If westbound Highway 26 seems a bit more clogged between Portland and Seaside this week, it's simply because spring has sprung.
Tourists are traveling to the Oregon Coast for short hops to enjoy its array of beaches, viewpoints, restaurants and pubs and, in general, good vibes.
Many are staying in some prime spots, be they, for the lucky ones, second homes or rental sites. With that in mind, we've tapped the expertise of RMLS to find out which areas are this year's Coolest Coastal Towns.
SLIDESHOW: Oregon's Coolest Coastal Towns of 2019
To cull our rankings, Data Editor Brandon Sawyer combined homes sold, average sale price and days on the market into a "coolness" index that ranks the top 27 Oregon coastal towns as defined by their respective ZIP codes. We don't include areas with fewer than 10 homes sold in our ranking. We further broke ties by giving those with more homes sold the edge.
All told, 3,690 homes were sold in 2018 in the top 27 Coolest Coastal Towns of the slideshow. That's a 3.4 percent increase over 2017.
In the same ZIP codes, average sale price was $312,896, up 10.5 percent over $283,087 in 2017. The average days on the market figure also dropped dramatically, to 99 as opposed to 130 in 2017.
The top of our rankings changed somewhat, with four north coast cities vying for the No. 1 spot. Throughout our rankings (deftly portrayed on the slides by our newest designer Mina Gilson), you'll catch glimpses of familiar areas that will likely make you want to join the throngs heading westward on 26.