Why So Few Americans Live In This HUGE Area Of The West Coast

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It's a beautiful place because people don't live there

I spent 3 months on a job in the northern edge of the forgotten coast. Every weekend I went for long solo hikes, often never seeing another human being. I would follow old trails for hours and suddenly break out onto a stretch of uninhabited beach. It was the happiest I have ever been in loneliness.

As a Southern Oregon resident, another huge factor is the road conditions. There’s not a straight road in the area. From highways to the i5 corridor, it winds, is sharp and inclement weather or wildfires irritate the issue. Makes for transportation between cities quite bad. Things like a blown tire in an area with no cell signal possibly deadly in the wrong season.

Drove up to Portland from LA about 5 years ago. When I passed Mt Shasta I shed a tear. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.

For those that have never seen it, Crater Lake will absolutely blow your mind. I've never seen a picture that is anywhere near what seeing it in person is like. It's like an alien world, it's so incredibly stunning.

I used to live in Humboldt County, California—one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It’s a difficult place to live for a variety of reasons but it’s absolutely worth visiting, and not just the redwoods. The Trinity Alps Wilderness is incredible, it’s just as beautiful as many national parks but you can be ALONE in the wilderness—a very special experience.

I see a housing crash due to people buying homes over asking price, lacking equity if prices decline further. Foreclosure becomes likely if they can't afford the house, and selling won't yield profits. With anticipated layoffs and rising living costs, many individuals may face this situation.

I grew up right in the middle of this place on the coast. I’ve been all over the world multiple times and this place is still the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

I broke down in Jefferson once. We were in the middle of an interstate move, with all our stuff in a trailer. The situation was awful, yet the small town mechanic was a hero, the historic motel was gracious, and everyone we met was kind to us outsiders. A scary situation became fond memories.

As someone who spent almost their whole life living in Northern California, I will admit that it's not as exciting and glamorous as the more urban regions. On the flip side, less population means that it's easier to get to know the other people that live in the area, form stronger friendships, and take part in community gatherings and events. Overall, it's a peaceful life. Don't get me wrong, I do like the urban regions as well, but they're mostly fun just to just visit for a few days, long term residence would only be enjoyable for a few months at most.

I grew up in the middle of that whole section. Fun fact, every single person that lives in that area will claim San Fran is not Northern California. They will adamantly claim it's central.

Living in this area it really feels like its own state a lot. Not just geographically but also culturally.

I have lived in Arizona, California twice, Oregon twice and Washington state. I have driven through beautiful places across the USA. I have driven Interstate 5 from Mexico to Seattle. I have driven 1-5 from LA to Portland and back many times. I have driven coast highway 1 From Washington to San Diego. There’s just something about the drive from Reading to everywhere North of there that is just different than anywhere I’ve ever driven. It’s beyond beautiful but also mysterious, it’s hard to explain. Before I had my own RV I rented one and had the best vacation of my life. We Drove North on I-5 making some detours camping in the redwoods, crater lake, up North camping in the Columbia river gorge, etc. On the return trip we took the coast highway 1 South from Astoria Oregon to Santa Barbara. This is Probably the most beautiful drive on earth. Our vacation was 2 weeks and felt very rushed. 2 months would have been much better. There’s so much beauty and nature to see and explore. If you’ve never hiked through a Forrest of giant redwoods, you haven’t lived. The first time i experienced it as a child I couldn’t even say WTF, I was speechless. If your adventurous and love nature and this isn’t at the top of your bucket list for trips, you might reconsider. Damn, it’s back on top of mine again. Save travels.

I was born and raised in Eureka, CA. I'm surprised you didn't mention the Humboldt Bay area as it's the only "city" we have on the coast but around here we refer to the parks as the Redwood Curtain. Feels like we are almost a decade behind the times with how slow things get up here. Loved the video though as most people assume Sacramento when you tell them northern California lol

I was born in Eugene, grew up in Gold Beach for 7 years, then Medford (Phoenix specifically is where I grew up) until 18, lived in Klamath for 9 months, back to Medford for 3 years, tried out Sacramento, now back in Gold Beach. Seems I’ve lived in this “empty” space my whole life. It’s beautiful because nobody ever knows where they are when traveling through, everyone thinks big cities and doesn’t stop and enjoy the beauty of our areas. Until everyone decided to leave the upper PNW, Bay Area and LA, and move here, it’s slowly becoming bigger and overpopulated for our small roads and 101 highway, small towns and small cities (compared to Sacramento for example). It’s become so full of drugs and poverty it’s heartbreaking, but I love where I’m from, and glad I’ve got to experience so much ❤

Oregon is epic. So is the western Washington coast/ the entire Olympic national park. I love how the Washington coast is so remote and removed from everything. No fancy beach towns. When you’re out there it’s just basically nothing.

I live in this region (Del Norte) and the infrastructure struggles are real, the we have three ways out of town, and one is always under construction because it is slowly sliding into the ocean. Also, a single redwood tree falling on the highway does an incredible amount of damage. But you can't neglect that even where infrastructure exists, a lack of economic opportunity means there's little other than natural beauty to attract people to much of this region, particularly the various smaller towns along the coast and highways. This lack of economic opportunity coincides with a lack of healthcare, poor education, little in the way of public or private services, and an environment that is thoroughly inhospitable to the unsheltered.... As beautiful as it is It's not a great place to be starting out life unless you are fairly well off already.

I lived in the Rogue Valley for 8 years. It is an undeniably gorgeous geographic region. If access to wild lands and epic scenery is a priority, it’s hard to beat.

I live in that area, between Mt Shasta and Mt Lassen. Fewer people live here, but it's INUNDATED with tourists in summer.