Welcome to Bandon, the charming coastal village with a rapidly growing national reputation.
Among the factors contributing to Bandon’s surging popularity are the area’s breathtaking natural beauty, low density, low cost of living, excellent restaurants and galleries, and vast array of outdoor activities for the avid sportsperson and adventurer.
The San Diego Union Tribune proclaimed Bandon to be “… one of the most spectacular sites on the western American coast .”
The New York Times asserted in a feature story that Bandon is “a wedge of uncluttered Pacific coast … shifting from a ‘West Coast Appalachia,’ … into an increasingly sophisticated haven for retirees. They come largely from California with dollars that stretch in a seaside community now boasting Pilates classes, … high-end golf courses, [and] a new hospital ….”
Famed real estate guru Barbara Corcoran, in her 2008 book Nextville claimed, “… the beaches around here have some of the most beautiful seashells you’ll find anywhere. And Bandon’s Old Town is a half-dozen blocks of shops and galleries running right alongside the harbor, where local fishermen pull in their catches right on the docks. Bandon is one of the last unspoiled and undiscovered coastal towns out west.”
It’s indisputable, however, the single largest factor driving growth has been the national press attention garnered by critical acclaim for Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
What makes Bandon Dunes so uniquely spectacular?
The Atlanta Journal—Constitution claimed in a feature, “… a new creation of golf by the sea has quietly and quickly ascended to the top of the golf world’s must-play destinations. Its remote location and word-of mouth reputation has elevated Bandon Dunes to almost mythical status among those most devoted to the sport. While others claim to be the ‘Pebble Beach of the South’ or the ‘Poor Man’s Pebble Beach,’ some of those who have visited golf’s latest holy grail contend that Bandon Dunes is better than Pebble Beach.”
Links Magazine: “Golf’s fastest growing cult: the Bandonistas, that fraternity of fanatics conjoined and consumed by the conviction that true golf Nirvana can be achieved only [at Bandon Dunes] …. As an idyllic place to stay and play golf it has only two peers—the Monterrey Peninsula and the town of St. Andrews.”
Golf Odyssey: “It is here, on this remote stretch of the wildly stunning Oregon coast, where the finest golf courses in the whole world quietly await you.”
But while Bandon Dunes’ impact on the area has been substantial to say the least, rest assured, this town is more than just golf for those who come to live here. For most, moving to Bandon offers a desired lifestyle transformation, and the presence of “the Dunes” golf resort isn’t so much an amenity, as it is reassurance their Bandon real estate is a superior investment than elsewhere, as Bandon evolves to become a sought after world-class destination.
The southern Oregon coast is a wonderful, healthy change.
Most who visit live in the densely packed urban areas of California, Arizona or Nevada. They come here not knowing quite what to expect, and discover a welcome respite from the stress, noise, and everything else having to do with managing through chaotic and overly packed schedules with too many inputs and too few outlets.
Bandon offers a stark contrast from their everyday lives. Here you’ll discover earthy pine forests —stretches of pristine beaches with nary a soul in sight —lush farms and ranches — azure summer afternoons—and no commute.
There’s an authenticity here you don’t find elsewhere. Oregon is, in a word, real. It is deeply elemental, even primal. Its essence can be found in the scent of the beach, of untouched wilderness, of a howling, timber-rocking winter storm, the glowing warmth tonight of a crackling fire.
Oregon isn’t for everyone. Some find it too shockingly different and essentially unlivable without a Costco within arm’s reach. But for those who sense their lives have too much externally manufactured pressure unrelated to their quintessential core —Oregon may just be what you’re looking for.