Nehalem
Our immediate area includes Nehalem, Manzanita and Wheeler which has a total population under 2,500.
While being a big destination for tourism, the area has a lot of things you would want as a resident, including a community rec center with pool and a theatre where we've enjoyed many locally-produced performances.
It also has the best comfort food restaurant on the entire Oregon coast - Wanda's in Nehalem. We've been spotted there on many weekends!
And yes, those are fish jumping out of the water in the boat photo. When the salmon are swimming upstream, they jump out of the water like popcorn!