[CaliNative]

Some of the Oregon & Washington coast towns are pretty cheap, at least compared to California prices. Hoquium WA and other down on their luck lumber towns are cheap. Long Beach penninsula is not too expensive. However, the coastal climate is usually cold & often damp, and there is the pesky Cascadia subduction zone offshore that could produce a big quake & tsunami one day. Astoria is funky, with lots of old houses, but prices are up since "The Goonies" came out. On the Oregon coast, Brookings is said to be the sunniest area. Sometimes gets warm winds that blow down from the interior, like Santa Anas. Still rainy winters. Coos Bay area is fairly cheap. As far as riverfronts go, I do like the Mississippi from Galena up to Wisconsin. Parts of the Ohio River front is nice. Lakefront towns? Love Chattaqua, Ithaca & Cooperstown, New York. The latter is heaven for baseball fans. The Door penninsula on Lake Michigan has lots of fun little towns, and housing costs aren't too high in some. Very cheap real estate on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota, near the old iron belt. Duluth is cheap. Myrtle Beach SC is kind of tacky but fun. Lots of arcades and mini golf. The area from Melbourne down to Vero Beach is somewhat cheap, compared to prices down south. Lots of bargains in Atlantic City if you are betting on a revival someday. On the California coast, probably the cheapest houses are in the far north, especially Crescent City.