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Pacific City is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) of approximately 1,109 residents (2020 Census) on the North Oregon Coast in Tillamook County, located 2.8 miles west of U.S. Route 101 at the confluence of the Big and Little Nestucca Rivers. The community is home to Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, the historic Pacific City Dory Fleet (double-ended flat-bottomed boats launched directly from the beach for hook-and-line fishing — a tradition continuously practiced for over 100 years), and Pelican Brewing Company (founded 1996 in Pacific City; per Pelican’s marketing, “the only beachfront brewpub in the Pacific Northwest”). Pacific City is one of three locations on the Oregon Coast with a “Haystack Rock” offshore monolith, and is part of the Three Capes Scenic Route along with Cape Lookout and Cape Meares. This page aggregates publicly available facts about the community, current real estate market data from the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS), and active property listings.
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Searching in: Pacific City, OR
Facts about Pacific City compiled from official and public sources. Each data point shows its vintage (when the source published it) so you know what you’re looking at.
2020 Decennial Census · 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimate of 1,638 reflects the larger CDP boundary including surrounding Nestucca Valley area · 2025 projected ~2,018 per Oregon Demographics · ranked 181st most populated place in Oregon
2020 Decennial Census ·
Pacific City is an unincorporated community within Tillamook County; the county seat is Tillamook (~25 mi N) · county government handles all municipal services (planning, building, public works) · county population ~27,300 (2020 Census)
Census-Designated Place (not an incorporated city) · no mayor, no city council, no city charter · governed by Tillamook County · community established in 1880s (originally called Ocean Park), moved to higher ground after the 1894 flood · homesteaded by Thomas Malaney, who platted the town in 1883
Single primary Pacific City ZIP; also serves Cloverdale and the broader Nestucca Valley area · adjacent ZIPs include 97112 (Cloverdale/Hebo) and 97149 (Neskowin)
At sea level along the Pacific Ocean at the confluence of the Big and Little Nestucca Rivers and Nestucca Bay · U.S. Census Bureau figure · bay-level elevation makes Pacific City part of the Cascadia tsunami planning zone
2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimate for the CDP · mix of oceanfront cottages, Cape Kiwanda Drive condos, Nestucca River riverfront homes, and recent higher-end luxury development including the Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa and Pacific Seawatch subdivision
2024 ACS ·
Pacific City has a very high seasonal vacancy rate typical of Oregon Coast resort communities · significant percentage of housing is second homes, vacation rentals, and short-term rental units (Kiwanda Shores neighborhood and Cape Kiwanda Drive are STR-heavy)
Oregon Demographics 2023 ACS · notably older than Oregon median (40.4) and Tillamook County median (~50) · 35.2% of residents are 65+ · reflects retiree and second-home owner concentration
2024 ACS ·
~2 hours via US-26 W → OR-6 W to Tillamook, then US-101 S to Brooten Rd · Pacific City is 2.8 mi W of US-101 · alternative route: OR-18 W through McMinnville and Willamina to US-101 at Neskowin, then N to Pacific City (~110 mi, similar time)
Nestucca Valley School District (101J) serves Pacific City, Cloverdale, Hebo, Beaver, and the broader Nestucca Valley · Nestucca High School/Nestucca Junior-Senior High at 34660 Parkway Dr, Cloverdale (~5 mi NE) · district enrollment ~512-520 students (2 schools)
2020 Census ·
Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (Critical Access) in Lincoln City — 3043 NE 28th St, ~16 mi S via US-101 · Adventist Health Tillamook (formerly Tillamook Regional Medical Center) at 1000 3rd St, Tillamook — ~25 mi N via US-101
2020 Census ·
Portland International ~96 mi NE via US-26/OR-6/US-101 · typical drive 2h-2h15m · Pacific City State Airport (PFC) is a 1,875-ft public-use general aviation strip ~1 NM S of downtown, owned and maintained by the Oregon Department of Aviation
2020 Census ·
Köppen Cfb · mild maritime · cool damp winters, cool dry summers · summer highs 60s-70s, winter lows 30s-40s · snow is rare · rain common year-round except July-August · marine layer and coastal fog are typical
Oregon Demographics 2023 ACS 5-year · Point2Homes reports +34.6% year-over-year shift · above Oregon median ($83,011) · 82.4% above poverty line · renters' MHI is $56,875 · rent-to-income ratio 25.9%
2023 ACS 5-year ·
Direct beach access via Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area and Bob Straub State Park (484 acres) · Pacific City beach is famed for the Pacific City Dory Fleet launching directly through the surf, the Cape Kiwanda sandstone cape and massive sand dune, and offshore Haystack Rock (distinct from Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock)
Oregon Beach Bill (1967) ·
Bob Straub State Park (484 acres, south of Cape Kiwanda) plus Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area to the north · Sand Lake Recreation Area (~5 mi N, popular ORV destination) · Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge (~3 mi S) · Cascade Head Experimental Forest (~15 mi S)
Pacific City is a small unincorporated Oregon Coast resort community of approximately 1,109 residents (2020 Census; 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimate of 1,638 reflects the larger CDP boundary). The community combines a historic dory-fishing tradition, a dramatic sandstone cape, and a small but concentrated concentration of tourism and second-home real estate activity immediately inland from Cape Kiwanda and Nestucca Bay.
Pricing reflects Pacific City’s oceanfront-resort status. Rocket Homes reported a June 2025 median list price of $685,000 with 34 active listings; Movoto reported a February 2026 median list price of $825K with 161 days on market. City-data’s 2023 median home value was $553,752. Cape Kiwanda Drive and Kiwanda Shores oceanfront properties command the highest prices; Nestucca Valley and inland (east of US-101) homes are considerably more affordable. The market includes a meaningful inventory of vacation rentals and second homes — approximately 715 households against 1,547 housing units implies a high vacancy / seasonal-use rate.
Pacific City listings display via RMLS® (Regional Multiple Listing Service), which is the primary MLS for the North and Central Oregon Coast as well as the Portland metro. The market snapshot at right uses live RMLS® data via our MLS integration once active; buyers should note that Pacific City is an unincorporated community governed by Tillamook County, which affects the regulatory environment for short-term rentals, coastal-hazard permitting, and septic-vs-sewer connection requirements. Because Pacific City lies within the Cascadia subduction zone tsunami inundation area, most oceanfront and bay-adjacent parcels have site-specific coastal-hazard considerations that buyers should verify before making an offer.
Market statistics activate with our MLS integration and refresh automatically from RMLS® data. The housing units figure (1,314) is from the 2023 ACS 5-year estimate and will remain static until revised.
Pacific City is an unincorporated community spanning approximately 3.8 square miles (3.7 sq mi land) along the Pacific Ocean at the confluence of the Big and Little Nestucca Rivers and Nestucca Bay. The community is 2.8 miles west of U.S. Route 101 via Brooten Road. Cape Kiwanda and Kiwanda Shores anchor the north-oceanfront end; the core village runs along Brooten Road and Pacific Avenue; Pacific Seawatch and the Nestucca Bluffs highlands sit on the south slope above the bay; and inland Nestucca Valley extends east toward Cloverdale and Hebo. Descriptions reflect location only; price ranges populate from live RMLS® data via our MLS integration.
Oceanfront and immediately inland of Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. Includes the Kiwanda Shores subdivision, Cape Kiwanda Drive oceanfront condos, and the Inn at Cape Kiwanda and Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa. Highest-priced inventory in the community; mix of permanent residences, vacation homes, and short-term rental properties. Walking distance to the beach, Pelican Brewing, and Cape Kiwanda dune.
Distances are approximate driving distances from central Pacific City. Pacific City sits roughly halfway between Tillamook (~25 mi N, county seat) and Lincoln City (~16 mi S, Central Coast commercial hub), with Neskowin (~7 mi S) and Cloverdale (~5 mi NE) as the closest small neighbor communities.
Quick answers about Pacific City, each backed by an authoritative source. For questions specific to a particular property or listing, call (800) 256-9702 to reach a licensed Oregon broker.
Pacific City had a population of 1,109 at the 2020 Decennial Census. The 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimate reports 1,638 for the CDP boundary, which includes surrounding Nestucca Valley residential area beyond the core community. Oregon Demographics projects ~2,018 by 2025 based on a very high recent growth rate. Pacific City is currently ranked 181st most populated place in Oregon (out of 419 cities and CDPs ranked). The community has grown substantially since 2000 driven by second-home demand and new subdivision development (Pacific Seawatch, Kiwanda Shores).
Pacific City is approximately 96 miles from Portland and the drive typically takes ~2 hours. The standard route is US-26 W (Sunset Highway) to OR-6 W through the Tillamook State Forest to Tillamook, then US-101 S about 25 miles to Brooten Road, then 2.8 miles west into Pacific City. An alternative route via OR-18 W (through McMinnville and Willamina) to US-101 at Neskowin and then north to Pacific City is similar in time (~110 miles). Pacific City is ~16 miles N of Lincoln City and ~25 miles S of Tillamook along US-101 / Brooten Road.
Downtown Wilsonville is approximately 17 miles north of downtown Portland via I-5, which bisects the city at the Boone Bridge. Typical drive time is 22-30 minutes depending on traffic; the I-5 corridor through Tigard/Tualatin is often congested during rush hour. Portland International Airport (PDX) is about 26-28 miles northeast, typically a 34-39 minute drive via I-5 N. Wilsonville sits roughly halfway between Portland’s central business district and the state capital in Salem (~25 mi south via I-5), a location advantage that draws commuters from both metros. For transit, the WES Commuter Rail southern terminus at Wilsonville Station connects to Beaverton (where MAX Blue/Red lines link to downtown Portland and PDX).
Pacific City is served by the Nestucca Valley School District (101J), which covers Pacific City, Cloverdale, Hebo, Beaver, and the broader Nestucca Valley area in southern Tillamook County. The district operates two schools: Nestucca K-8 (combined elementary/middle, ~358 students, Cloverdale) and Nestucca Valley Jr./Sr. High School (34660 Parkway Dr, Cloverdale, ~5 miles NE of Pacific City, grades 7-12, ~237 students). Total district enrollment is approximately 512-520 students per US News / GreatSchools. The district is geographically large but low-density, reflecting the rural character of southern Tillamook County.
The closest hospital is Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (3043 NE 28th St, Lincoln City), approximately 16 miles south via US-101. North Lincoln is a federally-designated Critical Access Hospital serving the North Lincoln County and southern Tillamook County coast. Northbound, Adventist Health Tillamook (formerly Tillamook Regional Medical Center, 1000 3rd St, Tillamook) is ~25 miles via US-101. For specialized services, Legacy Good Samaritan and OHSU in Portland are ~2 hours away. A modern medical clinic in Pacific City itself provides primary care.
Because Pacific City is unincorporated, short-term rental regulation falls to Tillamook County rather than a city government. The county has an active STR permit and compliance program; rules cover permitting, occupancy limits, parking, noise, and transient lodging tax collection. Pacific City has a high concentration of STRs, particularly in the Kiwanda Shores neighborhood and along Cape Kiwanda Drive. Buyers considering an income-property purchase should verify current Tillamook County STR rules at the time of their offer, as the regulatory environment on the Oregon Coast changes regularly.
Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is the primary tourism anchor of Pacific City. It consists of a dramatic sandstone headland rising directly from the beach, a massive sand dune (one of the largest on the Oregon Coast), and views of the offshore Haystack Rock (officially “Chief Kiwanda Rock,” ~340 feet high per Oregon Dept of Geology Lidar data, ~0.5 mi offshore SW of the cape, and distinct from Cannon Beach’s smaller 235-ft Haystack Rock). Cape Kiwanda is the historic launching beach for the Pacific City Dory Fleet — double-ended, flat-bottomed wooden dory boats launched directly through the surf for hook-and-line salmon and bottom-fishing. The dory tradition has been continuously practiced here for over 100 years; the fleet boomed to 600 boats in the 1960s. Cape Kiwanda is part of the Three Capes Scenic Route along with Cape Lookout and Cape Meares to the north.
Yes. Under Oregon’s 1967 Beach Bill, all ocean beaches in Oregon — from the Washington border to the California border — are publicly accessible between the shoreline and the line of established vegetation. Pacific City’s primary beach access is via Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area (free parking, restrooms, day-use only) and via Bob Straub State Park (484 acres, south of the dory-launch beach, with access to a long quiet stretch of sand and the Nestucca Bay south jetty). Dogs are welcome on both beaches (voice-control or leashed).
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