Manzanita, OR

Manzanita is a small coastal city in Tillamook County, set on US 101 about 25 miles from Seaside and 25 miles from Tillamook. The 2020 census counted 603 residents. The city sits between the Pacific beach and Neahkahnie Mountain, a 1,700-foot headland that has shaped travel, local lore, and the view from town for generations. Manzanita was platted as a beach resort in 1912, but the coastline's older story reaches back through Tillamook travel routes and Nehalem Bay. Beach days still organize the local calendar, including the Manzanita Beach Walk & Run, which has raised money for the Nehalem fitness center since 1990.

The shoreline is wide open, while US 101 keeps Nehalem, Wheeler, and the rest of the northern Oregon coast in easy reach. Manzanita is a place where the mountain is as recognizable as the beach: one side gives you sand and surf, the other gives you trails, shipwreck lore, and the old road over the Coast Range.