Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the 'burbs and points beyond, for good measure). This week: two Bay City cottages with views for days. Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].

It was supposed to be the “Atlantic City of the West.” That would be Bayocean, a town once located on four miles of sand spit in Tillamook Bay, so named for the fact it had views of the Pacific Ocean on one side, and the bay on the other. Built by an enterprising developer in the early 1900s as a vacation destination, Bayocean had a hotel, arcade, bowling alley, paved streets lined with homes, even an indoor salt pool. But by 1971, the town was washed away as the sand disappeared beneath the buildings, and now, the spit is wild again.

Not to be confused with Bayocean is Bay City, a small town on much higher ground overlooking Tillamook Bay, the spit, and the Pacific Ocean in the distance. This listing there offers not one, but two side-by-side properties: a two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage connected by an exterior path to a one-bedroom, one-bath cabin.

Both were built in 1917 and remodeled in 2013, including new electrical and plumbing. They have that classic coastal aesthetic, inside and out, with exteriors covered in cedar shake, and interior walls lined in cedar, even in the bathrooms. The cottage is just about double the square footage of the cabin, but aside from its extra bedroom, they mirror each other in looks and amenities.

That means both homes have a full kitchen and bathroom, each with their own painted clawfoot tub and walk-in shower. Both have bedrooms with stunning water views from the windows, as well as a generous amount of covered outdoor space, around 400 square feet for each. Only the laundry room, located in the cottage, would need to be shared, but it’s sizable and easy to access right off the cottage entry. 

Not only would this be a perfect outpost for vacationing with family and friend groups— you can be together, but separate!—this is a great spot for soaking up life on the coast: watching the sunset over the water and Bayocean, or catching glimpses of bald eagles, two of which have made a nest behind the buildings. They even have a perfect beachy name we hope the new owners will keep: “Sea La Vie.”  

Listing Fast Facts 

Address: 12880 Hobsonville Point Rd, Bay City, OR 97107

Size: 1,452 square feet/3 bedroom/2 bath (including 956 square foot cottage and 479 square foot cabin)

List Date: 8/17/2022 

List Price: $769,000 

Listing Agent: Valerie Schumann, Berkshire Hathaway HomeService Northwest Real Estate