Sir:
Just a few words from someone else who lives here (Tillamook County, if you’re curious).
LongJim has a lot of it right, but it’s certainly not going to be as easy as he describes.
To add a touch of balance, I really should chime in here.
Natural resources are indeed abundant. Crabbing, clamming, fishing, and more can be done. However, without a sailboat or kayak? You’re liable to be stuck digging for clams, drowning worms, and tossing crab pots alongside hundreds of your neighbors – from every available dock, wharf, jetty, or beach. A motorboat will only get you so far before the gas runs out, and the best clamming is (IMHO) to be found on sandbars out in the bays, which a sailboat (with its keel) would be hard-pressed to reach. Blackberries are common here indeed, but they only bear fruit once a year (around now, come to think of it).
You do have to work a bit more to insure your vegetables and other growables are sheltered, and are kept out of the way of raccoon, deer, and a whole host of other four-legged foragers. Speaking of animals, you also need to keep an eye out for coyotes, and the occasional bigger predator.
Solar power is doable out here, but you will want to put in 150% to 200% of the panels you would typically need elsewhere. Why? Because from October through May, it rains nearly every day, and in varying amounts (from drizzle to downpour). The rain means plenty of fresh water though, and you can conceivably capture enough of it from the gutters to keep your drinking water needs taken care of for most of the year. Further south, the rain lets up a bit.
Your shelter on the coast is going to require more upkeep than most homes. Salt and vicious (literal hurricane-force) windstorms will tear at your home, and maintenance is going to be a near-constant. Even if you manage to keep it all dry, you get to contend with dry-rot and mold (thanks to massive humidity.) Your vehicle and, well, anything made of metal is going to require similar amounts of upkeep, since the salt air will rust it out in no time flat.
As for the area and income, well, it’s a mixed bag. There are nearly no jobs out this way, and the average household income is only a fraction of what you would find in, say, Portland or Salem. Everything (gas, groceries, etc) will cost more than you expect. There are indeed towns out here where you really do not want to be if TEOTWAWKI hits, for various reasons.
He is right about any potential migrations of refugees. It would be extremely tough to do, and almost impossible on foot to anyone who isn’t a full-fledged bushmaster. Most of them would come streaming out of Portland or Salem, or further south from Eugene and California (up Hwy 101). Up here on the north end, the hordes have a couple of choices, but I doubt the 60-mile trek over Hwy 26 or Hwy 6, over an easily-congested and very twisty 2-lane highway, would be all that appealing. This is especially true in winter, when the passes have a constant covering of snow. Hwy 30 (along the Oregon-Washington border) would be more appealing, but is a far longer journey, and likely to be far more easily jammed-up. There are a metric ton of logging roads, but they are very easy to get lost on unless you really know the area, and trying it in the winter will get you killed. A rather famous example from 2006 can be found here (James Kim, former editor of news.com, was found dead in the Oregon wilderness. )
Overall, it’s not a bad place to hole-up. Hell, I intend to do just that, right here. It is truly God’s Country, in my humble opinion. It suits me perfectly, and I get along with my neighbors and fellow county residents quite well. On the other hand, I suggest that before you start packing, you should take the time to really research the destination. Spend more than a week out here, and spend that time away from the vacation rentals and the tourist traps. Only after you’ve done that should you make a decision.