Town file
Seaside, Oregon
Seaside, Oregon (Clatsop County, Oregon) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 715, "Brutality At The Beach" (9 July 2026). In the early hours of 14 July 1997, two tourists walking the beach at Seaside, Oregon, near Sixth Avenue found the bodies of a man and a woman lying face up in the sand.
- Town
- Seaside
- County
- Clatsop County
- State
- Oregon
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 715
- Approximate location
- 45.989, -123.921
Episode 715 / 9 July 2026 / 184 min / full
Brutality At The Beach
"We're going to Seaside, Oregon; this is in Clatsop County." about 0:06:02
The case: Murders of Gabriella 'Brooke' Goza and Frank 'Casey' Nims (July 14, 1997). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 7,058
- Median age
- 51.2
- Median household income
- $41,488
- Median home value
- $465,300
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,230
- Cost of living
- 107
- Religious
- 27.7%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost three times
- Violent crime
- ▲ slightly above average
History, in brief
- The Clatsop were a Native American tribe who lived in the area. about 0:06:21
- On January 1st, 1806, a group of men from the Lewis and Clark expedition built a salt-making works at the site that became Seaside. about 0:06:38
- Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific and camped north of Seaside by the mouth of the Columbia River, and a few members travelled south to set up a salt works where ocean water was boiled. about 0:07:02
- Salt was needed because there was no other way to cure meat at the time. about 0:07:16
- Seaside was not incorporated until 1899, when the coastal resort areas began to be settled. about 0:07:24
- A real estate developer donated land for the town's one and a half mile long promenade along Pacific Beach. about 0:07:39
- In the 1920s through the 1940s it was a regular stop for west coast musicians, and Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller came through. about 0:08:04
- In the summer of 1962 a concert by Paul Revere and the Raiders was cancelled and a riot followed; a fist fight near the Times theater escalated and the National Guard and state police were called in. about 0:08:08
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A lovely town they truly enjoy living in: bikes everywhere, the recreation centre, restaurants, the beach, the boardwalk and an easy Oregon lifestyle."about 0:09:45
3 stars
"A very sad small town that has not improved in years, with crime getting worse; good for visiting only and nearby beach towns are recommended instead."about 0:10:12
3 stars
"A small town with not much to do, though it is really good for sunsets and pretty good for seafood."about 0:11:01
2 stars
"The job market fluctuates because it is based on tourism, which causes instability, and most jobs provide little work in winter."about 0:11:20
1 star
"Horrible crime, flocks of drug addicts, vagrant camps with needles and stolen goods, high crime rates, outrageous cost of living, nearly eight feet of rain a year and summer tourists."about 0:11:35
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Tillamook, Oregon37 miles
- Raymond, Washington49 miles
- Oak Grove, Oregon74 miles
- Gresham, Oregon79 miles
- Dallas, Oregon79 miles
- Colton, Oregon91 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.