The Goonies never say die. And neither does the controversy around the Goonies House in Astoria, where the 1985 movie was filmed. The home was sold in January to Kansan Behman Zakeri, who is a fan himself and has actively encouraged other fans to visit and pay homage to the site.
David Reid with the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce estimates there has been a two to threefold increase in neighborhood traffic since the beginning of the year. Zakeri was among the roughly 70 residents who attended a recent neighborhood meeting about the issues raised by the increasing number of cars.
The Goonies House, as pictured in May 2023.
Allison Frost / OPB
Reid says people disagree about how accessible the Goonies House should be to the public, but there does seem to be some important consensus about the quality of life in Astoria.
”We want to be great place to live and work that also welcomes visitors,” he said. “The idea that we want to trade our way of life for tourism dollars is not something that anybody finds palatable.”
Nevertheless, tourism is important to the economy, and Reid estimates one in six or seven people passing through the visitors center say they are visiting because of the Goonies specifically. He says he will be working with the city on signage to help manage the impact of tourists, while still making room for them.
“The Goonies fans by and large are happy, nice people. They don’t intend any ill. It’s sometimes just the volume, and sometimes it’s just outliers who are misbehaving. Sometimes it’s just a general sense of entitlement that we all kind of get when we go on vacation,” Reid said. “The Goonies are not the villains here.”