Sandy, OR (Portland, Gresham: rent, how much, attorneys)

[JHolmes85]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has lived or visited Sandy, OR to give me any good info on the place. How big the town is, is there a drug problem there? ( yes I know everywhere has a drug problem ) but I mean more then normal for a smaller town. How far away it from Portland or the burbs for a good Paralegal job? How much is rent around that area, weather in the Winter? I would even really appreciate pictures of the area if anyone has them. I also have 2 children that are young, how are the schools and is it a fairly safe place to live? Thanks!

[hamellr]

Sandy's population is about 10k, but there is easily double that in the nearby areas and small towns. The town has grown a lot in the past couple of decades and now has just about everything needed for the population in the local area.

Sandy gets a few more days of snow (that usually melts by the afternoon) then the Portland area does due to the fact that it's about 1500 feet above Portland. Otherwise the weather is pretty much identical to Portland.

Sandy's population skews a bit more towards the well to do then a lot of other cities in Oregon. It was seen as sort of the poor man's Vail Colorado for a period in the 70's and 80's.

I'd say at least half the population commutes, the rest are farmers who don't need to. Commute time from Sandy to Gresham is about fifteen minutes, the bad news is that there are no highways that connect Sandy directly to Portland, so after you hit Gresham you've got another 45-60 minutes ahead of you.

Rent used to be pretty low in various places, which attracted quite a large lower class. I don't know how it is now.

Schools themselves are decent, (perceived as better then Portland) but as a product of that system I can see where it could have been much better. I hear from friends and relatives that quality has slipped somewhat due to repeated budget cuts over the years. On the other hand, Oregon and Oregon Trail History is emphasized a bit more then in other schools. I grew up with kids who's back yards still had wagon ruts through them, and it was always fun to go exploring for artifacts that frequently got donated to either the School or the Library. There is a new history center up there, but it's been closed when I've been through so I can't tell how good it is.

[JHolmes85]

Great thank you so much for your info!

[Silverfall]

I doubt you will find paralegal work. Attorney's out of law school can't get work and many are doing paralegal work in the meantime.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

I doubt you will find paralegal work. Attorney's out of law school can't get work and many are doing paralegal work in the meantime.

I was just about to post the same and I am speaking from experience. Your competition will be newly graduated attorneys and paralegals as well as experienced attorneys and paralegals. In fact the paralegal school I went to advises new grads to look in other states for jobs after graduation.

I suggest you begin contacting law firms to see what you can find. This will give you an idea of what you will be finding in this area.

[Lootmeister]

Sandy is one of the most underrated cities in Oregon.