How do you like West Linn? (Portland, Beaverton: city hall, townhomes, middle schools)

[rsusi]

We may be moving to the West Linn area from Massachusetts. It looks like it would be a good area for us- we have three children- 5,7,and 9 yrs. If you live there or have moved there can you tell me a little how your experience has been?

[wanderlust00]

West Linn is a great area. The schools are very good and, as a whole, it is a more affluent area. Unlike some of the other suburbs to Portland in the area- Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Oregon City etc...- West Linn doesn't have a real downtown area... it's mostly residential. But still very nice. And close to all of the amenities of Portland.

[Wicked Felina]

West Linn is essentially divided into three parts, so as wanderlust00 said, there really is no downtown or town center. Willamette area is the original, older part of West Linn; many older (80-100yrs) homes, many new "yuppie-type" cafe and shops - it's a very small area. It's recently undergone quite a renaissance, but has managed to retain a quaint, if somewhat reconstructed charm. Willamette also has a nice, welll-kept riverside park and boat ramp (on the Willamette River).

West Linn also is situated along Highway 43, which runs north and south from Interstate 205. There are a couple of public boat ramps on the Willamette River there (as well as several private ones). It has a nice park, Mary S. Young, which maintains an "off-leash" dog park. Plenty of walking trails, parking, soccer, etc. There's a newer, small shopping center, close to I205, which has a nice grocery store, upscale boutiques and shops (the fourth Starbuck's in West Linn!), and another small strip mall about one mile north of that.

Another section, the newest one, is on top of the hill, up off of Salamo Road. It has an overabundance of newer townhomes, and detached homes which are really cramped together. Not too long ago, the area was all working farms, but you'd be hard pressed to find one now, though! This area also has the larger strip mall, with coffee shops, grocery stores, florists, gift shops, city hall, etc.

All of the surrounding metro areas are relatively easy to access from several different back roads - most of which are packed with cars. Keep in mind that West Linn is a bedroom community, with each area having a distinct personality. And, yes, it is an affluent community.

Overall, it is a wonderful place to live. It has become very crowded over the years, with heavy traffic at most times. It still has many wonderful conveniences, and is very centrally located to downtown Portland, to all major freeways, parks, and many childrens activities.

Personally I prefer the Willamette area: they have yearly art festivals, street fairs, and it has maintained more of a quaint, "homey" type feeling. All of the schools, again, as wanderlust00 stated, are generally well-rated academically - each of the areas has good primary and middle schools.

The population/housing contruction is still growing fairly rapidly, so no matter what your budget is, you are not likely to find a housing bargain anywhere in West Linn (or pretty much anywhere in Portland proper these days). But you might be lucky enough to find a place with a view of Mt. Hood!

Good luck in your search!

[rsusi]

Thanks very much for the info- I really appreciate it! Does anyone who has moved here from out of state have thoughts about west linn?

[rainsmith]

I agree, the Willamette area of West Linn is really nice. Its a nice natural setting and its got that great village feel to it. If you can afford it you'll love it.

[Wicked Felina]

We're native out-of-staters, but have lived here a long time. Not sure what kind of thoughts you're looking for, or what your experience living in different areas is. Where in Massachusetts are you from? Either way, if you're life-long east coast people, be prepared for major culture shock! And as rainsmith inferred, also be prepared to shell out some major amts of $$$ if you're aiming for WL.

[rsusi]

We currently live in Massachusetts. We are looking for a little more down to earth, outdoors type atmosphere. We enjoy hiking, biking, kyaking and being outdoors. We try to be conscious of the environment and how we treat it. It seems like people in Oregon are more aware of this than here. I wonder about what the schools in West Linn are like and what feel of the community in general is. I am a little concerned for myself about less sun (overcast)- not so much the rain. I really appreciate your input! Thanks!

[rsusi]

Sorry! We live in Marlborough- about 30 mins. outside of Boston.

[Kathleenh54]

I have to laugh at people who think someone from Massachusetts will have sticker shock at the housing costs. My guess is the MA housing costs will be pretty far above the OR housing costs, which will be a good thing for the family moving to OR.

Culture shock? Well, yeah, I suppose. We moved to SoCal from CT in 2001 and it was different but in a good way. After all, we're still all in the US and speak the same lingo, geez.

[Wicked Felina]

Sticker shock is relative, isn't it? I was speaking in a general sense, not to be taken too literally. No specific questions, no specific answers. But if you can help the people out with some constructive input, I'm sure they would appreciate it!

We moved here from back east...yeah, it was quite a culture shock, at least for me, and yes, a good one!!!

We're all in the US? Maybe, but we do seem to speak the same lingo!