Bouncing around the Willamette Valley (Salem, Beaverton: for sale, apartment complexes, lease)

[Krystle]

Hey everyone!

I moved to NE Salem in early March. Despite all the slamming it gets on the forums, I actually like the city, and I even enjoy this dreaded section of Salem.*

Anyway, I'm thinking of relocating. I came to Salem because it was convenient at the time, but I've since switched jobs and now work from home, and I'm re-examining my situation. These are the criteria I'm considering now:

- Good schools. There's a good chance my 12 y/o nephew will come live with me, and he's got some behavioral issues to sort through.

- A nearby selection of entry level jobs. There's also a good chance my 55 y/o mother will come live with or very close to me, and she will need to find a job. Currently she works at a call center taking telephone orders. She can do simple phone work like that, or retail. It's important to me that she's able to find a job that offers health insurance. Minimal commute would be preferable, and public transportation would be ideal (especially with the future of gas prices being bleak).

- Proximity to farmland. I'm a weekend warrior aspiring farmer, so I'd like to have the option of renting land or perhaps buying it one day (or at least buying a house that has an acre or two without paying a half million dollars). I don't want to have to drive for 45 minutes to grow lettuce and tomatoes. So if I'm in a bigger city, I'd rather be at the edge that borders farmland.

Here are the candidates I've gathered so far: Keizer, S. or W. Salem, Sherwood, and Silverton. I worked in Stayton for a few months, and it wasn't my cup of tea--people were rather stand-offish. I'm 26 years old and I can look like a city girl one day, a farmer the next. I am half Asian and look it, so I don't know if that would make any difference (I hope people aren't as scared of Asians as they are of Hispanics!).

If anyone can offer feedback as to how these towns far in terms of my considerations, that'd be awesome! New suggestions are welcomed, as well. Thanks in advance for your help!


*That's based on my points of comparison: Before living here I was in Las Cruces, NM for 2 years, and before that I spent most of my life in Westchester County, just north of NYC. Anyone who calls Salem a slum has never been to the Bronx; and anyone who thinks all Mexicans are illegal have never known one personally. Besides, I find spoiled American teens high on meth much scarier than any other group of people!

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Krystle

- Good schools. There's a good chance my 12 y/o nephew will come live with me, and he's got some behavioral issues to sort through.

- A nearby selection of entry level jobs. There's also a good chance my 55 y/o mother will come live with or very close to me, and she will need to find a job. Currently she works at a call center taking telephone orders. She can do simple phone work like that, or retail. It's important to me that she's able to find a job that offers health insurance. Minimal commute would be preferable, and public transportation would be ideal (especially with the future of gas prices being bleak).

- Proximity to farmland. I'm a weekend warrior aspiring farmer, so I'd like to have the option of renting land or perhaps buying it one day (or at least buying a house that has an acre or two without paying a half million dollars). I don't want to have to drive for 45 minutes to grow lettuce and tomatoes. So if I'm in a bigger city, I'd rather be at the edge that borders farmland.

Here are the candidates I've gathered so far: Keizer, S. or W. Salem, Sherwood, and Silverton. I worked in Stayton for a few months, and it wasn't my cup of tea--people were rather stand-offish. I'm 26 years old and I can look like a city girl one day, a farmer the next. I am half Asian and look it, so I don't know if that would make any difference (I hope people aren't as scared of Asians as they are of Hispanics!).

I would think your mom should consider T-mobile customer service center which is down south, or Wachovia's call center which is just off of state.

As for parts of Salem, south and west salem consistently have the best school reports. My kids aren't old enough for middle school, but my friends kids are at Crossler MS and they are happy there. It feeds into Sprague, which is a good high school.

You can get house on land for less than $500,000 but what you can afford will be a big factor. I don't know too many people that rent out farmhouses, but in this market a lease option, might work for you.

All of the areas you have picked are good areas.

Remember that the farther you get out, the less likely the buses are to run regularly. So you will have to make a choice on that front.

[DavePautsch]

Check out Scio or Crabtree - about 20 miles from S. Salem, minimum 1 acre property in most of it...schools have a good reputation there also.

DaveP

[Silverfall]

I worked with Scio schools when I was a counselor and I was completely impressed with their K-8. The teachers and principal were fabulous. I worked with therapeutic foster care, so the kids ALL had behavior problems.

[Krystle]

I'll have to look into Scio and Crabtree. My guess from the map is that they are similar to Stayton--how are they different, besides the schools?

Another one that I'd consider, but don't know much about yet is Woodburn. Any feedback on Woodburn?

I'm going to Silverton tonight for dinner, and hopefully I'll get a good look at the town. Based on my preliminary research, there don't seem to be a lot of apartments there, which while a little inconvenient, is a good thing in the big picture.

[Krystle]

Today I visited a whole bunch of places. Here are my comments on each (in the order I visited them):

1. Stayton - I worked in Stayton for 2 months and only passed through Golf Club Road; didn't like it much then; this time I got off the proper exit on 22 and passed through the heart of the town, and got a much better vibe; low-key, humble town; a little far out (about 30 min from Salem)
   
2. Scio - Peaceful place with friendly people; good vibes; very quaint; a little too far out for me, but perfect for someone who's married and has kids; schools have a great reputation; the "main street" is a little barren, but I can see that changing soon
   
3. Sublimity - I was surprised at how nice the houses were here; a lot of new construction, much of it for sale; apparently the schools here are great; I liked the city center, though it was a little quiet for such a beautiful Sunday afternoon; might be up and coming; I'd definitely consider living here, even though it's a little quiet and out of the way for my taste
   
4. Wilsonville - Whoa, was this a surprise; very wealthy area; many of the houses were gorgeous, a little tight together; a strong family vibe--many parents out with their children walking, on bicycles, at the park; seems expensive, but extremely well manicured; I'd definitely consider it, if I can afford it; how are schools in Wilsonville? I'd worry about the kids being somewhat elitist; I went to private school with rich kids when I was young and I always felt "poor"--wouldn't want that for my nephew
   
5. Tualatin - Similar to Wilsonville, but a higher number of modest (approachable) homes; very clean; good feel; I didn't pass through the city center; I'd consider living here if I can afford it; I've heard the schools are good
   
6. Sherwood - Oh, what a lovely place; downtown was so charming; but it was so quiet, and barren--where were all the children??? I ate at a pub and most of the people there were 50+; as I got closer to the schools, I saw more families, more kids outside; it's very, very close to Tualatin and all of its amenities; it's a little out of the way but that's OK for me because I don't commute; schools are said to be great, and the community feel is appreciated by many
   
7. Tigard - More urban feel; a mixed bag; reminded me a lot of Westchester County, NY, where I used to live; typical transition suburbs--some really nice parts of town right next to some really seedy parts of town; started seeing more run-down apartment complexes here; I'd have to be pickier about neighborhoods and schools here
   
8. Beaverton - Seemed no different than Tigard to me.
   
9. Aloha - I didn't see much worth mentioning. Except some tacky stores that were an eyesore. I much prefer Lancaster Drive.
   
10. Hillsboro - Similar to Beaverton & Tigard (a mixed bag).
    
11. North Plains - Too small, too quiet, too out there for me.
    
12. Forest Grove - Charming architecture, especially in the city center, but so quiet, like a ghost town; reminded me of Silverton; if it had the same community feel as Silverton I'd definitely consider being there; the surrounding scenery was breathtaking
    
13. Cornelius - Not much to say; got a similar impression as Aloha

Silverton is still my favorite so far. I put in an application for a duplex close to town; I'll find out about it tomorrow.

The other day I looked at a house for rent in W. Salem (close to the bridge) and the neighborhood was a little shoddy--you could see that there were several people who didn't give much of damn about the appearance of their otherwise lovely homes; I didn't like what I'd heard about the traffic on the bridge to get anywhere worth going.

Also checked out Woodburn--I posted another thread about that. Basically like "little Mexico" but I'd feel safer there than in some parts of Hillboro or Beaverton.

Any feedback or thoughts? Are my impressions consistent with yours?

[mrwumpus]

Krystle, thanks for that VERY helpful post. Please keep us updated on your Silverton experiences. Nothing like real feedback from real people in the real place.

[KarlaT2]

Originally Posted by Krystle

Today I visited a whole bunch of places. Here are my comments on each (in the order I visited them):

1. Stayton - I worked in Stayton for 2 months and only passed through Golf Club Road; didn't like it much then; this time I got off the proper exit on 22 and passed through the heart of the town, and got a much better vibe; low-key, humble town; a little far out (about 30 min from Salem)
   
2. Scio - Peaceful place with friendly people; good vibes; very quaint; a little too far out for me, but perfect for someone who's married and has kids; schools have a great reputation; the "main street" is a little barren, but I can see that changing soon
   
3. Sublimity - I was surprised at how nice the houses were here; a lot of new construction, much of it for sale; apparently the schools here are great; I liked the city center, though it was a little quiet for such a beautiful Sunday afternoon; might be up and coming; I'd definitely consider living here, even though it's a little quiet and out of the way for my taste
   
4. Wilsonville - Whoa, was this a surprise; very wealthy area; many of the houses were gorgeous, a little tight together; a strong family vibe--many parents out with their children walking, on bicycles, at the park; seems expensive, but extremely well manicured; I'd definitely consider it, if I can afford it; how are schools in Wilsonville? I'd worry about the kids being somewhat elitist; I went to private school with rich kids when I was young and I always felt "poor"--wouldn't want that for my nephew
   
5. Tualatin - Similar to Wilsonville, but a higher number of modest (approachable) homes; very clean; good feel; I didn't pass through the city center; I'd consider living here if I can afford it; I've heard the schools are good
   
6. Sherwood - Oh, what a lovely place; downtown was so charming; but it was so quiet, and barren--where were all the children??? I ate at a pub and most of the people there were 50+; as I got closer to the schools, I saw more families, more kids outside; it's very, very close to Tualatin and all of its amenities; it's a little out of the way but that's OK for me because I don't commute; schools are said to be great, and the community feel is appreciated by many
   
7. Tigard - More urban feel; a mixed bag; reminded me a lot of Westchester County, NY, where I used to live; typical transition suburbs--some really nice parts of town right next to some really seedy parts of town; started seeing more run-down apartment complexes here; I'd have to be pickier about neighborhoods and schools here
   
8. Beaverton - Seemed no different than Tigard to me.
   
9. Aloha - I didn't see much worth mentioning. Except some tacky stores that were an eyesore. I much prefer Lancaster Drive.
   
10. Hillsboro - Similar to Beaverton & Tigard (a mixed bag).
    
11. North Plains - Too small, too quiet, too out there for me.
    
12. Forest Grove - Charming architecture, especially in the city center, but so quiet, like a ghost town; reminded me of Silverton; if it had the same community feel as Silverton I'd definitely consider being there; the surrounding scenery was breathtaking
    
13. Cornelius - Not much to say; got a similar impression as Aloha

Silverton is still my favorite so far. I put in an application for a duplex close to town; I'll find out about it tomorrow.

The other day I looked at a house for rent in W. Salem (close to the bridge) and the neighborhood was a little shoddy--you could see that there were several people who didn't give much of damn about the appearance of their otherwise lovely homes; I didn't like what I'd heard about the traffic on the bridge to get anywhere worth going.

Also checked out Woodburn--I posted another thread about that. Basically like "little Mexico" but I'd feel safer there than in some parts of Hillboro or Beaverton.

Any feedback or thoughts? Are my impressions consistent with yours?

Thank you for that very informative post. I'm coming up to visit in a few weeks, and am going to be checking out Wilsonville/Sherwood/Tualatin areas myself for future move. It sounds like they are all 3 what I'm looking for. Did you happen to notice if either of those 3 had more bike lanes and trails than the others? I love to bike about 12 miles a days right now, so I'd like to find good biking options. Any other comments on those 3 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Krystle]

Originally Posted by KarlaT2

Thank you for that very informative post. I'm coming up to visit in a few weeks, and am going to be checking out Wilsonville/Sherwood/Tualatin areas myself for future move. It sounds like they are all 3 what I'm looking for. Did you happen to notice if either of those 3 had more bike lanes and trails than the others? I love to bike about 12 miles a days right now, so I'd like to find good biking options. Any other comments on those 3 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My guess would be Wilsonville first, then Sherwood, then Tualatin. In Wilsonville, there were a lot of families outside on bicycles, and it being apparently a wealthy area, I'm sure they have parks and trail systems. Plus, Wilsonville and Sherwood are surrounded by farmland, which means beautiful open roads. Tualatin? I'm not so sure. If you look on a map, it has more metro area surrounding it. But I find that Oregon, in general, is good about having bike lanes in metro areas.

[Krystle]

Originally Posted by mrwumpus

Krystle, thanks for that VERY helpful post. Please keep us updated on your Silverton experiences. Nothing like real feedback from real people in the real place.

I put it an application for renting a small house close to town in Silverton yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I love that place.