troutdale safe family neighborhood? (Portland, Gresham: transplants, low crime, motel)

[peanutsybubba]

My family and I are looking to relocate from northern California to the Portland area in the near future. I have been offered a job in Portland but the city seems to BIG for us. We are a younger couple 28-30 and we have three children ages 10,8, and 1, I would like a small/safe town to raise our children. We are willing to commute 20 min to work in Portland. I have only been to Portland once, on my job interview, and was only there overnight. We stayed at a motel on Sandy Ln near Troutdale and the area looked nice. Any suggestions on location would be appreciated! I can't wait to beat the heat here in California!!

[Leisesturm]

Troutdale is great and family friendly but you will NOT enjoy riding MAX east of the city on a regular basis. For personal reasons I cannot encourage you to commute by car unless you are going to do it in a hybrid or better yet a plug-in electric. Did you do the trip under typical rush hour conditions? I did it several times and can't say that I would want to do it daily but thats me. Gas will be $5/gal when you get here is this really the time to want a 14mi commute? That can't be just me. IMO the trip west of PDX on MAX is more enjoyable and Beaverton or Hillsboro are just as family friendly as Gresham or Troutdale.

[OceansVII]

Hi guys, we built a house in Troutdale about 13y ago after living in a couple of places around the city the previous 7y, and love the area. I work south of DT Portland, a 17m commute that takes about 30-35m at 7a every day. Access to the 84 from anywhere in Troutdale is minutes, and local traffic is minimal. I think since Troutdale backs up against the Gorge, it has more of a rural feel which we enjoy - and has a bit of a funky feel with McMenamins Edgefield, downtown, quick access up the gorge and to Mt Hood etc. Very low crime rate, good schools, etc. Beaverton has much more in the way of shopping, restaurants and general nightlife, since it's a much more "suburban" community. Unfortunately, it's size help create traffic nightmares, and the Sunset Hwy (26) during rush can be insane. Leisesturm is right about MAX (the city's lightrail system) - it's in Gresham about 5m away., but there are numerous TriMet bus stops in the area that I've used, and all connect to MAX or other transit centers into the city.

I think you'll also find regardless of where you live that Portland is really smaller than it seems. Getting around is easy once you understand the street grid system - the entire metro area is pretty much divided into four zones - NW, SW, NE, SE and a small N zone. Here's a hint that usually works ... the east-west divider is the Willamette River, and the north-south divider is Burnside Street - the address then just tells you the # of blocks east or west of the river and if it's north or south of Burnside. 5450 NE Halsey would be 54 blocks east of the Willamette, and is north of Burnside. The metro area has terrific bike trails and lanes, and is welcoming to bicycling for commute, short trips or just exercising. And I can tell you that after living in more than my share of larger cities, going to see friends in Beaverton, Tigard and Lake Oswego is not that difficult. So enjoy the move, take a little time and look around, and join us as transplants to the region. Remember, it's the friends you make that create the neighborhood you enjoy. Good luck!

[peanutsybubba]

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate all the help I can get. So is Gresham a good neighborhood? I read a bad blog about it not too long ago...I guess I cannot believe everything I read, but I am trying to do the most online research I can. How far is the drive from Hillsboro and Beaverton to Portland? (with traffic?)

The job I am looking at is in the area of ne bush/powell st in portland and I drove a round a little bit and did not like that immediate area. I liked the more neighborhood feel of Troutdale near the college was nice.

[Smiled]

Gresham has good neighborhoods, and not so good. Not sure where you come from in Nor Cal; Portland is about the size of Sacramento, but less spread out. Beaverton has good schools and reasonably affordable housing. I recommend it.
(ex Santa Cruzan here)