Ready to come home to Oregon (Salem, Hillsboro: rent, how much, house prices)

[miccallen]

My husband dragged me to Michigan 10 years ago and now I'm ready to drag him back to Oregon! I could use some help with some specific questions. We would like to find a place within a 30 minute commute of the Hillsboro Airport.

Do you know where there is a public school that offers violin instruction for elementary students?


Is there an area that could benefit from an outstanding and honest garage door installer business?

Thanks so much for the help! Looking forward to any and all replies.

[bluebird39]

Not much help here (I lived in S Oregon), but we also moved to Michigan from Oregon (2+ years ago), and may be trying to move back in the next year or 2. Too bad Michigan's economy is so bad right now. I'm worried we won't be able to sell our house here. We'll see.

I do know that Oregon schools have suffered a lot in the last 10 years since you moved. Our school in Michigan is SOOOO much better than the one we left in Oregon. Do a lot of school research before you move.

Good luck!

[miccallen]

Thanks for the wish of luck! We are ready to take a loss on our home. Feels like we better go sooner than later, we fear the loss will be greater if we wait. We wish you luck as well. Funding for schools in Oregon has always been such a struggle, it's too bad. We love Flint's orchestra program for our children, but it's been a 45 minute commute.

[Leisesturm]

My elementary school had no music instruction whatsoever and it was actually a school in a relatively well off neighborhood to which I was bussed in from a very disadvantaged neighborhood. The middle school that was fed by this elementary school did have a music program and I began violin there. To call it 'instruction' is being charitable. The conductor begged my parents to buy or rent me a better instrument than the school could provide and get private instruction for me. They could afford it but they didn't want to pay for something that the city was providing for free. I don't think there are any schools offering outstanding instruction in music anywhere in the country anymore. If you could find one it is more likely you wouldn't be able to afford the house prices or the property tax assesmsments prevalent in such an area. The Orenco and Tanasbourne areas of Hillsboro certainly fall in your commute criteria and their schools will likely be the best that Hillsboro has to offer. That will likely mean a curriculum with an emphasis on the basics. The rest you will have to contract for privately I suspect.

H

[kimhamblin]

You might want to check into Forest Grove- I've heard it's a sweet little community and is close to Hillsboro. I guess it depends on how rural you want to be. The city has a website you can google and learn about it.
As far as the garage door opener biz, I live outside of McMinnville and there seems to be a need here. I couldn't believe how much they charged one of my clients to fix theirs and they had to come from Salem.