Good apartments in Salem, OR? (Portland, Keizer: apartment complex, rentals, lofts)

[so pringles]

I am moving to Salem, OR and planning to live by myself. I have searched craigslist and some online classifieds for apartments, but nothing has really stood out to me.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to find a nicer apartment complex that is within a 20 minute commute to downtown Salem? I am willing to pay more to live in a safer, newer, well managed building.

[so pringles]

Maybe I should change the question here..

Where are some safe, quiet neighborhoods in Salem? How is the Keizer area? Woodburn?

[malachai23]

I hope someone from the area replies to your question. But hopefully I can help a little. I am *somewhat* familiar with the area and do regularly visit relatives there.

The South part of Salem is where you are going to find your nicer, quiet neighborhoods and more upscale living situations. There is a lot of new construction out in West Salem and you might find something nice out there as well.

I would personally avoid the area around Lancaster Ave (from beginning to end), the areas around Silverton Rd. & Portland Rd., and East and Northeast Salem in general. I know that is a generalization, so that's why I'm hoping someone else replies to this!!

If I had to live in Salem, I would like to live either downtown (there are some cute loft type rentals above some of the old buildings) or just North of downtown in the "Grant" & "Highland" areas, in a single-family house rental. I'm sorry I don't have any info about specific apartment complexes in other areas.

Keizer is "OK", and for the most part safe and decent. There really isn't any areas there that are awful - just some more desirable than others. I personally wouldn't live in Woodburn at all. Again - a sweeping generalization. You may feel differently about Woodburn than I do. If you are willing to commute just a little bit further into Salem you might check out Silverton. It is a super cute and safe community nearby with a lot of history and some culture too! I would live there in a heartbeat.

Good luck with your move & new job!

[Silverfall]

If you want to be within 20 minutes of downtown in means Salem and Keizer. Northern Keizer is quite nice, but you would come down River Rd to get downtown which can be busy.

South Salem has many apartment options all within 20 minutes of downtown. All cities in Oregon have urban growth boundaries so our apartments tend to be located all close to each other. There is a nice apartment complex on Rural St in Fairmont Hills (694 Rural St) that sits tucked back. That is nice and quiet and well run. Many of the complexes are on busy streets like Commercial and Lancaster so you would want to rule those out.

[dachmom]

I agree, South is the nicest area. You might try looking at the Statesman Journal online classifieds for rentals in south salem. Also, many complexes advertise on Craigslist. One piece of advise: drive by the complex before renting. A lot of places sound great on paper then you get to the neighborhood and it's not so great.

Good Luck in your search.

[so pringles]

Thanks for the replies! They are very helpful.

I will check out those online classifieds and look at all the neighborhoods mentioned..

Malachai23 - you mentioned lofts on top of downtown buildings. I've seen one or two postings for these on craigslist, but i find them hard to come by. Does anyone know a good way of finding out where they are available?

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by so pringles

Thanks for the replies! They are very helpful.

I will check out those online classifieds and look at all the neighborhoods mentioned..

Malachai23 - you mentioned lofts on top of downtown buildings. I've seen one or two postings for these on craigslist, but i find them hard to come by. Does anyone know a good way of finding out where they are available?

Hi again! As for the lofts, craigslist would probably be your best bet, aside from word of mouth. Many of the lofts pass from one tenant to another without even being advertised. This is also true in Portland. I've had a few friends over the years who scored themselves some really amazing warehouse loft living situations in Salem and Portland, and ALL of them "heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend" sort of thing. And I'm assuming the reason for that is because they did not meet living/fire codes, etc for habitation. I'm sure the ones you will find advertised will be a bit nicer. You know, you might even try just walking around downtown Salem and looking up in the windows for "for rent" signs. I have also seen a couple of those over the years. Or maybe even stop into a few of the more independent type shops/bookstores/cafes that have bulletin boards and look on there or ask the waitstaff. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Again, good luck with your move