Moving and looking for the best side of town for us (Portland: middle-class, rentals)

[clecirclecir]

My husband and I are moving to Portland at the beginning of January. We are currently looking for a place to live. I cannot find the information I am looking for in order to guide me to the side of town that best fits us. We currently live in Eugene, OR which is about the same size as Portland. My ideal situation was when we lived 15 minutes from downtown via bicycle. I could safely ride around town either only using bike paths or using mainly bicycle traffic streets with virtually no cars. I used to ride my bike downtown once a week to the farmer's market to buy veggies, and then on my way home I would stop by a local health food store to get other things we needed that was not at the market. We lived in a family oriented neighborhood that was not wealthy but wasn't poor. Our neighbors were all either the elderly who were retiring or young people starting their families. Everybody was very friendly. We knew all of our neighbors- including many not even on our street. We lived two blocks away from a walking, biking, or running path that ran into a wetlands with a bird reserve. Eugene is a very liberal town, and the side of town we lived on was mainly liberal to moderate. What I do not want is what we currently have: We live in a very conservative middle-class neighborhood. We only know two of our neighbors. We are in the least bicycle friendly side of town. We live near many corporate businesses like Walmart that seems to make everyone busy and creates the instant gratification state of mind. I absolutely hate this area, and I don't want to accidentally move into another area just like it. Thank you for your help!

[genmomto5]

Are you looking for Portland Maine or Oregon. This is the Maine forum. Most places in Portland Maine are 15 minutes or less by bike to the downtown. We have a great interconnected trail system. Here is a great site for info about commuting alternatives including biking. Portland Green Streets » About

[lrfox]

It sounds like you'd really like Portland, Maine. There are a good number of bike lanes and trails for people who commute that way.

I would recommend off the top of my head to look at the East End/ Munjoy Hill, West End (though that may be a bit more conservative) or Deering, and maybe Bayside. All average out to be middle class neighborhoods.

The West End has some nicer, old homes and they're more expensive (and as a result, their owners are on the wealthier end of the middle class), but there are plenty of other options in that area.

The East End is close to downtown and is another middle class neighborhood. It's pretty, and it's relatively affordable.

Munjoy Hill is beautiful. It's got a park high atop the hill (Eastern Promenade) over-looking Casco Bay and the Islands. There are some middle class homes around there, but they can get a little pricier depending on the views and proximity to the water.

Bayside is mostly middle-class, and also close to downtown. Some locals call it rough, but it's really not too bad. I would suggest the other 4 over Bayside, but you wouldn't make a mistake by moving there.

Deering is more suburban and family oriented, but most of it is within a 15 minute bike ride to the city center. You'll find more single-family homes here than in the other neighborhoods I've mentioned.

Most of Portland is middle income. there are some lower and higher incomes, but it's pretty close to average in terms of overall income. Few neighborhoods stand out as being heavily low or heavily higher income. Another thing to realize is that rentals are spread relatively evenly around the city, so that can make it tougher to find long-term neighbors. It's a transient place as it has a few colleges in town and it's really the jumping off point for the young adults in Maine who are going to move on.

That said, just from reading your post, I think you'll like the attitude in Portland. It's really laid back. The "Instant Gratification" types live mostly outside the city (actually, mostly out of state). While some people complain about the Old Port section of downtown being too gentrified, it's nowhere even close to the way it is in the rest of New England (the only exception being Vermont) in places like Boston, Providence, Newport, etc, etc. There is a huge emphasis on "buy local" and supporting local businesses. In that sense, it's very progressive in regards to shunning major corporations. Most of the chain retail and box stores are located in the neighboring towns of South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook and Falmouth.

Good luck, I think you'll find that Portland has a lot of what you're looking for.

[genmomto5]

Originally Posted by genmomto5

Are you looking for Portland Maine or Oregon. This is the Maine forum. Most places in Portland Maine are 15 minutes or less by bike to the downtown. We have a great interconnected trail system. Here is a great site for info about commuting alternatives including biking. Portland Green Streets » About

Woops I noticed your other post. Check out the link. I think you'll find Portland to be a wonderful place for you.

[StevensAve]

We bought a house on the street of schools: Stevens Avenue, which is off the peninsula in Deeeing (a large neighborhood in Portland). The length of Stevens Avenue and the streets that cross it comprise some of the nicest off peninsula neighborhoods. On Stevens there is an elementary, middle and high school (and a college) all within a 1/2 mile of each other. In addition, Stevens Ave. is one of the few off peninsula streets that is plowed in winter and the neighbor hood in general has sidewalks everywhere. Finally, you will find the house prices to be very reasonable. Crime does occur but there are few safer cities in the country