? about relocating to Hillsboro (Portland, Union: sales, apartment, rentals)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have 3 young kids (6, 4 and 4). We are looking to either rent a place (3+ bedroom) or buy (around $180,000). What would be a good area to look at? I am not familiar with Hillsboro/Portland at all. I've lived in Kansas City pretty much my entire life. I want to make sure we are in a relatively crime-free area that is family friendly with good schools. I'd also like to be somewhat away from the materialistic mindset. Not sure if that last part will happen though. It is really prevalent here so not sure how different it is there. Any advice/info would be appreciated!
How did you happen to hit upon Hillsboro? The Portland Metro is vast. We wound up here (Hillsboro) because it is the first place along the MAX Blue line corridor where an apartment opened up. That said, we are happy here and when our first lease was up we confined our search to Hillsboro and found a second apartment one block away from the first. Our first place appears to still be available and last I knew the asking price was $194K. It's worth much more, trust me.
Your commute to your job should have an impact on your choice of housing since you are a newbie coming to Portland. Portland is unique, and you should not pre- judge Portland (before you have moved here) as you judge where you are living now.
Property lots are small, there is an enforced urban growth limits in place. The Portland area crime rate is low when compared to other cities of similar size.
Usual warnings: Unemployment is High right now, wages are low (supply/demand), cost of living is moderate to medium high, weather problems 7-8 months per year, just dang awesome weather Jul-Oct, and many find making close friends in the Portland area difficult, even though most Portlanders are outwardly friendly.
If you're coming from K.C. Mo, you will enjoy the cultural shock of Western Portland area. I think Hillsboro will match most of your wants. Even though Hillsboro is too far out from Portland city for my tastes.
There's not really any area in Hillsboro that I would consider dangerous. There are some areas with more property crime (vandalism, car break-ins), but I can't think of anywhere I'd feel unsafe. What are some of your other criteria? For example, public transportation, jobs, schools, walkability, etc.
We have been in Hillsboro for several years now, coming from the south. We love it. Feel free to ask me anything specific. I would say no matter where you go, it is best to rent first. There is no area of Hillsboro that is really unsafe, our crime rate is about 1/2 of the national average.
As for materialistic, I would say the Portland area is pretty down to earth and has its fair share of hippies (us included) We were happy to meet so many other families that share our minimalist views, desire for natural products and eco-friendly "consumer-lite" lifestyle. Because Hillsboro has alot of people who live close to work there are many, many bicylists (bike lanes everywhere) and lots of electric cars but of course you still see plenty of Mercedes etc...
There are plenty of great schools. Just remember looking at the test scores or ratings is only a small piece of the puzzle when you have a population of ESL like our area does. The most reputable elementary schools where you could easily find rentals are: Lenox, Jackson, Orenco, Quatama & Imlay. Other schools that are great but hard to find housing in are West Union, Patterson, North Plains, & Farmington View - these are more rural, smaller schools and affulent areas.
Last edited by BirdInHand; 06-21-2010 at 11:02 PM..
someone said on here that portland has a low crime rate!!!!!! rediculous!!! and hillsboro has one of the largest expanding population of illegal immigrants than any part of oregon. farmington and beaverton rank right up there. when i lived in hillsoboro they had just set up their first SWAT team at the police department and it was focused on the old downtown part of hillsboro because of the sudden onset of latin gangs in that area. the max had a big problem with gang muggings all throughtout it's different zones they were debating on having full time cops ride the max to address the problem. this was just 3 years ago. people in the area were very unfriendly and mostly depressed i think becasue of the weather. 364 days of gloomy skies will do that to you. the entire area is so over rated, expensive, bad weather, unfriendly people, high crime, and the worst trafffic i've ever lived in and i lived in southern ca for decades. and even though you don't have a sales tax well the income tax makes up for lost dollars, you'll may nearly as much in state income tax as you do in fed income tax. and don't even think about property tax!!! this has got to be the most OVERRATED areas i've ever lived in and i've lived all over the us.
someone said on here that portland has a low crime rate!!!!!! rediculous!!! and hillsboro has one of the largest expanding population of illegal immigrants than any part of oregon. farmington and beaverton rank right up there. when i lived in hillsoboro they had just set up their first SWAT team at the police department and it was focused on the old downtown part of hillsboro because of the sudden onset of latin gangs in that area. the max had a big problem with gang muggings all throughtout it's different zones they were debating on having full time cops ride the max to address the problem. this was just 3 years ago. people in the area were very unfriendly and mostly depressed i think becasue of the weather. 364 days of gloomy skies will do that to you. the entire area is so over rated, expensive, bad weather, unfriendly people, high crime, and the worst trafffic i've ever lived in and i lived in southern ca for decades. and even though you don't have a sales tax well the income tax makes up for lost dollars, you'll may nearly as much in state income tax as you do in fed income tax. and don't even think about property tax!!! this has got to be the most OVERRATED areas i've ever lived in and i've lived all over the us.
This is not an accurate portrayal of Hillsboro. Yes, Hillsboro has a large Hispanic population. Not everyone who is Hispanic is a gang member. Hillsboro has been very proactive to prevent problems from occurring and spreading, which is a good thing. As a single female I have no problem with walking just about anywhere in Hillsboro without fear of molestation. Common sense, is of course, paramount. Some areas are definitely nicer than other areas, but you're way over-stating the problem.
This is not an accurate portrayal of Hillsboro. Yes, Hillsboro has a large Hispanic population. Not everyone who is Hispanic is a gang member. Hillsboro has been very proactive to prevent problems from occurring and spreading, which is a good thing. As a single female I have no problem with walking just about anywhere in Hillsboro without fear of molestation. Common sense, is of course, paramount. Some areas are definitely nicer than other areas, but you're way over-stating the problem.
^^ very good post and i agree. Just read the data and you'll see that Hillsboro has a very low crime rate which has been decreasing over time. Hillsboro's crime rate is about 1/3 the rate of Portland and about 1/2 the US average.
you people who live in hillsboro may disagree but what i've stated isn't opinion it's based on what happened. swat team was formed in hillsboro about 3-4 years ago. crime on the max with muggings and violent attacks became almost epidemic and they were considering hiring police officers to ride the max when i lived there over 2 years ago, and if you are an outsider and want the facts then just call the hillsboro police department and ask them about gang activity in hillsboro. so i'm just giving information about my experience when i lived there. you all that live there now and love it great for you. but this forum is for all people who what opinions and ideas and shared experiences and that's what i've given. i don't like to read about my favorite town (Billings) bashed by outsiders either and if you read my posts i fight right back against anything that i feel is inaccurate. but i also get on forums of places that i've lived and share my experience about those areas for people who want a varied source of inputs and not just from cheerleaders for the area. and nowhere did i say latinos are all gangbangers. its so funny how oh sooooo sensitive some people are about latinos......even mention them in a sentence and your BASHING them. oh my do be careful that latinos are not unfairly BASHED. i just pointed out the more recent wave of latino gangs in old town hillsboro which can be verified by calling your local police department.
i don't like to read about my favorite town (Billings) bashed by outsiders either and if you read my posts i fight right back against anything that i feel is inaccurate. but i also get on forums of places that i've lived and share my experience about those areas for people who want a varied source of inputs and not just from cheerleaders for the area..
How long ago did you live in Hillsboro? I've lived here for two years, downtown, and I've never seen a gangbanger. Every now and then I forget and leave my garage door open. If just one of my bikes was ever taken I'd have a heart attack and die but (knock wood) I'm still ticking. I know from crime. I've been on the business end of all kinds of ordinance in NYC. Since you are a cheerleader for Billings you might show some espirit de corps and support others where you can and say nothing if you can't. No one is telling people to live at 12th and Washington. I'm sure if I checked I could find a neighborhood or two in Billings that wasn't up to the town standard. Forewarned is forearmed.
H
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
? about relocating to Hillsboro
Because Hillsboro has alot of people who live close to work there are many, many bicylists (bike lanes everywhere) and lots of electric cars but of course you still see plenty of Mercedes etc... 
