Car necessary in Hillsboro? (Portland, Forest Grove: insurance, house, maintenance)

[sj_chicago]

Looking at Hillsboro as a possible place to move.

I see that there is some public transportation there.

Is it enough to go carless, or is a car necessary?

Scott

[Rob Allen]

I think a car is necessary for all but the most determined, patient and healthy.

[sj_chicago]

Honest opinion and much appreciated. I am leaning toward acquiring one. Have gone 1 year without.

[BirdInHand]

If you lived on the MAX line, you would survive. The buses go pretty much everywhere too. Alot of my neighbors use their bicycles to commute to work. Hillsboro is very bike friendly.

[Bluesmama]

The busses cover most of Hillsboro quite well. HOWEVER ~ with only one exception ~ Bus 57 ~ all the others are on none to very restricted services on weekends. The one that goes by my house ~ and I used it often ~ doesn't run at all on weekends now, which is a major bummer.

If you're an avid bicycler you can get around pretty easily in most places. But if you want to avoid driving then I would still suggest seeking a place to live near the Max line. Otherwise it could be a long walk home on the weekends if you're not a bicycler.

[sj_chicago]

These are very helpful insights. I do not mind enduring a degree of inconvenience in lieu of owning a car, and these comments are offering this insight to help me gauge what I can expect--thank you so much.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by sj_chicago

Looking at Hillsboro as a possible place to move.

I see that there is some public transportation there.

Is it enough to go carless, or is a car necessary?

Scott

Yes, you can go carless. I'd look at the Orenco Station area. There's everything you need within a few blocks and the MAX line is right across the street.

[Leisesturm]

If someone said "here, have my car I don't need it anymore" they would be giving you ~$6,000/yr. in fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc. For those with an actual car payment on top of that... ... nice work if you can get it. For me it is not an option at the moment. I live in Hillsboro, have done so for two years now and in none of that time have I owned a car. I live ridiculously close to a MAX stop and that is by design. I also live very close to a 57 bus stop. Again, that is by plan. I work in Forest Grove and now that spring has turned the corner I am commuting entirely by bike. I can do the entire run most days without seeing a bus going in my direction. That means I am getting from Hillsboro to Forest Grove ~7mi. in 20 minutes. There are lots of times I wish I had a car and I think that if Portlands Mass Transit is held up as a national model we as a nation are seriously in trouble because, while decent, it isn't nearly enough to get more than a token few out of their cars. I have relatives living car free (none by choice) in a few places in this country. There are a number of places in which it really, really, bites to be car free. Guess what? There are people living car free in them. Hillsboro, IMO, is a very doable car free proposition, better than most. YMMV.

H

[sj_chicago]

davefr and Leisesturm: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Exactly the insight I was seeking.

A fair amount of forward planning with some inconvenience far outweighs the "capital I" Inconvenience that Leisesturm alluded to in the form of car ownership expense (every time that I approached erasing lingering debt, my Jeep Cherokee would gift me with a $1000 repair bill).

Downtown living might be a little tight for me in terms of personal living space, but I recognize public transportation is more feasible down there--thus, my search out in the Hillsboro area--and you have both confirmed my suspicion that getting around is manageable, if not entirely ideal.

[UrbanAdventurer]

It definitely wouldn't be my first choice for going car-less in the Portland area, but sure, it can be done if you're determined enough to make it work. It will make your world very small though, as many places you'll end up wanting to go will just be tough on public transit (if not impossible). A cheap older Volvo or Japanese car that gets good fuel economy would be the way to go if you wanted maximum flexibility and minimal cost.