Cost of living for Portland (Lake Oswego, Milwaukie: real estate, apartments, to rent)

[lilacdeming]

Hi,

I apologize if this thread is already floating around somewhere and I'm sure it is..

I'm thinking about moving to Portland next year, well I'm almost certain that I'll be moving. It's more a matter of whether or not I get into Marylhurst U. I am not catholic, but they have a music therapy program that I am interested in and I have always wanted to live in Oregon. So, here's the deal..

I'm a 26 year old female, I don't have my bachelor's, and I really don't have that much as far as tech skills go..other than knowing the basic ins and outs of using a computer, internet, word,etc. I am a singer, though a bit rusty and have experience with that. I plan on saving like a squirrel stores nuts up until the last day before I move..but as far as jobs and apartments etc..I'm wondering what else I can do to make my resume more attractive, I know I'll have to figure that out on my own. I am just wondering if it would be possible to find a somewhat and not cheap but inexspensive living situation here. I would prefer to share a house with a few other people or rent a room or basement from someone. Now if I were to do this, would I have trouble finding a CLEAN and SAFE inexspensive place... or is inexpensive only rat infested and dark and scary around here?? What neighborhoods are good, and by good I mean , not only clean and safe, but friendly people, restaraunts/ cafe, diverse, near transportation,etc. are there any places I should avoid? All of that said, I am really not too picky, I am down to earth and all I really care about is if the area isn't infiltrated with murders and dirty, scary,etc...

I am from Northern Virginia(Washington D.C.) so I know absolutely nothing about Portland, other than how beautiful Oregon has always looked to me.. I have lived in other states before so I get along with all types of different people. I am not political but do prefer to live with open minded and progressive people. MY only mode of transportation may be a bus, the kindness of others, or a bike..
I understand appeal is different from reality, so please any input welcome..
i also wouldn't mind any information you may have about marylhurst univ and the music therapy program..if it was a bad experience please tell me WHY!

I do have one request:

please respond ONLY if you have some helpful advice about where to live..do not respond if you just want to be negative and tell me I should re-think my plan,etc. and not to come to oregon.. unless you explain why!
Thanks!

[lilacdeming]

i now see that there is a post at the top of the page about moving to portland, but it does not directly answer any of my questions, so i would still appreciate anyone's personal experience, that's always better than a generalized answer anyway!

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Try the search function.

[sayulita]

Try Craigslist and enter Hawthorne Blvd. (in Multnomah County) in your search for homes to share. I'm sure you'll find something clean and safe. "Rat infested, murders, dirty and scary" are very unlikely almost anywhere in Portland if you use basic common sense in your search. Send me a Direct Message if you find a place fairly close in and I'll do a drive-by for you.

[jrm2811]

Marylhurst U. is located near Lake Oswego, which is one of the nicest places in the Portland area, but also, one of the most expensive. It would probably be very similar to what you are used to in D.C. Granted, the 'bad places' in Portland are not even close to the 'bad places' on the east coast. You will definitely notice the difference. There are lots of nice areas in Portland but keep in mind that you will not see the big houses and big yards that are back east, the lot sizes are much smaller. The transportation system is very good for a city the size of Portland, (but not have good as D.C.'s which I think is the best in the country). You have MAX light rail and well as the buses. Check out the Trimet website if you haven't already. Also, search Craigslist for rooms or apts. to rent - they usually have a long list. If you don't want to live in Lake Oswego, SE Portland has some nice areas as well across the river in Clackamas county. Best of luck to you.

[davemess10]

a shared house is probably the way to go for you. As a student or someone without a job lined up, were you to get an apartment here, you would most likely need to show them you have at least 5-6 times the rent. A shared house will probably not be that restrictive about possible tenants.

The previous post was correct. Marylhurst is was way out in the suburbs and you are not going to find housing around there at an affordable rate. Luckily the transit down there shouldn't be too bad from Portland, and there are some nice neighborhoods on the other side of the Willamette, like Milwaulkie and Sellwood.

Hope that helps a little.

[lilacdeming]

Thanks to whoever moved this post to the right place and thanks everyone for your replies.. I have heard about Lake Oswego and how expensive it is-figured I'd probably just commute to Portland but I'll check out Milwaukie and Sellwood as well. I would prefer to share a house so hopefully I'll be able to find something decent in a nice neighborhood.. as far as big lots,houses etc. I'm not going to miss that much as I grew up in a middle class area so I'm use to living in diverse surroundings. I'm actually looking forward to the difference in the city's layout as it just looks quirkier and very different from NoVa. - jrm2811- you said "It would probably be very similar to what you are used to in D.C. Granted, the 'bad places' in Portland are not even close to the 'bad places' on the east coast. You will definitely notice the difference" Do you mean the "bad" places in oregon aren't as bad as the ones here? Is there any gang activity in the city? That's the main problem we're having out here. Everyone I know that's moved to oregon just says there's a much calmer energy but it's not boring or anything, people are just laid back..something I look forward to after living in a city where it feels like everyone is constantly in a hurry and need everything in an instant.

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by lilacdeming

......I'm wondering what else I can do to make my resume more attractive, I know I'll have to figure that out on my own....

I am way over 60yrs old, and this is from a conversation I overheard...."Employers are looking for people who are tech-savvy, Y'a got's to know NetSpeak and fast finger texting just to get hired in some jobs." From the context of the conversation I overheard, I gathered there was some sort of employer test to see how fast the job applicant responded to a text message.

Don't over look Twitter for leads to a job.

Originally Posted by lilacdeming

..I am from Northern Virginia(Washington D.C.) so I know absolutely nothing about Portland....!

Two things....
Google: Moving to Portland
There will be a couple of hits from Real Estate ladies who have posted some really good descriptions of the City of Portland Neighborhoods. A bit Rah-Rah (hey, we are talking about Real Estate Ladies, right?) but very good background.

Do not judge anything about Portland to the Standards of DC or No Va. The Politics of DC are 3 Time Zones away. The Left Coast is very different. Your first few months will be a cultural shock as just how provincial most of Portland is. The TV evening News comes on 3 hours after broadcast on East coast; stale news.

When I lived south of Baltimore (Columbia, MD) a few decades ago, the rumor was if in DC you threw a brick in the air, when it came down, you had better than even odds the brick would hit a high school class president. Lots and Lots of Type-A personalities in and around DC. Throw a brick up in the air in a few places in Portland, when it comes down at better than even odds someone would shout, "Cool... the rain is heavy today." This ain't Type-A country, that's what Seattle is for.

Don't forget it drizzle rains 7 to 8 months just about every day (seldom "heavy" rain!). Overcast sky from December to end of March. Just a hand full of days with sun shine Jan - March. Be sure you read up on Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) You may not be affected and the symptoms are not always obvious; but the need for vitamins C & D, forcing yourself outdoors for any sort of physical activity, and social activities (ie coffee shop) will be there all winter and spring. Summer seems to start after July 5th or so.

Do check out Portland and Seattle on a globe and see how far both are from the Arctic Circle. Then compare with other major cities in lower 48. Then check out London and Manchester, UK to Arctic Circle.

Enjoy the adventure. The more difficult the challenge, the better the tale to be told afterwords.

Phil

[jrm2811]

Originally Posted by lilacdeming

Thanks to whoever moved this post to the right place and thanks everyone for your replies.. I have heard about Lake Oswego and how expensive it is-figured I'd probably just commute to Portland but I'll check out Milwaukie and Sellwood as well. I would prefer to share a house so hopefully I'll be able to find something decent in a nice neighborhood.. as far as big lots,houses etc. I'm not going to miss that much as I grew up in a middle class area so I'm use to living in diverse surroundings. I'm actually looking forward to the difference in the city's layout as it just looks quirkier and very different from NoVa. - jrm2811- you said "It would probably be very similar to what you are used to in D.C. Granted, the 'bad places' in Portland are not even close to the 'bad places' on the east coast. You will definitely notice the difference" Do you mean the "bad" places in oregon aren't as bad as the ones here? Is there any gang activity in the city? That's the main problem we're having out here. Everyone I know that's moved to oregon just says there's a much calmer energy but it's not boring or anything, people are just laid back..something I look forward to after living in a city where it feels like everyone is constantly in a hurry and need everything in an instant.

I did not mean to label DC or NoVa has having 'bad places' that are worse off than the Portland area. It was just an observation that - to me anyway - the slums of the east are in worse shape than the 'slums' in Portland. Which in my opinion, there aren't many real bad spots Portland. I was also trying to compare Lake Oswego with the suburbs of DC - high end, lots of professionals, nice cars and houses, etc. Overall, Portland is very laid back - everyone goes to the beat of their own drum. As far as gangs, every city has gangs. I think most of the activity is in the outer east side, so you won't have to really worry about it.