Question-Happy Valley (Portland, Gresham, Beaverton: mortgages, houses, transfer)

[Mauka]

Firs of all, thank you for reading this post.

I am thinking of relocating to the Happy Valley area. We are a family of four, two kids, one in high school, one in middle school.

I like the prices of homes in the area, the access to train (I will not work downtown, but on the east side), and access to the mountains.

We ski, mountain bike, camp, and have kids who do well in school.

I have read the posts on Happy Valley and it seems to draw very strong reactions, either very pro-or very anti.

I am mostly looking at areas with good High Schools. We are considering Lincoln High, Wilson, and Clackamas.

I would like to catch the train to work and it appears that riding a bike from your home to the train station is easily doable.

When I compared the high school in Happy Valley to the High Schools in Gresham and Beaverton, it comes out on top, but maybe I am missing something.

Any opinions on the area are appreciated.

Is it easy to make friends in the area?
Are the kids friendly or snobby?
Are neighborhoods friendly or welcoming?

Thanks again for any information.

[Mauka]

Any information is appreciated.
Thanks.

[Nell Plotts]

Enroll a student living in Happy Valley at Lincoln??? Not likely! Chairs as Lincoln are in high demand. Never say never but the administrator who OK'd it would be tarred & feathered by out-of-enrollment area Portland school district parents who's kids couldn't get in. You really need to look at the school enrollment areas. Happy Valley is not in the Portland school district and it is too late to file a transfer application. Each district receives $$$ from the state based on enrollment, the sending district isn't likely to release a student to another district unless they cannot (in their opinion) meet that student's needs. To the best of my knowledge Lincoln has not turned away new students living in their enrollment area.

Happy Valley was built out during the housing boom, lots of stinky mortgages and bankrupt builders. As I have written elsewhere on this forum IMHO many builders took short cuts & employed under-skilled workers during those years. Be sure you have a home inspector on YOUR side when making an offer.

That said, a home in that area would cut at least 30 minutes off a drive to Mt. Hood.

[Mauka]

Nell,
As you and I have discussed, I am focusing on Lincoln High, but I love the idea of living closer to Mt. Hood and there seems to be more outdoor opportunities in that part of the city. The High School that covers Happy Valley appears to be pretty good. Maybe not on par with Lincoln, but the cost of homes makes it pretty appealing.
Thanks for your insight on the construction issues, good to know. I will definitely keep that in mind.

[Nell Plotts]

Buying in a less expensive area allows room in the family budget for academic enrichment programs held on Saturday and during the summer. Don't be 'house poor', struggling to pay for your kids college tuition later.

My kids are now adults, what I noticed during their teen years is their peer group is a critical. If their friends think doing well in school is important they will too. My 'mentor' suggestion is applicable at any school.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Buying in a less expensive area allows room in the family budget for academic enrichment programs held on Saturday and during the summer. Don't be 'house poor', struggling to pay for your kids college tuition later.

My kids are now adults, what I noticed during their teen years is their peer group is a critical. If their friends think doing well in school is important they will too. My 'mentor' suggestion is applicable at any school.

Thanks Nell for great advice. I feel affirmed right now. The peer group seems so important as well as tutoring/ Saturday programs. I have time, a long time before my kids are in high school but that advice seems valuable today and in ten, fifteen years...

[Nell Plotts]

Humm.... 20+ years.

[luxifa]

Envy you, the environment is great

[mamalissa]

Mauka, I can't tell if your questions were answered here, but I'll put in my two cents. Clackamas is an excellent, academically rigorous high school. It is easily on par with Lincoln in that area and surpasses Lincoln in the caliber of it's sports and arts programs. In addition, if you care whether your children are in an ethnically diverse environment, Clackamas is far better integrated than Lincoln. In regard to housing, it depends on what you like. I tend to favor older houses with more character, which you will find in abundance in the Lincoln area, albeit very, very expensively. If you like newer, frequently oversized, houses, Happy Valley is lousy with them right now, and many are at rock-bottom prices. However, if you look in the Mt. Scott area of Happy Valley, you will find older homes at a decent price and still be able to take advantage of Clackamas/Happy Valley schools. There are a lot of recreational opportunities in Happy Valley that SW Portland just can't match. I won't even try to explain the benefit of not being in the Portland School District, but will say that if I were forced at gunpoint to put my kids into a Portland school, it would be Grant or Lincoln. They are the only two I would even consider.

[Nell Plotts]

Do you have any concerns about Wilson?