Local Portanders: a question about Countiesl

[jojo4]

I agree with beatnik28 about downtown.
There are plenty of apartments and rooms for rent in the downtown area.

We went to First Thursday last week and saw some neat little lofts around old town. The rent shouldn't be that high there.

If I were you I would come for a visit and then you can explore on the ground to get a better idea of the neighborhoods.

[Supernova7]

[quote=beatnik28;1219495]Here's some good info on N. Portland.

Piedmont and University - Guide to North Portland Neighborhoods

If you stay in the southern part of NoPo (Boise and Overlook neighborhoods), it is dense and urban, and new shops / restaurants / pubs etc. are opening all of the time. As you move north within NoPo it gets more industrial due to its proximity to the water and the ports.

I wouldn't rule out living downtown (SW and NW), or even close-in NE (close in to Downtown) if I were you. It sounds like you want an urban environment, with easy access to public transportation.[/QUOTE

Most definitely keep me out of the inustrial zones. I don't want to be surrounded by openness and factories. This would be a rural nightmare comparable to living in the suburbs. Easy access to public transportation, coffee shops, old book stores, vinyl records, thrift stores and movie theater close by would be ideal. Low/moderate income neighborhood average salary, say 25k (median) No ritz, Nothing fancy, just want to be around laid back down to earth people. SE sounded good but I heard it's too expensive now and you have hipsters/punkers that are really "wealthy"

This seems to be a trend here and I've heard it from many people that appearances in Portland are very deceiving. I'm getting the impression that everyone is Portland has a college degree, is well off and financially secure?
So what's your observation?

[Supernova7]

I don't think downtown is as bad as people describe it to be. I suppose I can live around PSU or Cascade but something tells me I would be happier in NoPo as opposed to the trendy NW downtown.

[oldtintype]

Downtown is comprised of a lot of different areas. The Pearl and the trendy part of NW are small parts of a larger downtown area. Like the previous poster said, people can give you tons of advice but you need to come up and actually SEE Portland and the various areas to actually get an idea of where you'd really like to be, ride MAX the distance to school, etc. so you get an idea of what's feasible/enjoyable and what's not.

[Supernova7]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

Downtown is comprised of a lot of different areas. The Pearl and the trendy part of NW are small parts of a larger downtown area. Like the previous poster said, people can give you tons of advice but you need to come up and actually SEE Portland and the various areas to actually get an idea of where you'd really like to be, ride MAX the distance to school, etc. so you get an idea of what's feasible/enjoyable and what's not.

Sure that would be nice. I just don't have that option/flexibility at this time. The info supplied from the locals should give me a feel of what to expect, this along with my own research should suffice.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by Supernova7

Sure that would be nice. I just don't have that option/flexibility at this time. The info supplied from the locals should give me a feel of what to expect, this along with my own research should suffice.

I'm not trying to sound flippant, but have you done many long-distance relocations? If you have and previously had good experiences relying on other's opinions along with your own experience, well...more power to you. That hasn't been my experience with these types of relocations, but if that works best for you, good luck on your move.

Just from my own experiences, long distances moves are stressful enough without adding to the mix arriving to a location, sight-unseen. Personally, I think it's more than worth it to rearrange my finances and schedule enough to squeeze out a short scouting trip before the final move. But that's me. I'm a bit anal and don't want to plop my family in the middle of crack ho hell.

[Supernova7]

Originally Posted by diggitydot

I'm not trying to sound flippant, but have you done many long-distance relocations? If you have and previously had good experiences relying on other's opinions along with your own experience, well...more power to you. That hasn't been my experience with these types of relocations, but if that works best for you, good luck on your move.

Just from my own experiences, long distances moves are stressful enough without adding to the mix arriving to a location, sight-unseen. Personally, I think it's more than worth it to rearrange my finances and schedule enough to squeeze out a short scouting trip before the final move. But that's me. I'm a bit anal and don't want to plop my family in the middle of crack ho hell.

You're right that's you and not everyone applies the same procedure. The answer to your question is YES. I'm very flexible and know exactly the type of area/people/environment I want to live in.