Portland Suburb - Horse Friendly (Hillsboro, Tualatin: upper-class, rentals, house)

[Scarletjubilee]

Hi everyone,

We are probably moving to Portland in the summer. My hubby will be working in downtown Portland. We are looking to find housing in a suburb of Portland, hopefully within about a 30-45 minute drive to work (having lived in SoCal most of our lives, we're no stranger to traffic or longer commutes to work.)

We're looking to find an area that is horse-friendly - it would be great to either rent some horse property (we're renting for about 3-4 years then buying), or find something within a mile or two of somewhere we could keep the horse.

Does anyone have some suggestions? I was looking at maybe North Plains, but we're open to any direction - south of Portland, up in Washington, etc, etc. Aside from being a horse-friendly area and safe (I lived in a ghetto section of Long Beach for awhile - never again!) If I had to state a preference, I would prefer open land to city - we're pretty excited to be getting out of the city.

[Daisy32673]

I would check out West Linn/Wilsonville (off Stafford Road, Rosemont Road or Pete's Mountain), Sherwood (Parrot Mountain area) or Hillsboro. I wouldn't move out much farther than that from the city. If you are working in Portland then live in Portland.

[Nell Plotts]

If her husband will be working downtown and they want 30-45 minute commute with horses then Sauvie Island (if they can afford it) is perfect. Rentals are a rarity but no harm in trying. Beyond that bridge, along Hgy 30 it will be a challenge to find adequate pasture land.. although there may be a few properties here and there.

Look along Skyline, out by Skyline Grade School or on the west side of the hill on Germantown Road. Helvetia Road, north of Hgy 26 another. Again, rentals with a barn are hard to find.

Another option is to find stable space to rent convenient to a rental house. My riding days are far behind me, it has been 50 years since I rode competitively so I haven't looked at facilities. There is a very pretty barn and arena off Phillips Road near Helvetia. The Skyline Equisterian Center is quite a ways out IMHO but would be a good place to look. There is a huge facility on the south side of Hgy 26 (the Sunset Higway) well beyond Hillsboro. I can't find it on GoogleMaps, maybe other can give me a cross road.

[rsdotson]

Originally Posted by Daisy32673

I would check out ... Sherwood (Parrot Mountain area) or ...

I too am interested in such a property, not so much for horses but just for "elbow room", but I cannot find the "Parrot Mountain area" with any of the neighborhood finder websites I've tried. Could you give the names of the streets that form the nearest major intersection to the Parrot Mountain area please?

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

If her husband will be working downtown and they want 30-45 minute commute with horses then Sauvie Island (if they can afford it) is perfect. Rentals are a rarity but no harm in trying. Beyond that bridge, along Hgy 30 it will be a challenge to find adequate pasture land.. although there may be a few properties here and there.

At the corner of Highway 30 and Cornelius Pass is a piece of land that's been on and off the market for the last four years. 10 acres, two barns, a house and the price stays in the $400k range.

[Daisy32673]

Originally Posted by rsdotson

I too am interested in such a property, not so much for horses but just for "elbow room", but I cannot find the "Parrot Mountain area" with any of the neighborhood finder websites I've tried. Could you give the names of the streets that form the nearest major intersection to the Parrot Mountain area please?

Sorry, I realized I spelled the name of the road wrong which is probably why you couldn't find it!
Parrett Mountain Road can be found in between Sherwood and Newberg. Its an area between Hwy 99 and I-5 that is filled with some older homes, newer developments and horse property. Regardless of what you want, it's got lots of elbow room and some of the most amazing views. We have friends who live there and we take Tualatin-Sherwood Road (off I-5) to get up there. You can also get there off Hwy 99 but that road is always a nightmare.
This Google images link gives you a sampling of the homes (old and new) and the views: parrett mountain - Google Search

[Scarletjubilee]

This is all really great information - thanks!

We are definitely renting before buying - not only to save money for a down payment, but most importantly because we need to make sure my Rheumatoid Arthritis doesn't freak out with the damp weather (here's hoping!)

I was kind of surprised that with so much land available that there weren't a lot of horse property rentals. Any idea why that might be? Is it a zoning issue?

[Nell Plotts]

Horse property is typically owner occupied. Until the housing mess residents preferred ownership to renting.

The economic implosion has put a lot of pressure on horse owners. Many are finding it difficult to pay for board. Last year there were a number of neglected horses recovered.

I don't know anything about the property at Cornelius Pass Rd and Hgy 30 but that may be further out than you want to be (Cornelius Pass Rd is a well used route from St. Helens to Hillsboro and has been subject to slides up on the hill). Always look at property after weeks of rain, you don't want to expose your horse(s) to hoof rot in a poorly drained barn or paddock.

[rsdotson]

Originally Posted by Daisy32673

... Parrett Mountain Road can be found in between Sherwood and Newberg.

Fantastic! Thank you Daisy.

[EnricoV]

Wilsonville area is definitely the "upper-class" horse area of town, riding stables and the like. But, you'll likely find suitable properties anywhere ringing Portland's Urban Growth Boundary, avoiding obstacles. Clackamas and Columbia Counties get rural pretty quick, as does Clark County in Washington -- but less of the riding stable set, more just plain old cowboys.