Another Relocating to Portland, Where Should I Live? Post (apartments, for rent)

[LizzyBizzy47]

I'm in the process of switching careers, my fingers are crossed and by the looks of things I'll be moving from New York to Portland Very excited!

If you could help me please identify some neighborhoods that would be good to look for apartments in that would be great.

Some basic info:
- My workplace is in Lents (which I hear isn't that great of a neighborhood)
- I don't have a car, I know Portland is very friendly towards us car-free folk but I'd like to live somewhere I can get to everywhere I need to go
- I'm a single 23 yr old female
- I like quiet neighborhoods, lots of families and children, definitely not into the party scene
- I won't be making that much money so I'm not looking to live in a 'premium' location, I do live in NY and the rents here are outrageous and I can't imagine the OR rents are higher but we'll see

I think that's it. Thank you for your help! <3

[davemess10]

Lents is right on the Max green line, so you're in luck if you're car free.
Lents isn't really that bad, it's just a little lower income than the more "desirable" neighborhoods. Avoid right next to 82nd. On the plus side it's VERY affordable, though I don't know about the apartments. You might want to look to Woodstock, which is a little more "family" style in my opinion.

[LizzyBizzy47]

thanks Dave!
is Woodstock served by the rail? I'm on TriMet's website but don't see anything..

[Minervah]

I am also car-free. I have never owned a car in my 30 plus years of living in Portland. I have found that through the years though,that bus service has been cut back so that it has become more difficult for people who solely depend upon bus transportation to get around. But if you live in the right area, it is certainly doable.

MAX is good but won't get to everywhere you need to go since it cannot go through neighborhoods as the bus can. It is mostly geared for people who need to get downtown.

Even though I live in a good bus area, as bus service diminishes, I find I have to ask friends to drive me or I have to take cabs to other areas to which the bus does not go. It is very different from New York or Chicago (where I am orginally from) in that many neighborhoods are not served by buses.

If you are working in the Lents area, I would not rule out living there. It isn't all that bad and it is much better today than it was a even a few years ago. And you will find buses that serve that area.

I would suggest you check out the Tri-Met bus routes and map out a neighborhood that may have the kind of public transportation you will need. It will also give you an idea of how often the buses run. In what is called a frequent service bus route, the buses usually arrive every fifteen minutes. Others will be from every half hour to an hour.

[davemess10]

Originally Posted by LizzyBizzy47

thanks Dave!
is Woodstock served by the rail? I'm on TriMet's website but don't see anything..

No, Woodstock is due West of Lents, and the rail runs North-South.

Biking is also REALLY popular in Pdx (in case you didn't hear?). So that's definitely another option to get around, besides the buses, which I think are expensive and slow.

[EnricoV]

Personally, I'd look to the east of I-205, and towards the south - along whatever bus runs there. Light rail will serve you well for getting to shopping, downtown, etc. But living along the line wouldn't be my first choice. I'd look for a short bus ride to get you to work.

Lents isn't as bad an area as it used to be. It's one of those areas that tends to be moving up due to gentrification.

[Minervah]

Where in Lents will you be working? Knowing that would make it a little easier for people to suggest other neighborhoods for you to live in with transportation to Lents for work.

Keep in mind that regarding buses, while some do go through various neighborhoods all roads, except for a few crosstown buses lead to downtown.

You may have to wind up going downtown and then going out again to get to Lents. Or maybe from a crosstown bus to transfer to a bus going through Lents. It will depend upon where you work and where you live.

The Trimet website has a very handy page called Trip Planner if you haven't yet found it. You put in the addresses where you want to go to and from and it will tell you which buses or MAX train goes there, how long it will take, and also give alternate times and routes. You can find out what to take on your return trip as well. That comes in handy because not all routes go to and from a place.

[LizzyBizzy47]

Well thank you everybody for all of your very helpful replies so far! Now I feel better about working in Lents and living there... I tried craigslist though and didn't see any apartments for rent in that neighborhood. Hmm.

And Minervah the place I am working will be on SE Foster Road.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by LizzyBizzy47

Well thank you everybody for all of your very helpful replies so far! Now I feel better about working in Lents and living there... I tried craigslist though and didn't see any apartments for rent in that neighborhood. Hmm.

And Minervah the place I am working will be on SE Foster Road.

I am not really familar with neighborhoods along SE Foster Rd. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the area can give you some suggestions. Actually Foster Rd covers a lot of ground. Whereabouts on Foster Rd is your job? I don't mean to be nosy, but knowing that may help people to give you good advice.

It's not always easy to find an apartment on Craig's List. Most landlords put up a sign and within a day have their places rented. If you cannot come out here to look around prior to your moving, look up Portland apartment management companies to see if they have vacancies.

Even if you wind up in a place you do not especially like, you will be in a good position to scour the neighborhoods to find a better place. That actually happened to me when I first moved here. And I was actually able to come out here before moving so I picked my own place. Unfortunately, it turned out to be not as safe as I would have liked it to be. But after a few months, I found a great house to rent through a co-worker.

[SETabor]

SE Foster is a pretty varied road. Since you say it's in Lents, I suspect it's somewhere between 82nd and 112? There are a lot of houses there but I don't know of many apartments. It's not far from the green line which has a stop at Foster and 205/92nd. so you could likely get a place a stop or two away and still be convenient to work.

On Foster Road, it's pretty commercial in general and once you get east of I-205, it's mostly car parts/pick and pull places. The PDC (local development agency) is really trying to upgrade Lents and has made some inroads at Foster and 92nd but it's still rough around the edges.

I'm pretty sure there's a bus line along Foster. West of 82nd and north of Foster is Foster-Powell which has a better reputation than Lents but is still primarily single family homes.