Tell me about Happy Valley vs. west linn please!!! (Portland: travel, work)

[msheiny]

Specifically the mt. scott area. I see so many beautiful more affordable homes. We have so far been concentrating on west linn. I can see we can get so much more for our money here.
Any opinions on vibe in one vs. the other. The schools and infrastructure.
My kids are only in grade school.
I appreciate it in advance!!!!!

[tiffela74]

my inlaws live at the top of Mt Scott. They love it. My s-i-l and her husband live down at the bottom. They love it too. They're all teachers. lol One in grade, one in middle, one in high, and one specializes. Jeez, Im the wrong person to respond i guess because i know they all love where they live and that they're all terrific teachers....but, i can tell ya, they are all happy there.
on a side note, i wish that area was affordable to me!! Out of my price range!
Both areas are awful good though. I dont think you could be very disappointed in either.
best of luck to you!
Tiffany

[msheiny]

I will have to check it out. If you happen to talk to any of them could you ask them how they feel about the schools vs. West linn schools?

[Ethirtysex]

The schools cannot be compared. If your primary motivation is schools, move to West Linn and dont look back. If you don't want to over-extend yourself by buying a really expensive house in the WL area, Happy Valley may be a better place. You may also have a look in the Tigard part of town where the schools and home prices are a happy medium between WL and HV.

[nancy thereader]

I don't know about you, but the name "Happy Valley" is kind of creepy. Stepfordish.

[oldtintype]

Yeah, well that's not too far off--it's just one tract home after another all on a hill.

[msheiny]

Ok, we will look for a smaller home in West linn! Thanks for your help!

[fosters2]

I know this thread is a little old but I wanted to second West Linn! Happy Valley is more affordable but you will deal with horrible traffic on a daily basis just to get to the freeway. The schools in Happy Valley are over crowed and under funded currently because of the vast jump in residents over the past few years...they just got their own zip code about a year ago because of this issue.
West Linn is know for its wonderful school system and well worth spending a little bit more. You are right near the freeway and won't have to deal with traffic in your own suburb. West Linn is also a lot safer city to live in versus Happy Valley which is in the middle of some shady areas.

[Sobefobik]

I would absolutely move to West Linn. There are so ugly mass complexes in Happy Valley and it's so far away from the city. The commute from there is awful. Are you working in portland? The nice thing about West Linn is that you can hop on highway 43 and there is pretty much no traffic.

The schools are excellent in West Linn. I don't know much about the schools in Happy Valley. People in Happy Valley or quite snobby. (I used to work in the area and the people are just not that nice)

[Waynegro]

Happy Valley is about 4.5 miles down Sunnyside Road from the 205. I do not understand how the "commute" to Happy Valley could be characterized as "horrible," since it never takes me more than 10 minutes to travel from our home to the freeway.

As far as commuting to downtown, TriMet is building a rail line down to the Clackamas Town Center that will be completed in 2009. The Town Center is just over the 205 off of Sunnyside. There will be spaces for 750 cars, and the 155 bus line runs from the front of the New Seasons shopping area to the Town Center.

My wife and I looked at West Linn before buying in Happy Valley. You get a newer, bigger house in Happy Valley for significantly less money. As far as schools go: Happy Valley Elementary School - Portland, Oregon - OR - school overview
Buy into the HV elementary school district, not Mt. Scott's--it's a better invesment.

Further, I don't see much crime in Happy Valley. What I do see is friendly neighbors walking their dogs and kids around the neighborhood.