Working in Salem, living in/close to Portland--is it possible? (Hillsboro: home, neighborhoods)

[jube-jubey]

If I took a job in Salem, would it be possible for me to live somewhere on the south side of Portland and commute four or five days a week? I'd appreciate responses to two specific questions:

How long it would take to drive, with or without traffic? I used to live in LA and don't mind an hour's drive, but I do hate crawling along in traffic.

What neighborhoods would we be able to live in? I wouldn't mind a small town close to/ south of Portland but don't want to live somewhere that feels really suburban or desolate. We don't have kids so the school-district thing isn't an issue. I'd like to be able to go for a walk in my neighborhood (so sidewalks would be a plus).

Thanks so much!

[Random_Walk]

I think it would be fairly possible, provided you had a car with very good (read: 32+mpg) gas mileage.

I knew quite a few folks who drove up from Salem 5 days a week. The trick is that they avoid I-5 as much as possible along the route, which allows them to get up to the PDX area faster. You could do something similar in reverse, as long as you could find routes that kept you off of I-5 (Google Maps is your friend in this regard).

[Nell Plotts]

My experience with this is dated but there were van-pools for folks who lived in Salem but worked in Portland (mostly State employees I suspect), and visa-versa. Were I in your shoes I would contact Trimet to see if they know of carpools working that route. Much will depend on where in Salem your job is located.

[SETabor]

There's a commuter train but does it only go to Wilsonville?

[Nell Plotts]

Yes. : (

[hamellr]

There is a ride share website that might help you: Oregon Carpool / Rideshare: 156 car pool / ride share listings

[khyron]

There's daily Amtrak Cascades and Amtrak Coast Starlight trains as well as Greyhound bus service between Portland and Salem. I don't know what kind of work you do, but I've been on both those trains and each includes ample spaces where you could sit at a table and work on a notebook or tablet (complete with power outlets and wifi). Sometimes a long commute isn't so bad if you can build it into your work day. A friend of mine did this between DC and Baltimore for a while, and since his train rides could function as his "first thing in the morning" and "wrapping up the day" e-mail time he never really lost any extra time for having a job located far from home.

[Leisesturm]

Lots of things are "possible". While we were still in NYC researching Oregon with Portland as the destination, little did we know that we would spend our first six weeks here living in Troutdale and driving and MAXing into Portland and eventually Hillsboro. After getting a job in Hillsboro it was quickly decided that we would find a home in Hillsboro. Which we did. Many would have accepted a 30+ mile commute indefinitely. What does that train to Salem cost? I once priced the bus and it was something like $25. Maybe its me but that's kind of steep for a daily commute. Unless you are making 70K/yr. If any less you are paying way too much of your salary just getting yourself to your employer. True story. I interviewed for a job seven miles from my home. They decided to hire someone that lived in Lincoln City. I could have told them that that couldn't work. I mean... did I interview that badly? Of course not. I suspect they are working up the nerve to call me in again but I've found another job fairly near to them. I'm actually rather glad they passed on me. Elsewhere on this site is a poll where it was shown that happiness indexes are in inverse proportion to the length of one's commute. i.e. the longer your commute, the more miserable you are. Misery is a health and marriage killer. FWIW.

H

[slimconnors]

I am about to embark on a similar situation: I will be initially working primarily in Salem, but prefer to live in the Portland area. I too do not have to consider schools but like to walk my neighborhood, love to read , and then will not mind commuting to work on a train or light rail system. I live in the Bay area now so I think Portland would be an easier adjustment for me. What's the best walking Portland neighborhood, where I can easily get to a train to go to Salem?

[Steve Pickering]

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