Young couple - imminent move to Portland in Oct.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Portland has some bad area for the budget you have. Murders are way up in the $600 to $800 priced housing. Shootings are almost daily.

Having said that with a diligent search you can find those prices almost anywhere in the city.

Daily? Would you care to cite a source for this statement?

[davemess10]

You might try to look at Foster-Powell or Mount Scott. They are going to be up and coming neighborhoods. Minervah is right, every place you mentioned are not up and coming, they are tall and came. Your budget is not going to find you much in almost any of the neighborhoods you listed. What you are describing is what almost EVERY person moving to this city wants (and most of the people who already live here too). Unless you're willing to pay for it, you'll have to compromise.

[Marx818]

Right now I'm trying to research Foster-Powell, Mt Scott, Mt. Tabor, Woodstock and mostly SE neighborhoods. Still though, NE is not out of the question. A big thing for us right now is being close to a nice grocery store or preferably a co-op. Currently we have to DRIVE an hour to Pittsburgh for any decent selection of vegan options at the only co-op in our area.

Moderator cut: snip

At this point, anywhere in Portland or any major west coast city would be a huge improvement to the quality of our lives. I'm tired of people questioning every thing I do as if they are saying, "Why don't you just act like us, it's easier that way." It would be nice not being the most left leaning person on the block. It takes so much extra effort to try to live responsibly around here with no support from anyone. We're not fighting it anymore. Sure, Portland is not some utopian land, I'm not that naive. But, at least we should be able to find some like minded people that want something better for their community. Even if I end up wanted to be some kind of hermit (not likely), at least I'll have access to some Moderator cut: crude food!

[doggiemama]

[quote=Marx818;25826055]Right now I'm trying to research Foster-Powell, Mt Scott, Mt. Tabor, Woodstock and mostly SE neighborhoods. Still though, NE is not out of the question. A big thing for us right now is being close to a nice grocery store or preferably a co-op. Currently we have to DRIVE an hour to Pittsburgh for any decent selection of vegan options at the only co-op in our area.

Moderator cut: snip

Even way out here in the suburbs where I live, vegan options abound. You won't have to live in a hip inner neighborhood to find them.

[Minervah]

I am going to encourage you again to find a neighborhood you can afford and don't put your desire to live close to a co op or "nice grocery store" to be the top priority because you will be narrowing your options too much. Portland is a small enough city that wherever you live you will be less than an hour away from most of these.

For example, we have quite a few Trader Joe's. I have a hunch you will find these to be nice grocery stores to your liking. We have a lot of farmer's markets in the summer and even some permanent year round ones. There are Whole Foods stores but I would not recommend them. Our large supermarket chains all have local produce and ingredients for vegan meals. And there are a few co ops and discount grocery stores. The choices are yours. You do not have to go very far to get to them.

Rents in Portland are high. There is a 3% vacancy rate. For now, focus on affordability, jobs and the more practical aspects of relocation and I think you will be successful in your move.

And for the record, I also think you will enjoy living in Portland very much.

[davemess10]

NE isn't out of the question, but you'll probably be around 82nd or further out (unless you're looking up by Killingsworth towards the airport). Past 82nd, NE and SE don't really exist and the entire area is considered "East Portland".

I concur, you really won't have to go far to find the groceries you need. Yes, the further out the neighborhood you choose the less likely you are to be able to walk to that grocery, but that's the price of living in this city.

[EnricoV]

You might look at the Hosford-Abernethy area, too ... say between Division and Powell. There's a great co-op there, People's Co-op. And housing might be a little less expensive, though Division seems to be an up and coming area.

[Marx818]

Thanks everybody! It's good to know there are so many helpful people out there. I've actually been looking at the area between SE Division and Powell, partly because it's near a Co-op and it's not far from Sunnyside. I don't know if we'll be able to afford that area either, but I'll know more once I get out there and look around. We might not find the best apartment first off, but I'd like to research the neighborhoods in the SE and do my best to focus on those areas and if rentals rates are too high I'll move on to another one.

I don't feel the need to live right on a main drag like Division, Hawthorne or Powell. In fact I'd prefer to be a block or two away for the quiet. But there I go again, getting all specific. I certainly don't want us to get a bad impression of the city by settling on a pad between a ghetto and a strip mall.

I'm still pouring through the hundreds of discussions on this forum; there's so much valuable information (when I'm not posting the contents of my house on Craigslist).

[davemess10]

Originally Posted by Marx818

I don't feel the need to live right on a main drag like Division, Hawthorne or Powell. In fact I'd prefer to be a block or two away for the quiet. But there I go again, getting all specific. I certainly don't want us to get a bad impression of the city by settling on a pad between a ghetto and a strip mall..

You may get lucky and find an apartment in those areas for $800, but it will be tough, so I wouldn't get your heart set on it. Also remember that what you are describing above (places off the main street) are going to be more expensive than on a main drag. (A good reference is house appraisals. They add an extra $6k plus to the price of a house for it being on a "side street" versus a "main street"). People pay a little more of a premium for their quiet side streets.

If you're getting a bad impression of the whole city by just where your first apartment is, it means you're not getting out enough!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Marx818

Thanks everybody! It's good to know there are so many helpful people out there. I've actually been looking at the area between SE Division and Powell, partly because it's near a Co-op and it's not far from Sunnyside. I don't know if we'll be able to afford that area either, but I'll know more once I get out there and look around. We might not find the best apartment first off, but I'd like to research the neighborhoods in the SE and do my best to focus on those areas and if rentals rates are too high I'll move on to another one.

I don't feel the need to live right on a main drag like Division, Hawthorne or Powell. In fact I'd prefer to be a block or two away for the quiet. But there I go again, getting all specific. I certainly don't want us to get a bad impression of the city by settling on a pad between a ghetto and a strip mall.

I'm still pouring through the hundreds of discussions on this forum; there's so much valuable information (when I'm not posting the contents of my house on Craigslist).

Then it may be helpful to know that the main drag will be less expensive. The farther away from it, the more the rents will be since neighborhoods are a bit less crowded and are much quieter. Another rule of thumb is the farther away from the downtown area, the less expensive rents will be. Not a whole lot but less.