What is Beaverton like, esp vs. Portland living? (Hillsboro: apartments, renting)

[GucciLittlePiggie]

I had originally thought of living in Portland. I won't leave this area until we both have jobs lined up with similar or higher salaries. With those salaries, we could easily afford nice apartments in the Pearl District. But it seems for somewhat less, we could be renting a nice house in Beaverton, with a yard and more space and privacy and quiet.... but still be a 10 minute MAX ride from the fun. I read that they have a nice mall (I cannot live on cool, independent boutique shops alone), a cool main street-type aread, and are close to Portland. Anyone have any thoughts on Beaverton in terms of description, accessibility to Portland, comparison to Portland, or on my plan in general? Sincere thanks for your time...

[suncat]

I live in SW Portland, geographically close to Beaverton. I think Beaverton gets a bad rap, but I like it. There's more diversity there than in Portland -- more Asians and Mexicans. You can find the big McMansion developments there, as with any suburb, but there are also some nice little neighborhoods around the old part of Beaverton.

Washington Square is the mall you're probably referring to. It's gotten a facelift in recent years and has a good variety of shopping. There's a Macy's, Nordstrom, Aveda, Sephora, Ann Taylor, Talbots... and the usual Gap, Sees Candy, etc.

[tiffela74]

there is a nicer mall in Beaverton too...It used to be a dinky little thing back when I was a kid, I think when I was a teen, it had maybe 20stores, tops. And they were all little bitty stores, besides the GIJoes at the end. I met up w/a friend there at the Old Navy about a year ago, and was amazed at the difference! Its about 10x bigger! wow! LOTS of great stores there now. Wish it had been like that when i was living by it! lol
Washington Sq. is pretty wonderful. I could spend a whole day there quite happily!!!
Anyhow, Beaverton has got some very nice areas...we looked at buying a house there about 6yrs ago, did some scouting about in the back neighborhoods, houses built in the 80s/90s, typically 1/2acre lots, pretty well built, standard homes. There is an area where the more influental lived, I remember one of the TrailBlazer guys had a house about 2 miles up from Beaverton Mall. The houses in his paticular neighborhood were wayyyy out of our range! lol
My folks favorite Chinese food resturant is there in Beaverton too. China Bay.

btw. i just looked it up, its not Beaverton Mall anymore, its Ceder Hills Crossing (mall) and has like 75stores. its got a nice little website if you want to know more.

[oldtintype]

You're going to be pretty reliant on cars to get around in Beaverton. Yes, you can take MAX, but the 10 minute ride (and that's only from the closest Beaverton stop) will be closer to 30 by the time you drive to MAX and get to your final destination. It really just depends if you want to be in the middle of everything (though if you live on the east side it can take just as long to get downtown) or if you want to be in a suburb and drive most places. You'd definitely get more space in Beaverton if that's what you're looking for. One thing I don't like about Beaverton is all the WIDE roads that lead to everything--it's almost impossible to walk on them, traffic zooms by, lots of fumes, etc. Many neighborhoods don't have sidewalks, adding to it. It's not pedestrian friendly at all.

Just as an FYI, there are several malls IN Portland too, including Pioneer Place in downtown Portland, walking distance from the Pearl, and Lloyd Center in close in NE. Both have all the usuals.

[fojo]

Beaverton has been referred to as the "Cultural Wasteland of the Pacific Northwest".

I think that's a little harsh, but I understand some of what's behind the sentiment:

1. There's wide roads, sprawl planning and mcmansion developments. Very car-orientated and anti-pedestrian. Reminds of some of the poorer qualities of Southern California.
2. There's an abundance of "office parks", which depress the hell out of me.
3. Everyone's keen on Beaverton's mall. (This says a lot)

There are some nice running trails and green space that's protected in Beaverton. And it's a hub of big businesses (and thus has job opportunities). But the quality of life is more about being contained in house-car-job-fitness center-mall. It is what it is.

[nancy thereader]

Is it nicer than Hillsboro, though?

[lifes2short]

Depends on the area.

[LynneR]

I really enjoy living in Beaverton (and I like it better than Hillsboro). I don't agree that it's not pedestrian friendly. Maybe not on major streets, but the area I live in (Sexton Mtn) has trails everywhere and sidewalks. Supposedly, there is a park or greenspace within 1/2 mile of every home in Beaverton, and I believe it. I think it's a lovely area. It is definitely more family and auto oriented than Portland, and I do have to drive most places, but I'm used to that. I had actually wanted to live in NW Portland, but it was just too expensive. So I just drive over Cornell/Lovejoy and park and walk around all day. I'm just in love with this entire area.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

well i wouldnt live there just for the cultural value or to walk around. that's what portland is for...and the rest of oregon if i want to really walk around. i just want some place to live that is a bit outside, perhaps, and is nice enough. malls and mcmansions and office parks don't really phase me. better than dozens of ghetto apartments and trash and motorcycles and such, which is what i picture me living near if i'm right in portland and don't overspend on some condo...

thanks very much for the feedback, everyone. it sounds to me like it's definitely worth considering and looking into more.

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by LynneR

I really enjoy living in Beaverton (and I like it better than Hillsboro). I don't agree that it's not pedestrian friendly. Maybe not on major streets, but the area I live in (Sexton Mtn) has trails everywhere and sidewalks.

I was talking about walking to the store, walking to the post office, walking to STUFF rather than just nature trails. As someone without a car, I've taken MAX to Beaverton to do various things in the past and it's very unpleasant to walk there. Anytime I go now I take a Flexcar. Traffic is frantic, people are rushing, it's not pleasant to try to get places with four lanes of traffic speeding by, etc. I'm sure it's nice to walk around a certain neighborhood of tract homes or on park trails, and there are some nice parks there, but it's not a friendly place to try to do errands or go places like a cafe or something on foot (or bus since the routes are on these main roads). You're really tied to a car to do most things as compared to close in Portland. I'm sure there are a few sections close to MAX where you can do a lot of foot but not as a whole.