Safe suburbs outside Portland? (Gresham, Beaverton: apartments, rent, crime)

[xhwe]

I have been researching Oregon for some time now. I am looking to escape the cheesesteak loving city full of obesity and closed-mindedness. I'd like some opinions from people who live in the area. I plan on moving to Oregon, preferably close to Portland within a year or two.

I'd like to be in the city, but I know many expenses come with city living, so that's why I am considering a surrounding town. A town with good public transportation to Portland is what I am looking for mostly. Or bike friendly routes.

But if anyone knows of any affordable, yet safe, locations in the city, feel free to let me know though.

I will be looking for an apartment, one bedroom is fine. Possibly going to college here so I do not have a big income.

A list of zip codes works if that is easier for anyone.
I've been looking on craigslist under Portland, but using a city as a guide is such a broad term, I am not familiar with the streets or anything.

Thank you all in advance, and be happy you live in a wonderful place! lol

[oldtintype]

One thing about Portland is that apart from the downtown core and the fringes of that, it's basically a city of neighborhoods, some very suburban in nature. So you may not need to be in a suburb, if that makes sense. It's true that rent can be cheaper in the suburbs but you'll have to factor in the cost of transportation both in time and money and see how that works out.

[elcapitan]

Google maps actually has a new tool where you can take a 3D virtual tour of certain cities, including Portland. Just click on "Street View" and move the little guy wherever you want. It's a good way to tour a neighborhood to help with the decision.

[xhwe]

Originally Posted by elcapitan

Google maps actually has a new tool where you can take a 3D virtual tour of certain cities, including Portland. Just click on "Street View" and move the little guy wherever you want. It's a good way to tour a neighborhood to help with the decision.

that's awesome! I had google earth and it doesn't even do that, as far as I know of. I'm going to check that out.

thanks

[GoBeavs]

xhwe: Really, Portland is a very safe city, and the suburbs are too. In the metro area there was something like 32 murders in the year 2006. With a population of roughly 2.2 million that's a pretty amazing statistic. You can use Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed to check out these statistics. Anyway, if you're going to college, don't count out the downtown area! Check out this site for some pretty nice apartments, and you can even be a community college student to qualify. As long as you are a student somewhere (even culinary school) you qualify: College Housing Northwest PDX - Housing Students Choose. A really nice thing about these apartments is that they are literally blocks from Portland State, and only about two blocks from The Max (our light rail system) which is about two stops from the center of downtown. You can be downtown within 5 minutes on public transit. Really good location. If you still want to be in the 'burbs, and close to transit, I would recommend Beaverton, Gresham, or Hillsboro, in that order. I know you think there are a lot of expenses that go with living downtown, but me let me tell you, as an individual who has lived in Tigard, Beaverton, and downtown, I can honestly say that they were all about the same, minus transit. Now, taking transportation into consideration, the suburbs were actually a little more expensive for me, because I did a lot more driving out there. Anyway, a good zip code to check out is 97201. That is where the Goose Hollow apartments are located. You will find Goose Hollow on the College Housing Northwest website.

[angelbug]

Originally Posted by GoBeavs

xhwe: Really, Portland is a very safe city, and the suburbs are too. In the metro area there was something like 32 murders in the year 2006. With a population of roughly 2.2 million that's a pretty amazing statistic. You can use Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed to check out these statistics.

Looks like a good place to get raped, though. I wonder why the rate for Portland is so much higher than Seattle or the national rate?!

[xhwe]

GoBeavs, thank you for that link. Im checking out that site, it seems very useful, I may consider that.

And I agree with angelbug, that is high lol.. weird. but either way, I'm sure its an improvement than wandering the streets here in philadelphia.

Edit: Yes it is, in fact, worse in philadelphia. haha.
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[angelbug]

Hmmm, maybe I should just stay where I am... though even here our rape rate is higher than the national average - I suspect that involves a lot of date rape on campus, though. I've only heard of one rape reported in the media the entire 6 years I've been here, and that was on one of the bike paths in the middle of the day on a Sunday!

Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[oldtintype]

I actually don't understand the rape statistics here and this topic has come up before. I question the validity of that statistic and all I can think of is that it's some kind of strange anomoly or that for some reason rape is actually REPORTED here rather than mostly not reported in other locations. It doesn't seem like an accurate statistic, given the safety of the area. I feel completely safe here and can only remember hearing of 1 or 2 rapes in the news.

And you can't compare the crime statistics of Davis, which is out in the boonies and mostly just a college town to a much larger city.

Portland is also kind of diffferent in that if you ask most people about where Portland stops and starts, you will get a very different idea of what the boundaries actually are. Most of Portland that people are discussing on this forum is west of 82nd (on the east side). Once you cross 82nd and even closer in in some areas, it can be a different world and the areas are full of cheap rows and rows of apartments, that's where the majority of the drugs are, and some of the neighborhoods have the nick name of felony flats for a reason. I'm talking about the area between the borders of Portland and Gresham. I have a feeling a lot of the statistics are coming from this area--meth alley or felony flats--whatever you want to call it. It's not indicative of Portland as a whole.

[tiffela74]

personally, i have two theories on the higher count of Rape, for one, like OldTinType says, it could be that its reported here more...
the other, as much as I hate to say it, i wonder if it could be because we have so many of those awful strip joints out here.....
anyhow, thats my 2cents on that,
as a female though, Ive never felt threatened in Portland, I think we have a good amount of officers scattered about, in cars, bikes, motercycles, and on foot. Just gotta use your brain too, i know theres no freakin way Id go into some of the parks in the deep of night. And, I stay away from the strip joints. some of the characters coming and going from there arent too impressive IMO. ugh.
tiffany