Portland Economy

[anyone101]

Oregonrain

So if the umemployment is higher why are people still moving here in droves? You think they move away or an exodus like the case in Detroit? Portland & Seattle have some of the strongest housing markets and while other areas had tanked in that area the housing market is still holding strong so there must be some reason why people are moving in then out?

[Kathleenh54]

My nineteen year-old daughter is considering a move to Portland to attend community college. We are concerned about safety as we've read the city has a high crime rate. Some areas must be safer than others; any recommendations?

[OREGONRAIN]

Yes people do move here, but you have to do statistics on who is moving here. Are they corporate transfers from elsewhere in the USA. recent college graduates that have landed a decent job. Are they just people moving here without a job, there is alot of that I think, or are they immigrants both legal and illegal, there is definitely that. I do not think the majority are corporate transfers, or recent college grads, yes some of those moving here are from those groups, but I think the majority are from the latter groups. There are tons of highrise condos being built in the downtown area, alot of people wonder who is buying these places, investors or actual Oregonians. I don't know, but I can't see where all these real estate investors manage to find enough people here with the high paying job that would be required to purchase this outrageous priced real estate.

[OREGONRAIN]

Kathleen, I don't know where in Portland your daughter is going to college. Perhaps either NW or SW Portland might be a safer area for her, they are both quite expensive areas though. If she is going to be here without a car, you will need to keep that in mind, you can get practically anywhere here without a car, but its nice to be on the most direct route when choosing where you are living. She might want to ask the school or school friends areas they recommend.

[anyone101]

Kathleenh

As OregonRain state the SW area would be better for your daughter. The major community college she probably attend would be to Portland Community College (http://www.pcc.edu) which sits ontop of Sylvania hill in the SW area. For the most part it's a nice area. Also keep in mind that PCC also has three other campuses too so depends on which classes or areas of study she's taking. For most general classes like Eneglish and mathematics she can take at any of the four campuses.

The others are at Rock Creek, NW of Baverton in a fast developing suburb (used to open coungtryside) further out from Portland. Cascade off of NE Killingsworth and MLK in an iffy area. The bad neighborhoods there are hard to identify because they vary by the block. The third is SE about a few block north from SE Division along SE 82nd and the adjacent neighborhoods off of 82nd aren't that great.

THe next college is Mt Hood Community College east btwn Portland and Troutdale north of Gresham. Don't that area to well so I can't tell you if they're that great or not. But, I think the SW might be better should she decide to enroll at Portland State Univeristy (www.pdx.edu) or Lewis & Clark and still attend some of the classes at PCC.

[Stonecoldharbours]

I think what it is that there are alot of unhappy people who are looking for something better, some may never be "happy" and look forever, but that is their choice to do so, then some are in bad places, where there is no affordable housing and they may employed, even well off to some extent but forced to live in the seedier areas, cause nothing decent exists in their town...(current situation for myself) Believe it or not here, but some areas have either low income housing or mansions and not much to offer in between that most americans would dream of, a nice 1500 sq ft home with maybe a 1/4 acre of land and good safe schools, for bout 200 grand? Doesn't seem to exist anymore, at least not very common anymore. What I see, peronally here is, nice condos with killer hoa mgmts breathing down your back, overrun with the criminal element, schools failing the grade, people afraid to go outside and talk to their neighbors, cars with temp tags coming and going all hours of the night, people you never see again, shady looking characters, people high on alcohol and drugs hanging out at night, sex offenders on every corner, so wonder I Want out of here, anyone would.

[Stonecoldharbours]

Oreganrain, what could be happening, which had happened in my current situation, is that many illegals and some citizens for that matter, buy a home or rent one and then move in by the truckloads, you do not what to know how that looks in a condo community, three, four families living in a one or two bedroom home, drugs and prositution we all suspect here, eveyone has their home up for sale cause this got out of hand, there are no laws to prevent this and its getting "Worse"..Almost every five homes has a for sale sign here, I almost hate to put mine up, its just plain sickening...but word got out bout all the drug homes, people piling into small homes, and other things, that everyone now, all the sudden it seems wants out!~ If that is happening here, I am sure it is happening other places too. I just want to live where its not happening...someday someone will get shot here or something, and I want out of here before it does happen.