Portland Neighborhoods / Quaint Town (Oregon City, West Linn: sales, rent, home)

[rosevilleroseville]

Hello,

My husband recently got a job transfer to Portland. He is in sales & will be working remotely from home. We recently did a trip to Portland and did some exploring of Portland proper & the surrounding areas. He will need to drive to the city for meetings a couple of times a week, so a very short commute time is not super important. With that said, in the event that he changes jobs, we don't want to be an hour out of the city.

We'd like to purchase a home for around $300,000 / or possibly rent for around $1500, if do-able.

Safety and good schools are important to us.

We are of two-minds:

1. Walkable neighborhood, parks, libraries, trees, town center. I would prefer to find a stand alone home with a yard. A few areas of Portland really stood out to us, but I am sure they are far too expensive! Ie: Laurelhurst, Beaumont/Willshire, Grant Park, Alameda. Are any of these neighborhoods reasonable to consider? What other neighborhoods would you consider?

My first preference would be to live in Portland, but I also liked Oregon City. It seems like a cute town, but would love suggestions to neighborhoods if it were worth exploring some more.

Other suburban towns to focus in on?

2. Country/rural home. A place to have a little land for a garden, chickens, and maybe goats. We like rural, but prefer an area that feels more like a small town and less of a backwoods-feel.

Any help would really be appreciated. We saw so many areas and are feeling really overwhelmed by the choice that lies ahead. If anyone would help steer us in the right direction, it would be appreciated!

[crisw]

Your budget will buy a very nice home in most of Clackamas County (which is where Oregon City is.) Chickens and goats are legal in most of the county (you need at least 10,000 SF of grazing area for a goat, though I don't know if anyone checks!) Most of the county isn't as walkable as many Portland neighborhoods, though. You might check out West Linn (just west across the bridge from Oregon City), Jennings Lodge and Oak Grove. The last two are less rural, but closer to the businesses along McLoughlin. Gladstone may be worth a look too.

[hamellr]

Goats are also legal within the City of Portland: Raising backyard animals and bees in Portland | FAQs | The City of Portland, Oregon

The "rural home" feel might have to be made by yourself, but you can find some 1/4 acres parcels in SE Portland for that price still. A lot of those places are fixers though.