Looking to move to Portland area, advice on different neighborhoods please (Beaverton: for sale, real estate)

[NFURNO]

Thanks for the info, helps when I'm trying to look at places, anything about Sherwood, beaverton or Oregon city?

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

I understand but my family will be home 98% of the time or out on the town and my whole day will not be at work so given I can go to any town with a best buy or close commute its really just neighborhood recommendations. I spend over an hour with a work commute now and live 10 miles away from work. My commute isn't as important as my familys quality of life

But what we're trying to tell you is, your family's quality of life isn't going to be much different in whatever suburb you live ... whether it's in Clackamas County (Milwaukie, Happy Valley, etc) or Washington County (Beaverton, Hillsboro, etc.)

St. Helens (the town, not the mountain) is within commuting distance to Portland. It's really rural, though, and fairly depressed. I'm not sure that the schools would be all that great ... but that's just a guess. The area around there were pretty much factory towns, mills, etc., which have pretty much closed down.

Sherwood is a nice area. No more remote, but a more up-and-coming area than St. Helens.

I'm a big supporter of Clackamas County. I think housing is cheaper there (and, it's my old stomping grounds, so I'm more familiar with it), and property taxes, too. You should be able to easily find something in that price range. I also think it's the easiest commute into downtown Portland. And with the new MAX line opening soon, the commute will be even easier. I have a family member who is a Clackamas County cop, and I've never heard any complaints from him about the department. Another was a Milwaukie city cop, but is retired.

But, if you're working at one of the stores in the suburbs like that, you can go even further out, commuting in to the store. Lots of nice smaller communities. Oregon City's not bad, but probably the most "worn" community in the county. It wouldn't be my first choice.

[NFURNO]

I guess I'm just confused because some of the comments I've read about certain areas, like people have said hillsboro is filled with crime and drugs, paints some towns in different lights so I'm just getting any clarification I can. Really appreciate your input on sherwood and st helens. As far as st helens goes that seems to be my understanding but wanted to get any info from ppl in the area. I liked the fact that beaverton had a Max line making the trip to downtown that much easier. Orginally I looked at clackamas county places but saw an article mentioning beaverton, sherwood and oregon city

[EnricoV]

Well, now I'm not a west side person, so what I know is probably apocryphal. But, my sense is that Hillsboro is an older community, while Beaverton's a bit newer, as regards to development. Hillsboro also borders on farmland, and has had a higher influx of Hispanic residents. So, it gets that reputation. I'm not so sure it's earned, though.

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

I understand but my family will be home 98% of the time or out on the town and my whole day will not be at work so given I can go to any town with a best buy or close commute its really just neighborhood recommendations. I spend over an hour with a work commute now and live 10 miles away from work. My commute isn't as important as my familys quality of life

Saying you don't care if it takes you an hour to get home because you're in the same situation now, that you're trying to get away from, is really frustrating to people in this area. So many people have moved here with that kind of attitude that traffic here has really gotten out of control and is just getting worse and worse. Portland has SMALL freeways that bottleneck and it's impossible to make them bigger. In the future it's going to become more and more important to live near where you work. You may doubt this claim or think it's bad advice but it's real advice. Traffic in this are is unique due to geography and you really do want to focus on what your commute will be and keeping it as easy as possible. No one is trying to give you bad advice.

[NFURNO]

Im not sure where the miscommunication is but I never said I dont care if it takes me an hour to get home. I stated that Im in that situation now. The thing I stressed was a place to raise my family was more important that a drive to work, especially seeing as if I do transfer up there it would not be a permanent thing. I apologize for the misunderstanding but yes I want to have a better commute if possible but the best place for my family out ranks me sitting in a car for an extra 20-30 min a day.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

I guess I'm just confused because some of the comments I've read about certain areas, like people have said hillsboro is filled with crime and drugs, paints some towns in different lights so I'm just getting any clarification I can. Really appreciate your input on sherwood and st helens. As far as st helens goes that seems to be my understanding but wanted to get any info from ppl in the area. I liked the fact that beaverton had a Max line making the trip to downtown that much easier. Orginally I looked at clackamas county places but saw an article mentioning beaverton, sherwood and oregon city

There's really no place in the Portland Metro Area "filled" with crime and drugs. There are some places that have more crime and drugs than others, but compared to other metro areas of the same size, I think we're pretty small potatoes when it comes to the numbers.

Beaverton, Sherwood, Hillsboro (all in Washington County) are all fine. Of course, with any city there are "better" areas and "worse" areas. But to describe where those are for every city would fill a book, and would also be redundant because you can use the City Data search function to look up information about individual cities.

Oregon City (in Clackamas Co.) is fine too. Good areas? Yes, they exist. Bad areas? Yes, they exist. But I can assure you that we have very few burned-out, abandoned hulks of building as you would find in Detroit, for example. Our suburbs are pretty safe and non-descript.

Sounds like a trip is in order! Come on out and check out the city.

[NFURNO]

Yea I am in the process of booking the trip out there to check out the places with my family. Trying to get an idea of places to check out rather than drive around mindlessly haha. As far as things to do and such, any towns stick out more than others? walkability?

[Yankeemama]

I would move to Beaverton, for sure. You may find a townhouse for $200,000. but the best schools in Beaverton are found in areas with homes over $400,000. from what I hear from friends who live in the area. There are a ton of Intel families out that way and Beaverton has the lowest violent crime rate in the area. I moved from NYC to Portland. I grew up in S.F and trust everyone on this board... Portland has it's issues but drive by shootings and car jacking is not one of them. The traffic during rush hour sucks because the infrastructure really can't support it. I got stuck in suburban traffic out in Beaverton and felt like I was in L.A. I don't ever drive in rush hour in Portland area so that was a fluke. I do warn you about trying to convince the wife. Every spouse from the East coast ( that I know) that was "convinced" by his/ her spouse to move here, has not adjusted. I know a few people who hate it here and feel resentful towards their spouses every time Winter rolls around. Portland is a different place and SAD is not a joke especially when isolation from family sets in. Just my two cents.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

Yea I am in the process of booking the trip out there to check out the places with my family. Trying to get an idea of places to check out rather than drive around mindlessly haha. As far as things to do and such, any towns stick out more than others? walkability?

Walkability in the 'burbs is tougher to come by, but it's not impossible, if you're talking about walking to services. It's just a matter of placement. However ... living along or near commercial streets isn't usually that desirable. That tends more to be where crime happens, mostly just because there's more opportunity.

Thinking of your wife working from home, and entertaining kids ... personally, I'd stick to something out towards Beaverton with access to the MAX there. It's a simple ride from there to the Zoo & the Children's Museum. Or, Milwaukie, which (when MAX is completed) will be a simple ride to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry). Those are the "major" kid-entertaining spots. Lots of others available throughout town, though. And parks and outdoor recreation spots are everywhere.