Another CA transplant: Lake Oswego or SE Portland? (Tualatin: home, catholic schools)

[spicymeatball]

I'd say Lake Oswego is good for kids, Southeast much better for adults without children.

[Nell Plotts]

Lake Oswego is geographically large, you will have a variety of housing options.

[fuzzstell]

Lake O did seem pretty huge! I found it confusing but after time I guess it will become familiar. It also didn't seem like one particular area was 'nicer' than another. Just more or less trees or hills. I think Westlake seemed the most uniform in style while First Addition seemed the only flat, walkable area.

I thought I was going to be ga-ga over the new construction but thought it seemed too sterile. I preferred the slightly older (80s/90s) homes and there seems to be a plethora of those in that area.

And I wonder if the lake is actually clean and safe. I personally can't do open water swims but I'm sure my kids will as they get older. I like to see the bottom of the pool

[dperry9]

Originally Posted by fuzzstell

Looks like there's a pretty strong medical facility up in Portland. Someone told me they are the next Mayo clinic. ?

They may have meant the academic hospital complex Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), which is just south of downtown and is indeed very highly regarded. My father had brain surgery there for a benign tumor and everything went well, although the surgery started very late---it was like being stuck at the airport all day.

Eastmoreland is so small that I think it's not the best place on the east side to look for a nice cottage. I think the prices there are probably pretty "hillsy" (i.e. not far off from the nice older cottages in the postcard West Hills areas). You might try going north of Burnside on the east side and looking at the Irvington and Alameda areas, which are similar but larger when put together and prices may have a more reasonable range.

I agree with you that a lot of new construction is very meh but I think that applies all over the US. I think you may be on the right track to just rent for as much as a year and get to know the whole area better before buying, BUT---be aware that the housing market is trying desperately to rebound and it's a case where people are trying to get out from under housing purchases they made during the bubble. Prices just recently have started spiking back up so don't wait too long.

Unless you firmly decide on Lake Oswego, be sure to spend time driving around west of the Portland hills when you get up here and are touring the various markets (north and south of Highway 26). You will find more variety in some of those neighborhoods since they've been in development for a longer period of time compared to some of the newer developed areas. Stay away from Forest Heights (on the other side of the hills from northern part of Forest Park) if you don't want a big, overpriced, ugly house (sounds like you don't).

[leftwinghillbilly]

Another transplant thread. I am so tired of it. Stay home.

[Nell Plotts]

^^ Ignore!

[dperry9]

Yea, I don't agree with that attitude either. Should I have "stayed home" when my father got a job at OSU and we moved from Montana when I was eight years old (37 YEARS AGO)?

BTW, I went to college at Berkeley, across the bay from the person who started this thread, and lived there for 5 years. I never once had a single Californian act like somehow I had no right to be there.

There is so much interstate mobility in the US now that for state natives in any state to act like they own it is utter hogwash.

[fuzzstell]

Thanks dperry and nell. I looked at some of the suggested neighborhoods online and see that I still have a lot of homework to do and day trips to take. It looks like there's way more to offer other than just LO! Now if there was only something I could do about the impending greyness


GO BEARS!

[cubsbearsfan]

We moved from the bay area to Lake Oswego almost 3 years ago. Although my wife and I are originally Californians, the cost of living in the bay area was too prohibitive to purchase a home. Plus, the degree of wealth in certain pockets of California is simply not realistic, and I did not want our children growing up with this fantasy world. We had a hard time deciding where to eventually settle, but Lake Oswego became the clear choice because of the reputation of their public schools. I have seen city after city tank because of the demise of their schools. Lake Oswego public schools were different, as the families who make up Lake Oswego contribute generously to their school district... to the tune of $2 million/year.

Just this morning, I was listening to an NPR story where a family who originally lived in Menlo Park, CA, had purchased their 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1700 sq ft home for $160,000 back in 1969 (or something like that). The moved to the middle of farmland, CA, and now live in one of the worst unemployed regions of the state. Meanwhile, their previous Menlo Park home is now worth over $2 million dollars. The morale of the story was that it is difficult to pick a winning neighborhood. But one of the other conclusions was the importance of the education system in determining the worth of a neighborhood. Lake Oswego schools are excellent, and there is a passion involved in promoting the school district that is rarely seen in other places.

Plus, downtown Lake Oswego is great, Saturday farmer's market is bustling, there are some great restaurants and food options, great shopping is nearby (next door to Bridgeport Village and Washington Square Mall), gym membership (club sport), golf clubs (Oswego Lake), and some of the nicest homes in all of Oregon. It is also one of the safest neighborhoods in America, and Family Circle recently named Lake Oswego the THIRD best place in America to raise a family.

Yes, I'm biased. But I also really hope you guys decide to move here!

[Nell Plotts]

I heard the same broadcast. My DD works in Menlo Park, lives in Los Altos, SIL taught at 'Tino, niece lives in Redwood City. Home prices in the Silicon Valley are only marginally impacted by the strength of the schools - it is high paying jobs.

In Portland metro home values are impacted by the strength of the school enrollment area.