Is Northeast Portland area really that bad and unsafe? (Beaverton: hardwood floors, real estate)

[queenofeverything]

I hear conflicting stories - my family plans on moving to Portland by the end of summer. Hubby is a native Portlander (?) but left 25 years ago to live in LA which is where we met. He is from the Beaverton area and remembers the northern parts of town as being unsavory. I've read several boards to the contrary and the real estate prices would suggest otherwise as well. What do you guys think? I am black (from Belize)and he is white and we have always lived in white communitities (Orange County CA) but I think I'm ready to see more of a mix of races in my community, but not at the risk of my and my young black sons' safety. Another reason for relocating to NE would be that I may still be able to find a nice home, hopefully a fixer-upper, at a reasonable price point, am I correct in this assumption?

[grassfeeder]

fixer-uppers are still going for a premium. I would make sure you're in the Grant HS areas. Stay very far from anywhere feeding into Jefferson.

[pdxmilw]

Parts of NE are among the nicest in Portland. Parts are less nice. None are especially unsafe, because Portland just isn't that unsafe. Jefferson and Madison aren't supposed to be very good schools, but houses in the close in parts of their feeder areas are still selling for ridiculous amounts- I sold one last summer. Presumably as the gentrification of the area continues, the schools will improve. The switch from K-5 to K-8 seems to have undone some progress on that front, though. That gentrification also means that the area's getting whiter.

There's nothing affordable that feeds into Grant, unless it's in need of absolutely massive repairs, and even then you'll pay more than $300,000, sometimes well more.

[ormari]

Originally Posted by queenofeverything

I hear conflicting stories - my family plans on moving to Portland by the end of summer. Hubby is a native Portlander (?) but left 25 years ago to live in LA which is where we met. He is from the Beaverton area and remembers the northern parts of town as being unsavory. I've read several boards to the contrary and the real estate prices would suggest otherwise as well. What do you guys think? I am black (from Belize)and he is white and we have always lived in white communitities (Orange County CA) but I think I'm ready to see more of a mix of races in my community, but not at the risk of my and my young black sons' safety. Another reason for relocating to NE would be that I may still be able to find a nice home, hopefully a fixer-upper, at a reasonable price point, am I correct in this assumption?

As far as safety, it's all about perspective. A lot has changed in 25 years! When your husband left 25 years ago, the perception (and perhaps reality) was that both North and Northeast were dangerous. News stories in the late 80s and beyond had stories of the bloods and the crips gangs fighting over territory. I had a friend that was looking at buying a house in N Portland for $25,000, and it was in completely habitable shape with nice hardwood floors.

My how times have changed! I don't know where exactly in NE you are looking and I don't have enough present knowledge to guide you. I am just writing to validate what your husband remembers, but also to state that it is a different world today.

[J24]

Originally Posted by queenofeverything

Another reason for relocating to NE would be that I may still be able to find a nice home, hopefully a fixer-upper, at a reasonable price point, am I correct in this assumption?

Moving from Orange County, just about everything should seem very reasonably priced unless you have a very low budget.

From my experience working in that area, there are some nice parts of NE Portland, but I feel that it does go downhill the further east you go. There are definitely some nice, older homes (that could be fixer-uppers) in the NE PDX area that seem to be in relatively nice neighborhoods.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

When I was a young man I remember my dad telling me that If I ever drove up Union Avenue I had better have my doors locked, my windows rolled up and a tire iron on the seat next to me.

That was in the late 70's.


Things have changed a lot since those days.

[ormari]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

When I was a young man I remember my dad telling me that If I ever drove up Union Avenue I had better have my doors locked, my windows rolled up and a tire iron on the seat next to me.

That was in the late 70's.


Things have changed a lot since those days.

Of course it's no longer Union Avenue!

[Port Pitt Ash]

Originally Posted by queenofeverything

Another reason for relocating to NE would be that I may still be able to find a nice home, hopefully a fixer-upper, at a reasonable price point, am I correct in this assumption?

How far from downtown are we talking?

One of the places I lived in Portland was the Overlook Park area (technically N. Portland) and I went as far as N Lombard St. often. Spent time going back and forth to Video Rama (7000 block? I forget.) on Lombard too.

My friends would tease me that they wouldn't come visit, but I never got the feeling that it was dangerous. A little rundown sure. There are some nice areas around there also.

Other than one or two spots Portland never struck me as all that dangerous.

If you're talking LA prices you'll probably be able to find a house you consider reasonably priced. For the area the houses always seemed a tad expensive though.

A mix of races? Portland is over 70% white.

[eric351982]

It's now the cool hippie area. Get out of 2002, girlfriend!

[Roz7]

NE Portland is very nice. We moved here from Chicago so don't really consider any neighborhood scary or unsafe, even for kids. Compared to LA prices will be reasonable, but a cute house is $350K if small, and $600K for something larger and nice. We miss the energy and diversity of a big city even though Portland is very pretty. I'd say it's over 90% white/Caucasian. Luckily food carts are everywhere so we can get good ethnic food finally.