Which PDX Neighborhood Between Beaverton & Milwaukie? (Portland, Tigard: houses, neighborhoods)

[norcal111]

We're planning a move to Portland in the next year, and would love ideas for neighborhoods to look into. We have two young kids, and now live in SF (the Marina). My husband will work in Beaverton, and the kids will attend school in Milwaukie. We spent two months in the Pearl and loved the vibe, but it's too painful to drive down to Milwaukie 4 times a day (besides not wanting to raise the kids in a high-rise ).

Attributes we're looking for in a neighborhood: safe, family friendly, good community services (library, parks, pool, etc.), walk (or at least, short driving distance) to neighborhood shops and restaurants, young professional families, not too far from downtown.

I've heard LO as a possibility, but am wary of the commute to Beaverton. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[oldtintype]

Are you sending them to the Waldorf school? If so, Sellwood would be a very easy commute for school, and you'd love it (lots of the families that attend the Waldorf school also live in Sellwood), but harder for Beaverton.

[norcal111]

Thanks for the reply, oldtintype! Yes, the kids will go to the Waldorf school in Milwaukie. I've read about Sellwood and it sounds super family friendly, but long commutes make my husband grouchy. Trying to find a happy medium somewhere.

[oldtintype]

What part of Beaverton anyway?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

West Linn. Top rated schools, small town enviroment, multiple ways to commute out of... easily my #1 suggestion. Try the Willamette area first.

[Rhiannon29]

We live in Beaverton and my mother in law lives in milwaukie and it takes about 40 min. to get to her apt. taking the highway during non-rush hour times. During rush hour? Longer. Unless you find a back road to take. My husband works near Nob Hill area and he takes a back road to work everyday and gets there in less than 1/2 hour. I agree about West Linn. Or maybe Lake Oswego or Tigard.

[oldtintype]

But if they live in those areas (such as Tigard), they're going to hit traffic trying to take the kids to school in the mornings....
Best bet is to be somewhere in the middle between Beaverton and Milwaukie, and both of you hit a bit of traffic, or bite the bullet and one of you (school or work) will have to deal with traffic each day....

Where he's working in Beaverton makes a difference too...

[Brandon26pdx]

Probably Lake Owsego. You've got the Sellwood Bridge to go over to Milwaukie/Sellwood area, and HWY 217 come out of LO and goes right through Beaverton. Traffic would be an issue on the 217 during rush hour and theres really no way to avoid it.

[JKA]

What's wrong with this neighborhood/house?


The house is new and big and looks wonderful. Why is it so cheap. I can't tell from google or yahoo maps or zillow if it is surrounded by slums, stirp malls, steel mills, or warehouses. Is it a terrible neighborhood? Is Milwaukie a terrible place to live?

Anyone have any ideas on this?

Thanks