A sense of community? - Hillsboro, Beaverton, Sherwood, or???

[Leisesturm]

MtnSurfer, I live less than 1000 feet from the sports bar that was the epicenter of the gang melee in the paper. This is the first time I am hearing about it. Clearly I need to turn the radio to something other than All Classical FM once in awhile. I know I have a vision problem but I have never seen ANY tags on any building or public work in Hillsboro in the month that I have been here. Hispanics are here and very visibly so nevertheless most of the time you can hear a pin drop in my house, the whole house fan makes more noise than the neighbors music. So does the frieight train when it comes through... ... My neighbor is a friendly enough fellow. There is a park a couple of blocks away and kids play and play and play as do groups of kids on a more informal basis. That said, the kind of 'community' that you long for so ardently is a vestige of a bygone era. The economic climate of the 21st Century does not favor a single wage earner lifestyle and materialism promotes isolationism as does the latent xenophobia evident in some of the posts here. Consider yourself to have done well to find two or three families on your block or in your neighborhood with which you have kids in common and/or some interests and can form a closer bond within what is generally known as 'community'. I have an unusually greater amount of time for a limitied time to get to know my surroundings. Once over and I am gainfully employed I will be one of the nameless neighbors hibernating in my palatial retreat from the madding crowds. I've lived in towns with a population of 1300 and it wasn't much different. Modern life is very different from "Leave it to Beaver" and "Andy Griffith". In Hillsboro (or Beaverton for that matter) you can find a reasonably close (friendly) neighborhood that you can commute from. You can also venture off the MAX line and find a more rural vibe, its up to you. If you want to spend hundreds of dollars a month commuting from a far out suburb or want the hassle of a "park 'n' ride" commute then you can have it. If you want less of a city than full strength PDX you can have that too. In none of these options is gang violence a significant factor any more or any less than it would be anywhere else i.e. where you live right now.

H

[ds495]

Multnomah is quirky and charming. About 3 blocks of shops and restaurants, with houses close by. Forest around it, but close commute to dntn Portland. Nice.

[Bluesbabe]

Originally Posted by PNWhike

Obviously do not get out of your part of HIllsboro very often. Go to the WAshington County Sheriffs Office Gang Enforcement webpage. Seeing is believing. The gang problem from California has gotten progressively worse every year. No, the gangbangers melee in Downtown Hillsboro last weekend was not normal in the sense that the level of violence escalated to where innocent people near the gangfight got assaulted, had rocks and bottles thrown at their cars, and it spilled inside. But go walk around some of the areas surrounding downtown and you are guaranteed to see some gang tagging. There are some rally nice areas of Hillsboro, I'm a former resident myself. So i understand defensiveness of Hillsboro residents who choose to put their blinderrs on. There are some violent Street Gangs from California in parts of Hillsboro. Much of Hillsboro is still really nice to live. I have friends who live there.

What a lot of people don't realize is that tagging has become the property owner's "crime". It doesn't matter who took the cans and painted graffitti; ordinances require the property owner to remove it immediately or THEY get fined. I do not know if this pertains to both residential and commercial, but the gang "evidence" isn't nearly so conspicuous anymore and that leads people to a false sense of security.

New Hillsboro (Orenco, Tanasbourne, Rock Creek areas) are a different world from Old Hillsboro. I live in Old(er) Hillsboro, and not only is crime more prevalent in these areas, some of the schools are horrid. We've had families in our neighborhood move away because of the schools, and we'll soon lose another one.

Something we've noticed in the last year or so is that the police rarely respond to calls with one single car. It's always at least two cars, often more.

[tredds]

Assumptions and sterotypes are based on observations and trends... and are often correct. To assume they are not illegal is more of a stretch.

[mdvaden]

I love the coast, and Hillsboro was one choice when we moved back. There are good areas there. It has become big enough, that a gang in one area becomes irrelevant now as pertains to a good neighborhood elsewhere.

Sherwood has a community feel.

Honestly, I think even Lake Oswego has a nice feel too, although spendy, but not expensive in every nook.

In Beaverton area, Greenway is a pretty nice average area with lots of nice folks in a moderate price range.

Bethany area is pretty decent too. Forget if that's Portland or an extension of Beaverton.

I've never cared for the east burbs myself. Would probably pick Vancouver over Gresham or Troutdale. Vancouver, WA, is really a Portland suburb with a Washington address and tax structure.

[gorilazgomossad]

Originally Posted by roneb

I think Sherwood would offer the best sense of community. Of any surrounding town that would be my choice for a move. You might also consider Multnomah Village in Portland itself. While in the city, it has one of the most distinct neighborhood/community feels to it in the Portland area. They even have their own little parade every summer!

Hi Roneb...any suggestions for Lewis and Clark student living? I'd like to buy a house or townhome in Portland, close enough to campus to take public transit, walk or a very short drive to the school. I plan to keep the house for longer than three years prior to selling, so buying in a real estate market for me in the next few years will be a good idea even though I know people say it really "isn't a buyers market".

Anyone else - feel free to chime in, or message me.
I'm single, 28 and have a dog. I'm outdoorsy but like to have a neighborhood feel so at night I can dress up in heels for a date or walk a few blocks to go meet a friend to see a band play. My best living situation ever was when I lived in a hip young neighborhood three blocks from one street of music venues/pubs and about ten blocks to my very favorite hangout spot where I routinely met up with friends. Any further away than that and I feel isolated from society. I like to walk, hate to drive. And yet, I dislike highrise apartments and super fancy dressers so dont want to be dabsmack in downtown of any city. I like to be just slightly off the grid if that makes any sense whatsoever. I like indie rock, sushi and independent movies as well as all kayaking and hiking. Love dogs.

I'm 28, so I'd like to avoid same "punks" ca_north talked about in "Thuggy" thread. Noise pollution bugs me. But I'm single, so I'd like to be in a neighborhood with straight single men in their 30s. Would like to meet someone nice to get married to at some point . Love gays and lgbt community, but dont want to live in the gayborhood because it kills my prospects!!

Thanks guys. PS I'm new so if you have any criticisms, please leave it for the private message, I cant stand people who are argumentative and bully people in public. Thanks again.

[HonuMan]

My wife and I have lived in a modest (houses in the $220-270K range) but safe neighborhood for the past 10 years. Most of our neighbors are polite, but with one exception (a couple who moved away), we've never been able to make friends with any of them. Conversation extends to occasional pleasantries about the weather or gardening. We usually initiate when someone new moves in by bringing cookies and offering to keep an eye on their house if they go on vacation, or telling them to feel free to come to us if they ever have an emergency. Then we probe for common interests that we hope might lead to further conversations. Typically, that's the end of our interactions. People either keep to themselves or associate with existing friends.

In contrast, we have friends who live in an equally modest but more diverse neighborhood near Concordia on the east side, and neighbors frequently get together for barbeques, house-sit for one another, and feel free to drop by if the main door is open and the screen door is closed. We've been to several gatherings there and have had wonderful conversations with the people. The only reason I can think of is that the people in this neighborhood tend to be artsy and liberal (as are my wife and I), whereas the people in our Beaverton neighborhood tend to be blue-collar and conservative. I'm not making a value judgment, just stating differences in backgrounds and interests that might be preventing friendships from developing. I don't know whether or neighbors would say that they feel a sense of community with one another, but we don't.

Anyway, that's another thing to factor in: there may be a sense of community some place, but would you fit in?

[gorilazgomossad]

Honuman, thanks for giving us all some great points to think about.