Beaverton/Hillsboro vs. Lake Oswego/West Linn (Portland, Aloha: for sale, to rent)

[uraznballer12]

Some background info: my husband and I just moved to Portland recently. We are both chiropractors and plan to open a practice. We are also looking to buy our first house and we are expecting our first child to arrive in about 3 months. We want to live in the same area as we work, so ideally we are looking to move to a Portland suburb with an affluent demographic (ideal for our work), and a strong/competitive schooling system (for our kids). Other factors we want to consider are the saturation of the market in the area, traffic, quality of life, housing affordability, and conveniency to the city.

For our first home, we are looking to buy 3+ bdrm, 2000+ sq feet, 500-600k price range.

So based on our research, we've narrowed down to 2 generalized areas -Beaverton/Hillsboro and Lake Oswego/West Linn. From our understanding, these are the factors we've considered:

Beaverton/Hillsboro -large population, up-and-coming/high potential (Silicon Forest), housing costs are more reasonable
Lake Oswego/West Linn -affluent population, closer knit community, strong school systems

Any input and advice would be highly appreciated!!!

[texasdiver]

In your shoes, I’d also look at Camas WA. Schools are equally good compared to where you are looking, housing is similar, community demographics are similar, traffic is better, and the tax situation for you will be MUCH better.

FWIW, I’m guessing that everywhere in metro Portland is going to be saturated with chiropractors. So that is going to be your toughest hurdle. Maybe buy a practice from someone retiring?

[cyberous]

LO is the ghetto... houses only have prop planes. Get some jets people! LoL

I think your going to need a much bigger budget.

[Pfhtex]

Originally Posted by uraznballer12

Some background info: my husband and I just moved to Portland recently. We are both chiropractors and plan to open a practice. We are also looking to buy our first house and we are expecting our first child to arrive in about 3 months. We want to live in the same area as we work, so ideally we are looking to move to a Portland suburb with an affluent demographic (ideal for our work), and a strong/competitive schooling system (for our kids). Other factors we want to consider are the saturation of the market in the area, traffic, quality of life, housing affordability, and conveniency to the city.

For our first home, we are looking to buy 3+ bdrm, 2000+ sq feet, 500-600k price range.

So based on our research, we've narrowed down to 2 generalized areas -Beaverton/Hillsboro and Lake Oswego/West Linn. From our understanding, these are the factors we've considered:

Beaverton/Hillsboro -large population, up-and-coming/high potential (Silicon Forest), housing costs are more reasonable
Lake Oswego/West Linn -affluent population, closer knit community, strong school systems

Any input and advice would be highly appreciated!!!

LO/West Linn, all the way, it is no contest.

If you look in the Beav, Raleigh Hills - - maybe more house for the buck, but seriously, I've lived in LO for 3 years and it's night and day.

[DKM]

Did somebody mention traffic? LO and West Linn (especially) don't have traffic except by the freeway. Not so in Beaverton.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by DKM

Did somebody mention traffic? LO and West Linn (especially) don't have traffic except by the freeway. Not so in Beaverton.

Maybe so if you are only driving within the tiny city of West Linn itself. How about if you want to drive to downtown Portland via 205 and 84? Or get anywhere else in the Portland metro area? Do West Linn residents have a magic way to avoid that traffic?

In any event, the OPs bigger problem is going to be finding a place to start a new chiropractor clinic because the Portland metro area is saturated with chiropractors. It is going to be a VERY tough road to open a new practice in a high rent place like Lake Oswego when there are already too many established chiropractors in the area. Maybe buy out an existing practice from an older established chiropractor who is looking to sell out and retire?

[psichick]

Originally Posted by DKM

Did somebody mention traffic? LO and West Linn (especially) don't have traffic except by the freeway. Not so in Beaverton.

However, traffic going through Beaverton could also be good for business. People may go there after, during, or before work while traveling through to avoid said traffic. Most people don't "travel through" LO/West Linn.

Granted, as others have stated, I guess it depends on where you can a place to rent (for the biz) and not be right next to another chiropractor.

[harrishawke]

Maybe you should rent first. Opening a practice in a highly saturated market sounds like a possibility of an epic fail.

[APORG]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Maybe so if you are only driving within the tiny city of West Linn itself. How about if you want to drive to downtown Portland via 205 and 84? Or get anywhere else in the Portland metro area? Do West Linn residents have a magic way to avoid that traffic?

Yes, yes they do. The 43 runs straight up into downtown Portland and accesses Sellwood via the bridge. If you live in the area you will also discover several other lesser-known "back ways" so it is possible to almost entirely avoid traffic other than some slow downs during the worst part if you have to cross the Sellwood Bridge. LO and West Linn are by far much nicer areas, you will find a community there ofother professionals and artists, and the old town portion of LO is full of great food and a perfect spot to chill with your kids or grandkids. Beaverton/Hillsboro is just a suburb that has absorbed some of Portland's "cool" but it;s still just a suburb with no real vibe. Very "bridge and tunnel" and families but LO and WL are good all around. There some great parks in WL, and lots of food on the old town section there as well.

[JonathanLB]

I live in Beaverton, obviously LO and West Linn are much nicer. You’ll pay the price but I know a couple of wealthy people in LO, friends of my dad, one of the pictures above is near a house of a family friend right on the water, beautiful area! You really can’t beat that, but it’s very very expensive. I know less about West Linn except that it’s very nice and upscale, I just haven’t spent as much time there. Both of my first girlfriends lived in LO.

The main issue with Beaverton is probably traffic and the fact there are ok pockets and good pockets. There’s not any especially “bad” areas of Beaverton, maybe one or two in Hillsboro, but there’s few areas I’d call great, either. Probably I like Orenco Station area better than anything near me in Beaverton. Houses here are by Portland standards affordable, like we are listing our house at $599K and it’s nearly 3,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms / 2.5 bathrooms so you can definitely find something very solid for your budget. Across the street from me is a 4 / 2.5 for sale that’s 2,061 square feet at $489K. Just for a few references and we’re in South Beaverton near Progress Ridge, so a good area of Beaverton. We used to live off 185th and to me that’s the more mediocre area of Beaverton, too close to Aloha and TV Highway, which all looks depressingly drab.