Lake Oswego vs West Linn vs???? (Portland, Milwaukie: sales, lease, crime)

[betsye]

My husband, two sons and I are considering a move to the Portland area. The boys are 5 and 6 and in K and 1st grade. We are currently living in an affluent suburb of NYC in New Jersey. It is lovely, has excellent schools, etc. Can someone/anyone! please advise us on the pros and cons of LO, West Linn, Wilsonville, etc as we're about to take a trip to look at homes and would really like to narrow down our search. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

[DocOregon]

Those are all nice areas, with strong property values and among the highest median household incomes in the Portland metro area. I would recommend checking out the web sites for the school districts and the local city governments in those areas. I also know of a web site that will give you good information to make comparisons of the schools and school districts in those communties. Best of luck!

[Tobin]

If you now live in an affluent suburb of NYC, then only Lake Oswego will really match up to what your used to. You might want to check into NW Portland. The Forest Heights/Bethany areas are really nice. You just have to deal with a rougher commute from out there. Unless you take mass transit (MAX train).

[newmama]

i just moved here with my 9 year olds from affluent malibu and chose west linn. the schools are small and the classes are small in size. there are lots of parks. it is safe here. you get more house for your money in west linn and are not on top of your neighbor like in LO. i would tell you to look at greatschools.net and see the high ratings of west linn schools. its a safe, clean and pretty area. i am happy with my choice.

[babycoleslaw]

Originally Posted by newmama

i just moved here with my 9 year olds from affluent malibu and chose west linn. the schools are small and the classes are small in size. there are lots of parks. it is safe here. you get more house for your money in west linn and are not on top of your neighbor like in LO. i would tell you to look at greatschools.net and see the high ratings of west linn schools. its a safe, clean and pretty area. i am happy with my choice.

Hello!
I'm relocating to the Portland area w/ my family in a few months and am narrowing down my areas to Lake Oswego, West Linn or Wilsonville.
Do you notice if the area of West Linn inside of 205 is nicer than the area near old Wilamette???
And how big are the class sizes?? I saw that it is typical in L.O. to have 25-30 in a class, though their test scores are great, esp for the special needs population and one of my kids has a disability.
Any thoughts?? Thanks so much!!!

[DocOregon]

Both school districts are very good, and I think you would do well to choose either. As for downtown West Linn, it's just a matter of personal taste, Up above I-205 you have mostly newer homes but with higher prices. In downtown/Willamette area, you have mostly older homes but with lower prices. You might also check with the West Linn PD to see if there is a difference in crime between the 2 areas. The department's main phone # is: 503-655-6214.

[betsye]

Are there any elementary schools in west linn that are "better" than the others? Also, anyone see a benefit of renting before buying when relcoating to West Linn or Lake Oswego? Thank you!

[babycoleslaw]

Originally Posted by nwhomepro

Both school districts are very good, and I think you would do well to choose either. As for downtown West Linn, it's just a matter of personal taste, Up above I-205 you have mostly newer homes but with higher prices. In downtown/Willamette area, you have mostly older homes but with lower prices. You might also check with the West Linn PD to see if there is a difference in crime between the 2 areas. The department's main phone # is: 503-655-6214.

Thanks for your information!! I just wish I were there so I could be checking out these areas each weekend and truly make the best choice for us!!

[DocOregon]

Whether you should rent first or buy depends a little on your financial situation. In general, however, most people who are new to an area and completely unfamiliar with it should probably rent first. The downside to renting first is that if you rent before you buy, you have to move twice. For some people that's just too much hassle. Also, even though home sales recently have slowed in our area, prices have not retreated so, theoretically, if you rent first, you will lose some buying power as prices continue to appreciate while you're renting. On the other hand, choosing the right community is very important, and that's very hard to do without being familiar with the area in general. So I would say, if you can afford to wait, and don't mind the extra effort of moving twice, you should rent first. That way you can spend more time familiarizing yourself with the area before you get tied down to a specific property. With a rental, you just move out when the lease expires. But if you own your home, you have to find a buyer first, then pay sale costs, then pay purchase costs all over again for the next home.

As for elementary schools, there are so many in that area and, statistically speaking, they are all fairly comparable. The following web site provides statistical reports for each of the schools in those areas:

http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reports/toc.aspx

After selecting some schools that look good "on paper," I would recommend visiting the schools and talking to the staff at each one in order to get a feel for which school would best match what you're looking for. Unfortunately, you can't prescreen individual teachers, but you can often get an idea about the quality of a school based on the responsiveness and quality of the school's leadership and office staff. So, once you narrow your search to 2 or 3 schools, set up an appointment to meet with the principal or assistant principal at each school. Ask that person the questions that you feel are important with regard to your childrens' education.

Best of luck!

[babycoleslaw]

Originally Posted by nwhomepro

Whether you should rent first or buy depends a little on your financial situation. In general, however, most people who are new to an area and completely unfamiliar with it should probably rent first. The downside to renting first is that if you rent before you buy, you have to move twice. For some people that's just too much hassle. Also, even though home sales recently have slowed in our area, prices have not retreated so, theoretically, if you rent first, you will lose some buying power as prices continue to appreciate while you're renting. On the other hand, choosing the right community is very important, and that's very hard to do without being familiar with the area in general. So I would say, if you can afford to wait, and don't mind the extra effort of moving twice, you should rent first. That way you can spend more time familiarizing yourself with the area before you get tied down to a specific property. With a rental, you just move out when the lease expires. But if you own your home, you have to find a buyer first, then pay sale costs, then pay purchase costs all over again for the next home.

As for elementary schools, there are so many in that area and, statistically speaking, they are all fairly comparable. The following web site provides statistical reports for each of the schools in those areas:

http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reports/toc.aspx

After selecting some schools that look good "on paper," I would recommend visiting the schools and talking to the staff at each one in order to get a feel for which school would best match what you're looking for. Unfortunately, you can't prescreen individual teachers, but you can often get an idea about the quality of a school based on the responsiveness and quality of the school's leadership and office staff. So, once you narrow your search to 2 or 3 schools, set up an appointment to meet with the principal or assistant principal at each school. Ask that person the questions that you feel are important with regard to your childrens' education.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the great info!!
Unfortunately, we're in a position where it just isn't feasable to move twice so we'd really like to buy.
We seem to have narrowed our areas down to West Linn/Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie and Newberg...our plan is to visit for 5 days this spring and spend a day in each area house hunting and viewing the schools.
The one that feels most like home to us is where we will continue the home search.
I hope this works!!! =O)