Destination Beaverton, Cedar Hills area - little help?

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by jiffyboob

All, we are on our way to Portland. Big leap of faith. Been to the city many times and love it. Love the weather. Love the trees. Enough said. We're heading specifically to Beaverton, in the Cedar Hills area. I have some general questions:

-Our kids are 12 and 13. Are there a lot of kids in that age bracket in the Cedar Hills area? Is this a nice older neighborhood for families like we think it is?

-We've hear rumors about meth heavy areas in some parts of Oregon. Any issues with Beaverton in this area? Any areas in Beaverton we should avoid?

-How is crime in Cedar Hills part of Beaverton RELATIVE to other areas in Beaverton and other PDX suburbs? We're trying to avoid areas where there is excessive low income housing. We're not snotty jerks wo demand royalty, but we want a nice clean area where we can take a walk at night without worrying about getting robbed

-Overall are there any aspects of the Beaverton area we shoukd be aware of--especially in Cedar Hills? One of our main concerns is that there will be enough kids in and around the neighborhood for our kids to bond with. .. decent kids preferably..?

Many thanks in advance for any insight!

Darryl

There is a commuter rail system called the MAX that runs West-East between Hillsboro to Gresham, and North-South between Airport and downtown.

The fare is based on honor system and random inspection, so it's possible for one to actually get on it without paying the fare and get away with it unless subjected to a random inspection. Although there is a security camera, the trains are unsupervised a good amount of time.

Not too ago, the transit authority extended "fareless zone" connecting two extremely high crime areas, Skidmore Fountain and Lloyd Center and its associated park and recent expansion added more rails to travel to crime infested North Portland, so it's easier than ever for criminals to get anywhere between high crime areas of Portland and Beaverton/Hillsboro/etc without paying a dime.

According to a KATU article, the police believe that this is a contributing factor to infestation of suburbs by transients.
http://www.katu.com/news/4572222.html

That said, I would avoid avoid, avoid neighborhoods within the walking distance of MAX stations. Buses are not as harmful as you have to pay the fare to the driver as you board.

[Venusian_Artist]

Avoid the Aloha area of Beaverton like it's an annoyingly drunk chick at a party, that won't shut up, and keeps knocking over other people's drinks.

[dingodingo]

DO NOT move into the Cedar Hills neighborhood. They have an HOA that is completely out of control. We had a tree fall and they sent us a letter the very same day notifying us of our breach of HOA rules and that we would get fined if we didn't clear the tree in a timely manner. Any little change (i.e. paint color, shudders, fences, landscaping, etc.) requires written permission from the board! We just got a letter threatening us with fines ($15/day + $100 for future notifications) all because our garbage cans are visible from the street, even though we put them in the most discrete place possible. The only approved way to fix this is a costly fence! We asked to have time to present this to the board but they insisted that we resolve it immediately and would get fined if we waited to talk to the board at their monthly meeting. Sure, it's a nice neighborhood, but there are lots of other nice neighborhoods that are also neighborly. I would never buy a house here again. My advice is to make sure you are not in the Cedar Hills HOA.

[Bluesbabe]

Originally Posted by dingodingo

DO NOT move into the Cedar Hills neighborhood. They have an HOA that is completely out of control. We had a tree fall and they sent us a letter the very same day notifying us of our breach of HOA rules and that we would get fined if we didn't clear the tree in a timely manner. Any little change (i.e. paint color, shudders, fences, landscaping, etc.) requires written permission from the board! We just got a letter threatening us with fines ($15/day + $100 for future notifications) all because our garbage cans are visible from the street, even though we put them in the most discrete place possible. The only approved way to fix this is a costly fence! We asked to have time to present this to the board but they insisted that we resolve it immediately and would get fined if we waited to talk to the board at their monthly meeting. Sure, it's a nice neighborhood, but there are lots of other nice neighborhoods that are also neighborly. I would never buy a house here again. My advice is to make sure you are not in the Cedar Hills HOA.

Interesting. Well, I didn't know that about Cedar Hills, but I do know that South Beaverton has HOAs from HELL!

[tigerlily]

Two great areas north of the freeway: Terra Linda (Cedar Mill) and Oak Hills (I believe this is Beaverton). Both these neighborhoods are good walking neighborhoods, not overly hilly. Terra Linda has a Portland address, is unincorporated so lowers taxex, but you have the advantages of both Portland and Beaverton services. Both areas have houses built in late 60's early 70's. Terra Linda does not have a HOA, but a non threatening neighborhood association that has been dormant for many years and has recently become active. Oak Hills has an HOA, but seems to be resident friendly. Many of the homes in both areas have been modernized and updated.

[John Shaft]

Also, don't buy recent construction unless you know what to look for. The housing market was so hot here that builders could put up cardboard and call it a house and folks would offer 15% over the asking price. There is some abysmally built new construction around here.

[pdx_town]

RE: Cedar Hills

HOAs can be crazy, but if you make sure you're following the rules (that were there when you moved in), it can be a very nice experience, as it will lead to a nicer, more desirable neighborhood. Granted, we only moved in a little bit ago, we knew the HOA was a strict overseer. We hope not to bump heads with them, but in the long run, Cedar Hills is a very nice neighborhood and the houses are kept up, and look very nice. I'm positive this is due (in part) to the HOA.

[evernanon]

Not all of Cedar Hills is in the HOA. We bought at the western edge of the CH neighborhood (bet. Murray and Cedar Hills Blvd, bet. Walker & Jenkins) and love it. It's so convenient to Portland, and to my job in Hillsboro, and well, pretty much everything.