Commute time - WA to Tigard (Portland, West Linn: rentals, how much, month-to-month)

[LeftCoastee]

My wife may have found a position with a company in Tigard. I work out of the home and get taxed by the state where I live. Therefore, it benefits me to live in WA since we'll be renting for a year or so until we figure out where we want to live while letting the housing market settle.

So, if we were to live in Vancouver or Camus, what would the commute time be to Tigard? A colleague of mine has said this is probably the worst commute in the Portland area, but he doesn't drive it every day and couldn't give me an estimate.

At my wife's previous job here in LA (she was laid off....its very bad down here too) her commute was anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour so "bad commute" is relative.

Thanks in advance!

[Leisesturm]

Your friend is right. And it doesn't require someone who has actually done it to weigh in. I've never done Vancouver to Tigard but I've done Downtown to Tigard and I've heard about Vancouver to Downtown. A little deduction and ... ... it's not doable. Seriously, think about it. Why are you working your mind so hard to figure out how to keep tax dollars out of Portland only to p*** them away on gas, tolls, wear and tear on your wife's mind and body. Don't say you weren't warned when you are in marriage counseling listening to your wife tell the psychologist what a #@%! you've been to live with since the meltdown.

H

[LeftCoastee]

You're assuming this is some crackpot idea that I've come up with by myself. My wife and I do actually discuss things. She didn't mind her one hour commute here in LA so if it would be less than that, its feasible. Also, it would only last a year at most.

So, how long is the commute? (sorry, but my decision analysis model I've built in Excel expects a decimal value for "commute time". When I plug in "its not doable", I get a #VALUE! error.)

The income tax savings would be significant and far outweigh wear and tear on a car for a feasible commute. Additionally, housing rentals appear to be more attractively priced across the river.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by LeftCoastee

My wife may have found a position with a company in Tigard. I work out of the home and get taxed by the state where I live. Therefore, it benefits me to live in WA since we'll be renting for a year or so until we figure out where we want to live while letting the housing market settle.

So, if we were to live in Vancouver or Camus, what would the commute time be to Tigard? A colleague of mine has said this is probably the worst commute in the Portland area, but he doesn't drive it every day and couldn't give me an estimate.

At my wife's previous job here in LA (she was laid off....its very bad down here too) her commute was anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour so "bad commute" is relative.

Thanks in advance!

During rush hour plan on about 60+ minutes. Camas to Tigard would actually be better since it's nearly all on i205. i5 Vanc to Portland in the morning and Portland to Vanc in the afternoon is a parking lot.

Outside of rush hour it would be about 30-40 minutes.

[cdelena]

It is a long ride in traffic but can be less than an hour depending upon exactly time of day. I don't make it regularly but enough (on I5) to know 40 minutes on a good day and 90 minutes on a bad one.

[LeftCoastee]

Thank you very much. Exactly the info I needed to systematically rule out the Vancouver - Tigard commute. Any ideas on how much better Camas - Tigard could be? In other words, how much better is I205 than I5?

I looked at the project schedule for Columbia Crossing and it didn't look like they could start work on it until 2012, so that shouldn't impact us over the next year or so, right? Or am I missing something?

[PNW-type-gal]

Camas to Tigard via I-205 adds extra miles, but you don't do the I-5 bridge bottleneck or the downtown bottleneck. It's still more than an hour, though.

A friend lives in Vancouver and commutes to Wilsonville, heads in around 6:30 and it's still around at hour. He usually works until 5 and then spends an hour in the local gym before he tries to head home.

I'd expect a bunch of construction in the North Portland-to-I5 stretch even before the Columbia Crossing construction goes in.

Washington has a business and occupation tax which you will be paying as a contractor or a businessman.

The difference between an hour commute in LA and an hour commute here is that your wife will be one of the only people driving that far. Her coworkers won't see it as the usual cost-of-doing-business commute, they'll think she's nuts.

[LeftCoastee]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Washington has a business and occupation tax which you will be paying as a contractor or a businessman.

The difference between an hour commute in LA and an hour commute here is that your wife will be one of the only people driving that far. Her coworkers won't see it as the usual cost-of-doing-business commute, they'll think she's nuts.

Ha...thanks. So its looking like "its not doable".

I wouldn't be subject to the B&O tax. The company I work for is based in NY, but they have offices in every state so I get taxed as a normal employee of a business in the state where I'd live.

[Lilly12103]

Life without a commute is wonderful, I'd recommend you suck up the taxes and live close to your wife's new job, the gas/car expenses plus the hours of life lost in traffic will far outweigh the income taxes by living in Oregon. I went from a 60 mile round trip every day to a 10 minute walk (I guess 20 minutes round trip!) and I can't fathom going back to that again.

One more vote for no commute!

[EnricoV]

I don't know. I have a relative who commutes from Battle Ground to West Linn, and it's doable for her. So I wouldn't necessarily rule it out. I do think the I-205 route would be much easier. More mileage, but traffic should be much quicker, barring an accident.

I too think it all boils down to a quality of life issue. I'd also factor in the increased gas costs. But if the benefits outweigh the time and money spent in the commute, versus the tax savings to live in Washington, give it a try. It wouldn't be to me, but I'm not you guys.

My suggestion is, look for a month-to-month rental situation in Vancouver. Then moving would always be an option.