How is Tanasbourne or Tualatin for a family? How about NE or SE Portland? (Cedar Mill: crime, house)

[tigerlily]

I would add Cedar Mill to the mix. It's about 3 miles from Tanasbourne shopping and you have very close access to Cedar Hill Shopping. Sunset Hight School has a stellar reputation. We chose Cedar Mill because Cedar Hill has very restrictive HOA's. Also, Cedar Mill, is unincorporated Washington County. You wlll have lower tax rates than Beaverton, but will receive services from both Portland and Washington County.

[tigerlily]

I would add Cedar Mill to the mix. It's about 3 miles from Tanasbourne shopping and you have very close access to Cedar Hill Shopping. Sunset Hight School has a stellar reputation. We chose Cedar Mill because Cedar Hill has very restrictive HOA's. Also, Cedar Mill, is unincorporated Washington County. You wlll have lower tax rates than Beaverton, but will receive services from both Portland and Washington County.

[Durian Beach]

Tualatin is typical suburbia and very, very safe. I lived there for 6 years and my only complaint is that it is simply not a place for a single to live and there is absolutely no nightlife. But Rivercrest meadows is a very nice apartment complex with a very spacious, "Country Club" feel to the place and they are desperate for renters and cutting rates. Totally safe for children to play, a good place to start out for a bit if you don't know the area. The rent controled complex just down Tualatin Rd. should be avoided however, it's name is "Wood" something, the cops are always responding to some shennanigans going on there.

[nickyt99]

Thanks everyone...we're driving up next week to check things out. I don't have a job yet, so I don't know exactly where we'd live yet, but we could pay about $1300 for rent. Less would be great, but we want a nice 2-3 bdrm place. I'm a labor and delivery nurse - any suggestions on hospitals? Is the NE ok? I hear it wasn't a good area in the past but that it has improved.

[HonuMan]

Originally Posted by nickyt99

Thanks everyone...we're driving up next week to check things out. I don't have a job yet, so I don't know exactly where we'd live yet, but we could pay about $1300 for rent. Less would be great, but we want a nice 2-3 bdrm place. I'm a labor and delivery nurse - any suggestions on hospitals? Is the NE ok? I hear it wasn't a good area in the past but that it has improved.

My stepson and some friends of his have started looking for a house to rent in the Tualatin area, and $1,300 is about what they've been seeing for 3-bedroom houses, so you should be fine in that department.

My wife recently had surgery at Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro, and we were very impressed by the treament she received by everyone there. It's also a nicely decorated place, with slate, natural wood, and artwork on the walls, so it doesn't have what was once known as a "depressing hospital feel." When all the staff are friendly and helpful, that tells me it's a good place to work. We've also been impressed with Providence St. Vincent's Hospital on Barnes Road, which is near Cedar Hills.

Northeast Portland varies widely in character, so you really need to check out individual neighborhoods. In general, they're older and more established, with an urban (rather than suburban) feel. They range from upscale, gorgeous, and expensive (Irvington, Alameda, Ladd's Addition), to hip and artsy but still affordable (Alberta), to artsy-turned-gentrified and thus more expensive than they used to be (Hawthorne), to non-trendy but perfectly nice (Concordia, John's Landing), to areas you'd probably want to avoid (no specifics, but I've driven through areas where most of the houses have bars on the windows). It literally can vary from block to block. The farther east you get from the Willamette River, the newer the neighborhoods become, and eventually you hit suburbs like those on the westside.

If you prefer a suburban lifestyle, with newer houses, bigger yards (at least for houses built before the 1980s), shopping centers, lower property taxes, better schools, and more open spaces, then the westside probably will be more to your liking. If you prefer an urban lifestyle, with older (and many would say more charming) houses, higher population density, more diversity, shops and restaurants you can walk to, and proximity to downtown Portland, then you'll probably prefer the eastside. There are safe (and not-so-safe) areas on both sides, although Portland overall has a reputation for being a safe city for its size.

[Rob Allen]

Originally Posted by HonuMan

Northeast Portland varies widely in character, so you really need to check out individual neighborhoods. In general, they're older and more established, with an urban (rather than suburban) feel. They range from upscale, gorgeous, and expensive (Irvington, Alameda, Ladd's Addition), to hip and artsy but still affordable (Alberta), to artsy-turned-gentrified and thus more expensive than they used to be (Hawthorne), to non-trendy but perfectly nice (Concordia, John's Landing), to areas you'd probably want to avoid (no specifics, but I've driven through areas where most of the houses have bars on the windows). It literally can vary from block to block. The farther east you get from the Willamette River, the newer the neighborhoods become, and eventually you hit suburbs like those on the westside.

These are all accurate descriptions of the neighborhoods, but to clarify, Irvington, Alameda, Alberta and Concordia are in Northeast; Ladd's Addition and Hawthorne are in Southeast, and John's Landing is in Southwest.

nickyt99, good luck with the job search and your trip here next week. The way the employment situation is around here, you should probably focus on finding a job first and then look for a place to live based on where the job is.

[lasttimewemove]

SW Portland might be a consideration also. Especially around maybe the Gabriel Park, and SW Community Center. There is a small village near there called Multnomah village to browse the bookstore with the kids, duck in to the toy store for a last minute Bday gift, treat the kids to handmade candy, browse the stationary shop, grap an organic (it's Portland after all!) coffee. This area is extremely kid friendly. There are a lot of older homes, but also new construction everywhere and great schools. Common for new moms to go to the Open Play at the CC and meet new friends. It is 15 minutes to downtown, 10 minutes to the zoo and kids museum. If you want specific areas I would be happy to help.

[nickyt99]

Thank you everyone again for your time with your responses, especially for all the details about the areas.

Tuality Hospital did seem to stand out to me for some reason. I'm going to try to visit while I'm there.

lasttimewemove- yes, if you wouldn't mind telling me about those areas it would be great.

We're leaving in a couple days, so I'll let everyone know how things went!

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by nickyt99

Thanks everyone...we're driving up next week to check things out. I don't have a job yet, so I don't know exactly where we'd live yet, but we could pay about $1300 for rent. Less would be great, but we want a nice 2-3 bdrm place. I'm a labor and delivery nurse - any suggestions on hospitals? Is the NE ok? I hear it wasn't a good area in the past but that it has improved.

There is that Legacy Emanuel Hospital in NEa.k.a. gunshot and stabbing trauma and meth lab burn center.

If you were to consider OHSU, don't plan on driving, since parking is very very scarce.

Legacy Good Sam in NW, St. Vincent (by Sunset Transit Center near Beaverton) or Tuality in Hillsboro, are in my opinion more relaxed place and have less criminal patients.

Areas along MLK Jr Blvd throughout the city is high crime and should be avoided. SE82nd/Foster, NE122nd/Glisan, etc are also risky. You know the bad areas when you start seeing "reserved for police vehicles" parking spaces at businesses.

[nickyt99]

Thanks. What is Tuality like? They won't return my phone calls and I'm actually what they have postings for! Is there also one in Tualatin?