Forest Grove, Sherwood, or Oregon City for my family?...

[skylar0201]

Originally Posted by stargazer2626

Hi-
I live in Lake Oswego. It has a real community feel and you can't beat the schools.

We bought a house that needed a lot of work and our house had the best floor plan we could find. We don't regret it one bit. Its a wonderful, almost crime free community. People keep up their homes and yards. The schools are unbeatable. If you live near Kruse way or Lower Boones Ferry you can get onto I-5 or 217 quickly.

I think there are some good schools in Beaverton. I don't think it would feel like as much of a community. Oregon City is primarily a blue collar town. Its very difficult to get in and out of Oregon City because you have to cross a bridge to do so. It does have some nice ambience due to Victorian and Craftsman homes.

I agree, the schools in Lake Oswego are probably the best in the Portland area--it is hard to beat them in terms of academic quality, and most people there to do keep up their yards.

Remember, I-205 also takes you into Oregon City, though so it isn't difficult to get to--right now, there is construction on I-205 near that area so it can be hectic late at night when the construction crews are out working. The Park Place exit ( right after the downtown Oregon City exit also takes you into Oregon City via the hilltop/Beavercreek Rd area.

Oregon City used to look really run-down about 10-15 yrs ago. They totally re-vamped it, and put in some attractive areas along Mollala Ave, spruced up some neighborhoods, and it no longer looks like one of the oldest towns in Oregon. What's funny though about Oregon City--even though it is still considered rather safe living there, the crime there is more present within a mile of the Oregon City Police station, than it is elsewhere, but the hilltop area ( where I lived for a few yrs awhile back ) is the safest area of town--most people know all their neighbors, business owners communicate with one another, and has some of the nicest neighborhoods in the city.

Out of Oregon City, Sherwood, and Forest Grove, Sherwood is the smallest with about 16,500k folks, Forest Grove is next with about 21k, and Oregon City is the largest of the three with about 31k.

I agree w/ your idea of Beaverton too. Beaverton is no longer a safe community, and almost harbors Portland in some aspects, when it comes to crime. I know a Beaverton police officer who's been with the BPD over 10 yrs and he said they have seen trends that show crime in that area is steadily rising every year. The traffic is also horrendous through there anytime from 7am-8pm 7 days a week--by far, the worst traffic for any suburb around the Portland area--including areas surrounding Vancouver. Beaverton is still built like it was made for 25k people, not the 90k people it currently has.

[dre46]

Hi all,


My family is considering moving from Beaverton to Forest Grove. We plan to have a child and want to live in a smaller neighborhood near/next to greenspace. The schools are not ranked nearly as high as in Beaverton but we are hoping this could change in time. One person mentioned that flooding is an issue. I would love to hear more about what areas are worse off. Also, if anyone can comment on the feel of the town, other than it being a college town, this would be great!


Thanks!
dre46

[ambrichard]

FOREST GROVE?
After 20 years of living in Port Townsend, WA, the "Jewel of the Northwest" I returned, for a variety of obscure reasons, to my childhood town, Oyster Bay N.Y. where I've lived for the last 8 years. It is a far cry from the town I remember as a high school kid. It's hard to park, everyone drives like NASCAR racers, the demography is quite different, and the cost-of-living index is 15% higher than the national average. The salt-water communities of Long Island's north shore are still quaint and charming, reflecting the by-gone affluence of the Great Gadsby crowd, big estates, mansions, etc. When I look at a local parking lot I see shiny new Maseratis, Mercedes, Lexus, BMWs, Land Rovers. There are still a lot of rich folks living here. Aside from the great maritime recreational possibilities, I can see no reason to live here, particularly if one has modest means.
The towns and small cities of Oregon offer a great alternative. As a former Northwestern, I don't mind some drizzle and cloudy weather; in fact I find a beauty in it. Also by contrast, it makes the warm sunny days of late July and August all the more precious. The big question posed by many on this forum, is which town to settle in. I'm 73 and my lady is 67. We will have to work at some part-time enterprise to supplement our inadequate joint social security income. Fortunately we have several options for creating a little extra income. Last year we visited Cottage Grove and then Florence and the towns up the coast to Lincoln City. Great for the summer, but they might be too dismal in the dead of winter, particularly for my woman friend who is not accustomed to months of gloomy weather. Eugene is a great town but too big for us and a little too far from Portland and Seattle. Corvallis is nearer and I really like the town with the river flowing by. Next door, Albany and Lebanon. I don't know much about them but assume the rentals would be cheaper than Corvallis. Moving north, McMinnville strikes me as a good choice. I hear a lot of chatter about local Hispanic gangs and Meth Labs, but given our life style I don't find this that important. There are wine country towns to the north-- Carlton and Yamhill--but the are pretty small. We'll take a look at Newburg and Dundee.
Farther north is probably my first choice for having all the attributes we need in a new home base--Forest Grove. I is not too large, has a few interesting shops and restaurants, is closer to Portland, is nearer my daughter and granddaughter )They live on Sauvie Island), and it has a college (I hope to teach part time). Hillsboro shopping is available and all-in-all it seems a good town.
We plan to rent for at least a year to get the feel of where ever we alight, exploring all the afore mentioned possibilities. In the end, any safe and attractive town in the region will be an enormous improvement over life here on Long Island, NY.

[oregon911]

I'm not a big fan of Forest Grove for geological reasons. A big portion of the city is in flood zone, not to mention almost all of the city and surrounding areas are in liquefaction zone. I was about to buy a house there but decided against it since it would be a toast in the event of an earthquake.

[EasyBeezy]

Perhaps you should check out Corbett, although it is more of an area with a concentration of houses than a town. It certainly has beauty and a small town/rural atmosphere. About 25 miles from downtown, with good freeway access. High velocity, ice cold wind is frequent during the winter, as are winter weather events. You'd have to budget for winter tires if you live there.