Retiring to Portland - are we too old for this town? (Medford: real estate, to rent)

[gumster]

My wife and I are 63... reasonably active... visited Portland several times over the years as tourists and love the city. We expect to retire at the end of this year and are thinking of moving to Portland for retirement. One of our major concerns is that of making new friends and "getting involved" in our new community.

Financially, I think we'll be OK... thinking primarily of settling in The Pearl or Northwest. We like the idea of living in the central part of the city and thus not having to rely on a car for anything. We realize that there are no in-city over 55 active living communities.

We can afford up to about a million (cash) for a condo and will have a spendable income of about $10-15K/month (for condo association fees, real estate taxes, utilities, daily living, medical and travel expenses).

I'd appreciate suggestions/observation/advice about what Portland has to offer to "older" retirees. We have little concern about the weather. We are concerned about making friends...

[jrkliny]

My wife has been attending Osher Lifelong Learning programs at the nearby State U. She has found that to be a great way to stay active, develop new interests, and meet interesting retirees. I looked online at the Portland OLLI program and it seemed very minimal. When we visited Portland, I stopped by the OLLI office and did confirm that the program was all but non-existant. That, and other negatives, helped us to decide that Portland was not a place to retire. If you want to see an active program, look at the listings for the OLLI program in Ashland/Medford.

[Minervah]

Portland is primarily a young person's town. The only organization I know of geared for older people is OASIS OASIS Home They are located downtown in the Macy's store.

The cost of living is expensive but if you can afford the Pearl that probably will not be a problem for you. However you would have to be prepared to have young families as your neighbors much more than your contemporaries. If you like the suburbs, there is King City in Tigard where you can buy a house or condo. It's a community for Seniors with a lot of activities.

[philwithbeard]

Gumster:

If you decide to come to Portland, then I most emphatically urge you to rent for a year before you purchase a place to live.

I cannot predict the future, I can selectively view in time and place what I can and draw inference to it. My view and judgment may be skewed.

The pearl district is evolving into a youth and young unmarried ghetto. The population statistics by age group are from the 2000 US census. The 2010 census may show a shift to younger residences. Unless your evening entertainment includes a lot of visits to local night clubs in the Pearl, I cannot offer any recommendation for you to live in the Pearl District itself, or Old Town either due to your age.

Arlington Heights, Goose Hollow, Northwest, and Hillside, yes these will be better places to seek real estate, after you have acclimated yourself to Portland. Its the old line about Location, Location, Location; except no one ever tells you exactly what defines location.
Neighborhood Maps and Boundaries

Although, you might feel just fine with the River front condo's near the Amtrak station, that would have to be your call. Some would like to be near the Red or Blue MAX light rail up near the Baseball field. And there is a hope in some city planners that the South River Front project will attract more people with the Street car service (although it is still a bit light on Grocery stores, Restaurants, and Drug Stores right now.)

Anyway, there are and will be people your age in Portland. They are spread around all over town.

Best of luck to you.

Phil

PS: What Minervah Said!! Seriously!

[Nell Plotts]

As one who is in her late 60s I say BS to the nay sayers. When our home sells in the Seattle area we are moving back to the neighborhoods gumster is mentioning. We DO NOT intend to spend half that amount for a spacious unit in a solid condo building. Lofts are not for us. The Pearl isn't my favorite .. look on the UPHILL side of Westover (several buildings), Riverplace, west of Vista. There are others too that are attractive to mature residents. Send me a PM when you want to start looking because RE is dynamic and I know a couple of the buidlings very well.

There are lots of community activities that attract an older crowd, much depends on your taste.

[jrkliny]

"There are lots of community activities that attract an older crowd, much depends on your taste."

Would you be willing to provide some details?

[Nell Plotts]

Genealogy society
Symphony, several classical music groups
The Multnomah Athletic Club has activities for older adults, as does the Portland Park Bureau.

It really depends on what you enjoy.. just because you are older doesn't mean that you aren't interested in cycling, swimming, hiking or playing racquetball. There are a couple 'one more time around' marching bands. A member of my family is a single older woman, she is active in a social club in Washington County.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

The pearl district is evolving into a youth and young unmarried ghetto.
Neighborhood Maps and Boundaries

A young unmarried ghetto when describing the Pearl? Id think it would be young parents with kids there ntm, why do you use ghetto when talking about the Pearl? Seemed far from a ghetto to me.

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by DoctorRain

A young unmarried ghetto when describing the Pearl? Id think it would be young parents with kids there ntm, why do you use ghetto when talking about the Pearl? Seemed far from a ghetto to me.

Yes, my limited experience (exposure) to the specific area per the Portland Neighborhood maps called the Perl, leads me to believe that in 5 to 10 years in the future the Perl will become some sort of euphemistic labeled ghetto, or significantly concentration, of younger urban people who are seeking an extended night life.

The nightly entrainment industry I expect will continue to grow with more establishments opening which will continue offering a variety of music.

Please note that the future younger people are now in High School and by the time they are post College, and ready to party in the Pearl, the Great Recession should have ended. These future young adults could see an economic boom time like their older brothers and sisters never knew.

But that is only my view of the future. I don't know what the future will bring. I could be very wrong.

Phil

[Nell Plotts]

I too think that to describe the Pearl as a 'ghetto' of the young is not only inappropriate but wrong. I usually agree with Philwithbeard, but not with that description.

Almost all core area condos in Portland are occupied by singles and couples, they don't accommodate more than one child gracefully (given most US expectations of living space). Of course there is a high percentage of young adults, and older adults whose children are grown.

What will be interesting is to see how the HOAs manage the unavoidable conduct conflicts.