TX lady: Vancouver vs. Portland Area? (sales, real estate, houses)

[curlytop]

Howdy to all the happy folks in the Northwest!

I've been living in the Dallas metroplex for the past 20 years and I want to get back to the west coast. Originally from the Bay Area, I'm priced outof the market and don't like the congestion anyway. My brother lives in Medford, OR but I need to be in a suburb close to a big city with an international airport to feed my need to travel. I must get out of this HEAT and pollution, and I love the mountains and the progressive politics of the Northwest.

Portland comes highly recommended, but would consider Beaverton, Aloha or Vancouver, WA as better alternatives for me. So looking at a suburban area...which is better Vancouver or Beaverton? Are there some great suburbs north of Vancouver? I want to stay away from crime, since I am a single lady.

I work as a freelance computer animator and multimedia designer. I also teach computer graphics in the evening at a community college. I see some requests for AfterEffects artists in Vancouver and know there is Laika in Portland, but I don't have feature film experience, only television. Is anyone familiar with the job market in Portland, Vancouver for computer graphic professionals?

I can only afford $180,000 to $220,000 for a home. I would be willing to take a fixer upper for less and bring it up to snuff as long as the area is desirable. I'd prefer an older home with character. Can anyone recommend some good neighborhoods with friendly, involved neighbors? (I'm on the neighborhood association board where I live in Dallas).

Thanks Y'all!

[Mark S.]

Washington State has no state income tax, while Oregon has no sales tax. A lot of people (especially retirees) reside in Vancouver, WA and do most of their shopping in Portland.

As for suburbs, once you are north of Vancouver you are basically in Portland.

[niguel2000]

Vancoover definitely. Portland is a much funner city 15 fold but it is such quick driving distance from Vancoover which is a much cheaper place to live. Vancoover is also a great place to buy because of the massive development, the growth, and the large number of people moving there. Home prices might be stagnant or even dropping in parts of the country but vancoover is a sure bet for rapid property appreciation. My girlfriend's father is a real estate agent down there and he could tell you the absolute difference between the areas if you want.

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by curlytop

My brother lives in Medford, OR but I need to be in a suburb close to a big city with an international airport to feed my need to travel.

Just as a side note, Medford Airport has daily flights to all the major cities in the west, offering connections to international flights.
Portland has only a few international flights (Singapore, Tokyo), so you usually have to connect at SFO, LAX, etc anyway.
So this might not be as much a factor for you as housing costs, which are higher in the Portland metro area, or jobs, which are more abundant there.

[Balco9]

Where can get a great value for a home and friendly people. They also have an international airport...

[TheRusticCottage]

Curlytop -- Vancouver is much nicer than Beaverton. The traffic on the west side of Portland is a nightmare. Vancouver is growing very rapidly and is getting crowded and congested. But better than Beaverton. As far as finding a house under $200,000 -- you are going to have a hard time finding a fixer upper for that price. We are actually considering moving to Azle, TX so that we can afford to buy a home. The only thing I don't want to leave is the climate here. It's wonderful!

[NWgirl]

curlytop, considering your budget and not wanting to be around too much congestion, you might be better off looking toward Clark County (Vancouver and surrounds), WA, than the Beaverton/Aloha, OR, areas. Beaverton is west of Portland and very crowded and has really had price increases in housing and goods, mainly because of lots of development for computer companies and yuppies moving from California and stuff. So even stuff at Target in Beaverton is likely to be more than at a Target in Vancouver. Commuting from Beaverton to Portland is awful, awful, awful.

Vancouver and the surrounding areas are also growing, but they're not as full yet as Beaverton and still a little bit more rural (so you might find more progressives in Beaverton/Aloha, but there are all types everywhere). Commuting from Vancouver to Portland is not always a breeze, but overall better than commuting to the west side.

Since Beaverton has been developed as a bedroom community longer than Vancouver, it has many older neighborhoods with nice houses and nice, mature landscaping. Lots of pretty homes with nice trees and shrubs. Vancouver does also have some nice neighborhoods, but it's more a mix of older homes in the downtown area and newer subdivisions. What I mean, I guess, is that IMO Beaverton is very pretty. Vancouver does have a cute little downtown, though. Quaint would be a good word to describe it.

Even though Washington does not have a state income tax, if you work in Oregon, you will still pay full income tax for the state (even if you live in WA). I know, it sucks, but that's the way it is. Total taxation without representation! Get some tea!

Good luck.