Vancouver ? (Camas, Battle Ground, Washougal: rent, crimes, home builders)

[danco]

Considering a job in the Port of Vancouver area.
Never been to either Oregon or Washington.
Checking out all the usual internet sights.
(City Data, Sperlings & Homestore City Comparison)
Overall the area sounds great.
I am very much the family man, so I am concerned
about schools, values ( we are live and live in our attitudes),
and outdoor activities. In addition I am seemingly one of the
few people coming from California that did not cash in on the last housing boom. So we would prefer to start out modestly (like rent a duplex in a working class neighborhood)
So..for starters is a walk to a neighbohood park with you wife, kids,
& dog a chance to meet other nice people ?

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by dancocal

Considering a job in the Port of Vancouver area.
Never been to either Oregon or Washington.
Checking out all the usual internet sights.
(City Data, Sperlings & Homestore City Comparison)
Overall the area sounds great.
I am very much the family man, so I am concerned
about schools, values ( we are live and live in our attitudes),
and outdoor activities. In addition I am seemingly one of the
few people coming from California that did not cash in on the last housing boom. So we would prefer to start out modestly (like rent a duplex in a working class neighborhood)
So..for starters is a walk to a neighbohood park with you wife, kids,
& dog a chance to meet other nice people ?

I would seriously consider living outside of Vancouver in one of the smaller towns like Ridgefield, Battle Ground, or Washougal if you're relocating with your familiy. It's much less expensive to live and they usually have lower crimes rate than most of Vancouver. I personally prefer Washougal. Relatively small town still, (only about 10,000 residents), but is growing in the right areas. They've had the local Home Builders Parade of Homes in the last couple of years so there are some REALLY expensive houses, but still has a lot of affordable housing for those who aren't able to buy the $1.2 mil homes up past the high school.

The drive from Washougal to the Port of Vancouver would be about 30 minutes, give or take a few, depending on what time of the day you're traveling. The Port of Vancouver is on the far west side of town and Washougal on the exact opposite side of town, towards the Columbia River Gorge.

Also, the schools in Camas and Washougal are great. I know many of the educators in both school districts and they are caring and excellent professionals. Unlike Oregon schools, you don't have to pay for your children to play sports, be in the band, etc. (Oregon schools are extremely underfunded and are not the best, at all. Many Portland companies that hire high level executives recommend they live in WA to avoid the Oregon schools for their kids.)

If you have any other questions, ask away. I grew up most of my life in that area and love it. (I also miss it since we now live in AZ, but we'll be returning in a couple of years.)

[danco]

Thank you diggitydot,
You can't get info like that any place else.
BTW (at the risk of sounding like Will Ferrel's Elf )
your user name is fun to say.