Salmon Creek or Orchards (Vancouver, Lynnwood: real estate, low crime, how much)

[Nature Girl]

Hello,
My family and I currently live in Portland and are considering on relocating to the Vancouver area sometime next summer. There is a little too much crime for us in the heart of Vancouver, but heard the Salmon Creek or Orchards area is very nice with low crime. Can anyone give their feedback on these areas? Or does anyone recommend any other pockets near Vancouver? We just want a safe area to raise our kids with good schools. Thank you!

[Nature Girl]

Anyone?? No one is familiar with the area to give a little info?? Pretty please, with sugar on top, hmmmm....

[Ryan]

IMO, there aren't really any "bad" parts of Vancouver. That being said, Salmon Creek is probably the least desirable and consequentially the most economical area of Vancouver to buy a home.

[Nature Girl]

It just seems Vancouver is always on the news for some type of crime. I know not as bad as Portland but I was surprised to hear that there are some sketchy areas there. I am new to Oregon myself so am just going off info people have said. Why less desirable? I heard it was rated the safest area to live with 0 crime the last couple years? Is this wrong?

[klpeake]

Nature Girl,

If you want good schools then stay on the east side of 205 with the exception of the Salmon Creek area. Heading north, once you hit Salmon Creek, then you can start crossing over I-5 onto the west side. I don't live in the area yet but have done extensive research on the schools. Depending on how much you want to spend, you might want to check out the Camas area if you need to be close to Portland. If not then look into the cities of Brush Prairie & Battleground.

There is a guy on Craigslist that is selling his 2500 sq ft 4BR house on 1 acre in Cascade Park (right near Wafer Tech) for somewhere in the area of $500k. Just put "cascade park" in the search criteria in the real estate section.

There are a lot of inventory right now which is causing some major price reductions on properties Clark county.

Good luck.

Karol

[NWgirl]

Originally Posted by Nature Girl

Hello,
My family and I currently live in Portland and are considering on relocating to the Vancouver area sometime next summer. There is a little too much crime for us in the heart of Vancouver, but heard the Salmon Creek or Orchards area is very nice with low crime. Can anyone give their feedback on these areas? Or does anyone recommend any other pockets near Vancouver? We just want a safe area to raise our kids with good schools. Thank you!

Hi Nature Girl,

I don't know the Salmon Creek area, but the Orchards area is nice, IMO. It's suburban, on the edge of what used to be rural areas but is now being developed. There is a lot of growth there. Orchards is pretty much middle class - it's not an expensive, yuppie area, there are some down-and-out businesses and neighborhoods, but also many newer subdivisions, new strip malls and restaurants and Kaiser is building a big new medical facility (not sure if it's going to be a hospital or just have doctor's offices). I actually like Wal Mart and Target and Barnes and Noble and Red Robin and Spaghetti Factory, so I enjoy living close to all those things. Orchards does also have small stores and individually owned business and restaurants, too, and is of course a short drive from downtown Vancouver or just across the bridge to Portland.

I don't know too much about schools, so I can't give an opinion on that. Because all of the Vancouver area is growing, people are spreading out. In the Orchards area I don't think there are actual "gangs", but minor vandalism is not uncommon, graffiti and stuff. Not much violent crime, though. It seems a pretty safe area to me, as safe as any Portland/Vancouver area suburb.

Good luck with your decision! If you work in Oregon, you'll still pay Oregon state income tax, which is a bummer. And one thing that is too bad is that we don't hear as much about Washington elections and politics as we do Oregon, since we are so close to Portland. So often you don't even know who's running for Governor or Senator for Washington until you look it up yourself!

[sykesfamily]

Hi
I am new to this forum. I have to say I live on the westside and I have to say i love it. The east side on mill plain is so congested that is why we opted to live over here. I live in the Minnehaha area and my son goes to an excellent school here in the Vancouver school dist. Like every district every school has there pros/cons. But everyone I talk agrees that we go to one of the best schools in the vancouver school district. I myself love the Salmon creek area and was wanting to move out there within the next couple of years, but unfortuanately we may be moving to Lynnwood/ Alderwood area.