where to look at Vancouver

[renet]

Thanks for the pointer about Peets! I drive by that area all the time and had no idea there was a Peet's there. Now I know and will be visiting!

[Loriandrandy]

Hi all,
I lived in Vancouver for 17 years before a divorce relocated me to Bellingham. The best thing about the area is being able to take advantage of the great culture, restaurants, etc. in Portland without having to live there. Anyway, I think Vancouver has got huge growing pains because developers came in in the late '90s and just raped every available pasture and turned them into ugly walled subdivisions. I won't rant...but in ten years Vancouver went from really pleasant to just ugly as heck.
Anyway, areas to avoid:
Hazel Dell
Sifton
Orchards
The areas right around Mill Plain Blvd.
Nicer areas - Ridgefield (not really Vancouver but a rural 'burb), Salmon Creek, Felida.
Hope this helps a bit!

[cheeruppeople]

Eastside is by far is the best side in Vancouver. I looked at houses in most areas and if you don't like gang bangers and a run down area than you want to avoid the area near the Vancouver Mall on 4th Plain and you want to avoid anywhere near the downtown Vancouver area. Fishers Landing and Camas are the best choices. From 164th to 192nd is a pretty good guidline. They will be more expensive but they are niceer areas. Vancouver has way more choices for Restaurants and shopping. Most of the people I know in Camas come to Vancouver for shopping and dining. Camas is a nice place if you like a more rural setting and you want a more slow lifestyle. I definetly would consider it for myself later on.

You can probably get a 2300 to 2500 square foot new home for about 300,000 which is not too bad.

I prefer to visit Portland periodically for dinner or entertainment. I would prefer to live in Washington because its less hectic.

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by Pavlinka1

Any suggestions for good and affordable restaurants (not burgers :-)) would be appreciated.

Good restaurants in that area? There are plenty. Jerusalem Cafe on Chaklov in a little strip mall just south of Fred Meyers is great. I haven't had a bad meal from there. If you like Vietnamese food, try Pho Green Papaya. It's on Mill Plain in the Joe's shopping area (between 131st and 136th). The Pho is the best and their other dishes are top notch too. If your into sushi, try Oishi Sushi. It's by Supercuts in the strip mall across from Vancouver Mall. Very fresh fish, great rolls and they don't drown their teriyaki meats in the sauce. For pizza, you can't beat Juliano's on Mill Plain and 156th. It's a little more money ($30 for a large specialty), but it's great quality and there are plenty of beer choices too. For Mexican, try Muchas Gracias. It's a fast food type place, but it's freshly made and authentic. They are cheap and serve large portions. They have locations all over the area.