New air traffic controller at PDX...help??? (Vancouver, Camas: sales, assessor)

[jiffin4java]

My husband is going to be starting at the PDX control tower in a few weeks. We're trying to figure out if it would be best to live on the Washington side (and where) or the Oregon side (and where). Any opinions? We're a very open, down to earth Christian family with two kids and a well-behaved golden retriever who thinks he's one of the kids. Yes, the typical american family. LOL!!!!! We need a good school district as we have a son with Aspergers and will need a good special education program for him. Thanks for any help you can give.

[allforcats]

WA residents have no income tax, OR residents have no sales tax. Take your pick. :-)

Have you consulted the Portland Aspergers Network? They should be able to provide some recommendations regarding schooling.
Portland Aspergers Network :: (http://www.aspergersnet.org/aboutAS.html - broken link)
and Oregon State Resources - USA

In Washington, there's the Asperger Network for Washington state, at Home
Also Asperger Syndrome: Local Support Groups: Washington
and Autism Society of Washington

[jiffin4java]

Thank you so much! This will definitely help. If we live in Washington we'll still have to pay income tax from Oregon though since he will be working there. Is that right?

[sykesfamily]

If you choose washington check into the camas school district. I heard they have an excellent program in there district. Plus if you live in camas you will only be about a 15 minute drive to pdx.

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by jiffin4java

If we live in Washington we'll still have to pay income tax from Oregon though since he will be working there. Is that right?

Yep. You'll get to enjoy the privilege of paying Oregon income tax but not having a voice in how it's spent.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by sykesfamily

If you choose washington check into the camas school district. I heard they have an excellent program in there district. Plus if you live in camas you will only be about a 15 minute drive to pdx.

Camas gets my vote... I think you will find best access, services, and value there. (especially schools). Yes, you will have to pay OR income tax if working from PDX, but thousands in SWWA do that.

speaking of faith... there are several decent churches in Camas area.
Grace Foursquare Church, Camas, WA is very convenient, (just north of Lacamas store/ Lakeside Chalet) good teaching, and growing fast
GracePoint Fellowship is a very small, but solid teaching; meeting next door on Sat eve.
Welcome | Summit View Church is in a community northwest of Camas, but a good church too
www.harvest.info is on top of Prune hill (overlooking airport)
Bethel Community Church Washougal

more conventional is St John's Pres in Camas
St. John's Presbyterian Church and Zion Lutheran Church of Camas, Washington

you may have a spiritual challenge coming from TX, but be prepared for a bit different body life in PNW (~5% churched). Not bad... just different... casual. (don't expect to get invited to dinner every week, maybe once in 10 yrs...). There is a huge 'seeker' church mentality, so if you want biblical teaching rather than psychology you need to go on the hunt. If you want traditional worship (non-worship band) then you are out of luck. Just a guitar or piano would be nice sometimes, but I think you have to go as far as Kansas for that. Several of the worship bands used to meet for jam sessions, so they all sound the same in C-W area.

There are some Precepts, BSF, and MOPS groups in the area, and lots of options in Portland (where many venture for church) Good availability of Christian training (and events) locally too.

Western Seminary,
Multnomah School of Bible
Warner Pacific
Portland Bible College
Concordia U
George Fox U
Linfield U
and I'm sure, several I've missed

Good luck,
enjoy the move, and be sure to get to the Rhodie Gardens the week prior to Mother's Day. Take a picnic lunch, the kids will love it, and you will too. (go after 5pm or on Weds if $3 is too much, but they can use the donations if you can afford it)
Portland Parks & Recreation :: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
If I was to live in OR, I would live near the Rhodie Garden (Eastmoreland south of Reed College.) There is a nice elementary school there and neighborhood is very supportive (and pretty) but... generally OR is avoided due to poor school funding tax structure. I think you would end up in Private school if you live in OR and possibly in many parts of Vancouver. That gets spendy and takes a lot of time to transport.

[jiffin4java]

Thank you so much for the replies. We are basically Evangelical Christians. We like Christian rock and love it when the church is really up-beat and like Bible-based teaching. We're looking for a great school district who works well with Aspie kids and doesn't just shove them in front of a computer and forget about them like they tried to do here. We are not from Texas. We came hear for my husband's training. He was raised in Northern California between Sacramento and Tahoe (where we lived for 3yrs before going to TX). I was raised in MI. The way I see it, we're going to pay taxes no matter where we live and focusing too much on that part isn't so important to me, though I do want to UNDERSTAND how it works. I would much rather sacrifice a few tax dollars to Oregon to get better schools for my son in WA if that's necessary. I'm getting the impression that Southeast Vancouver area near Camas, etc. will be best for us? Now what about homes? We hope to buy a house this summer and would like to buy a home with about 1/2 acre of land so we can have a good sized garden (something my son and I do to help stay connected).

[diggitydot]

Camas is an excellent choice and as usual I completely agree with janb. The school district has an exceptional program for autistic children, one of the best in the state. Just a word of warning, though, most districts will not discuss their autism programs with parents unless they're already living in-district. I would strongly suggest having the address of a home in the district handy if/when you call and talk with them, just in case they ask. Feel free to send me a DM if you'd like some specific pointers on getting info out of the Camas program.

Besides the spectacular schools, Camas is also a pretty cool little city. They have a very active Parks & Recreation department, exceedingly effective police department, the Jack Will & Rob Center (run by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland), a beautifully remodeled library, an art gallery, a public pool at Crown Park, and some of the nicest residents. It's one of those towns where you get to know just about EVERYONE. People talk to each other in the grocery store lines, they wave to each other or say "hello" to strangers. The old cronies have their 3-hour breakfasts and coffee in the local diners/coffee shops. The residents vary from very well off to the not so well off...and yet it still mixes well. It's such a great community.

Also, if you're part of the evangelical movement, I have a friend who attends Faith Center Church in Vancouver and she has wonderful things to say about it. Here are some links with information about this church.
Faith Center Church
MySpace.com - Faith Center Worship - VANCOUVER, Washington - Christian / Rock - www.myspace.com/faithcenterworship

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by jiffin4java

The way I see it, we're going to pay taxes no matter where we live and focusing too much on that part isn't so important to me, though I do want to UNDERSTAND how it works.

Here's how it usually breaks down.

You'll pay OR income taxes if:
-Your work is performed in Oregon. (There are a couple very specific exceptions, though, but they're pretty rare.)
-You live in Oregon.

You'll avoid OR income taxes if:
-You live AND work in WA.

You'll pay WA sales taxes if:
-You're a WA resident.

You'll avoid WA sales taxes if:
-You purchase items in OR (except vehicles).
-You are an OR resident and show your ID when making purchases in WA.


ETA: Keep in mind that you'll likely receive the vast majority of your Oregon income taxes refunded. It will depend on your federal taxes and your tax bracket as to how much, though, and has nothing to do with whether you're a resident or non-resident.

[StealthRabbit]

For gardening ground I would look to the North of Camas near Fern Prairie and back to the southeast to Crown Rd. This area has some of the better soils and is far enough off the river to be a tad warmer (cold east winds come down river gorge in winter), but still close enough to town for easy commute.

The Fisher's Landing and Cascade Park areas have LOTS of ROCKS, but you can do raised bed gardening. It is 'down-wind' from Camas, which can be cold AND on occasion have the smell of the paper mill.

For best gardening climate in Clark County, you might need to go to Ridgefield. (North of Vancouver). The WSU County Extension service will be able to provide detailed rain and soil maps.

WA taxes are migrating toward property, so... I'd try to stay on the 'low-end' of the scale, or buy a 'fixer'. The annual rates are ~ $10-$12 per $1000 of value, and the individual prop and tax districts vary, so... be cautious. Project your future taxes on sales price, not on previous taxes, as some folks have been getting a bargain, but yours will ratchet to your purchase price (or more, if the assessor thinks you got a good deal) The Clark County GIS map will show you the specific mil levy (and current taxes and valuation) for each property.