Which Neighborhoods? (Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver: renters, home, to buy)

[sylvanarrow]

Hi all, it's another "which neighborhoods" question.

I'm heading down to the Portland area for a couple weeks next month and am considering moving to the Vancouver area eventually. I've been in Spokane the last couple years, but having grown up in Seattle, I miss the abundance of liberal treehugging folks. Also, two feet of snow dumped in front of my place this past winter... in 30 hours.

Seattle is a bit pricey and congested for me, so I'm looking forward to checking out the Portland area. I already pay too much income tax (the joys of self-employment, heh), so I'm definitely looking to live on the Washington side though.

Which neighborhoods do you recommend checking out while I'm there?

I'm looking for...

Dog parks, places to skate and bike, and easy access to Portland (I work from home but want to enjoy the restaurants and shops often--plus I'm a Whole Foods addict).

Also, I'm planning to buy a duplex or triplex and live in one of the units while renting the others, so I would like a neighborhood potential renters would find desirable.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any suggestions!

[st33lcas3]

The east side would be perfect for you. They just opened a new dog park off 172nd and 18th. The neighborhoods are nice and very desirable. They also have good schools for families you may rent too. Access to Portland isn't bad, Highway 14 to the 205 and down into Portland takes twenty minutes on a good day, 45 or more during rush hour. Whole Foods has a store at Mill Plain and 162nd too.

[scottsostuff]

We have a new Fred Meyers that opened recently at a complex called Grand Central. It has a wonderful big natural foods area. As far as a duplex and/or triplex they rent very well in the downtown area of Vancouver. Especially with the recent gas prices ($4.20 a gallon) we are seeing many people looking to rent in the downtown area.

[bigdave01]

I know very little about Vancouver, and I just have some questions:

I absolutely love Portland. They liberalness, coffee shops, bookstores, quaintness, walkability, etc. I am just curious if Vancouver is the same similar to Portland in these ways, or is it more conservative? One of the main reasons I like Vancouver for tax reasons, no income tax, I guess I just want to know if it is a boring suburb, or if it is more like a neighborhood of Portland?

Thanks for the help

[SeattlitefromNC]

Originally Posted by bigdave01

I know very little about Vancouver, and I just have some questions:

I absolutely love Portland. They liberalness, coffee shops, bookstores, quaintness, walkability, etc. I am just curious if Vancouver is the same similar to Portland in these ways, or is it more conservative? One of the main reasons I like Vancouver for tax reasons, no income tax, I guess I just want to know if it is a boring suburb, or if it is more like a neighborhood of Portland?

Thanks for the help

I would say that Vancouver is more centrist than anything else. It's definitely not as liberal as Portland, but Portland is VERY left of center.

Portlanders would say that Vancouver is boring, but I think that Vancouver has its fair share of things to do ...