Salmon Creek/SW Beaverton Area? (Vancouver: sales, homes, neighborhood)

[kdboken]

My husband and I are looking at homes in the SW Beaverton/Tigard/Tualatin area as well as the Salmon Creek area of Vancouver, WA. It is likely that I will work in Portland, and as much as I prefer a short commute, it is much more important to me to have a kid/people-friendly community and neighborhood with great schools. A back yard is a must with our two dogs and active little boy. I am aware of the state tax in OR and sales tax in WA. Any feedback would be appreciated. How long does it take to get from Salmon Creek to downtown Portland dring regular rush hour?

Thank you!

[sofia76]

What is your definitely of people-friendly? You could definitely find someplace kid friendly in Tualitan or Tigard (I used to live 2 miles from Tigard). If you live in Washington but work in Oregon, you will pay state tax in addition to the Washington sales tax; so no real savings there except in home price perhaps.

The commute into Portland in the morning isn't as bad as the commute back to Vancouver ... depending on WHERE you are working in Portland. Downtown? NE? SW? You can expect about 45 minutes in the morning and an hour in the evenings ... about 15-20 minutes less time if you can get into the I-5 carpool lane on the afternoon drive back to Washington.