Moving to Oregon (Portland, Hillsboro: for rent, houses, place to live)

[mizzythree]

I am thinking about moving my family out to Oregon. I have been looking at a few places, but I'm not sure if they are zoned for agriculture/farming. (I've also been looking at Washington, but Oregon is looking nicer)

I really don't want to go down the list of cities from top to bottom wondering if each is zoned for what I need... lol

Would anyone like to give me some places they know for sure, live, have family, that is zoned for being able to keep livestock. I'm not looking for busy city life, but small farming community where I would be able to keep my flock of chickens when I move. I'm not looking for acres upon acres of land, but also not looking to live in a big city.

Right now I have 2 acres and my rent is decent (495 mo), so I would be looking for something around my rent range as well. I live in the country, but its only about 20 min away from city life so I don't feel so far away in the sticks. The only problem is this hot hot hot muggy heat that is killing me haha. And its so dry and blah.

if someone would like to give me a few ideas of places to start looking at then I would really appreciate it.

[Silverfall]

Oregon has urban growth boundaries so a city isn't zoned for farm use. Rural areas are. There are many different types of rural farm zones that all allow livestock. Zoning around here isn't your problem. We are a large agricultural state.

You problem will be rent. I can't think of anyplace where you could rent a couple of acres for $495 and be 20 minutes to city life. Trying to rent two acres out here will be hard enough but Oregon is not a cheap place to live.

[daisy326]

You're not going to find much in your price range that close to the city.

[mizzythree]

thank you silverfall and daisy. I was giving an example of what I pay in rent right now, but I really guess my rent will be up to what type of job my guy or me gets. We have money to keep us going for about a year to pay for rent and such, but we dont want to move without a job lined up first. Finding a job seems to be the hardest part anywhere now adays.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Regarding residentially-zoned properties, if the political jurisdiction you live in is the county, animal ordinances will most likely be fairly permissive (might be different if the lot is within the UGA, though). If you live within the legal limits of an incorporated municipality, no matter how big or small, you need to research the local municipal code. In my town, chickens are not regulated within the city. Small livestock such as dwarf goats and rabbits are also allowed outright. In some other cities these are expressly prohibited. Other cities will split the difference, allowing a certain number of laying hens but not roosters, or a few nanny goats but not billies. Yet other cities do not allow outdoor animals outright, but they may be possible with a conditional use permit. Generally, where such animals are allowed, they must be confined to a certain area of the yard that preserves a minimum setback to adjoining property lines (commonly 100 ft., but sometimes 200 ft.). Obviously it would only be possible to do this on an unusually large urban lot.
If a municipal code is stricter on animals than you want it to be, you can usually just move outside the city limits to a rural-residential zone where the county code is (usually) silent on the matter of animals. You still need to check the code to be sure, though. Most jurisdictions, both city and county, have their codes and zoning maps available on line. I agree that your current rent is from a by-gone era by West Coast standards. You must live in Texas, the Midwest or Appalachia. You'd have to go back to the 1970's to get that kind of price in Oregon.

[figmalt]

Brenda gave a good summary.

In the city of Hillsboro (pop. 90,000), the type of livestock (and number) you may keep are dependent on the size of your lot. I live in a home that cannot have chickens, but a few blocks away are houses that can. Go to county and city websites to determine the possibilities.

In the Portland Metro Area, you should expect to pay more in the $500 - $800 range for a one bedroom unit, depending on the location and amenities.