Semi-Rural in Oregon ( Sandy / Wilsonville / Boring / Canby ) (Portland, Gresham: rentals, low crime)

[topaz420]

My wife and I just completed a 10-state road trip through 40+ villages/towns/cities, and most of our favorite towns were in Oregon. We love the friendly people, we ADORE the rain (we have "reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder" -- the *sunshine* makes us feel down ), the farms, the green, the nature. The instant I crossed the California border and stopped in to Ashland for some coffee, my wife and I looked at each other and smiled. Turns out I'm a Pacific Northwesterner that's been trapped in Los Angeles his whole life!

I'd greatly appreciate some recommendations for Oregon towns that might fit our dreams:

Not Important:
- Job availability -- I work online and my wife would be happy with a simple job at a craft store or other similar retail opportunity
- Political leaning -- we're politically independent/pragmatic vegans, but we don't project our views on anyone, and we aren't threatened by people who disagree with us

Desires:
- Semi-rural / rural. My wife was raised in a town of 500 people, full of cows and kangaroos. I was raised in Los Angeles, a town of 14,000,000 people. We'd love a town where my wife could ride her bike down quiet roads, while still being within reach of the cultural diversity that Portland has to offer.
- 30 minutes (off-peak) commute from Portland downtown (by automobile). We love the food carts, restaurants, farmer's market, Powell's books, etc that Portland has to offer. Since I don't work office hours, we can travel there at off-peak times. We have our own car.
- Low crime. My wife is from a town where you could leave your house unlocked. I know that might not be realistic (or smart) for Oregon -- or America for that matter -- but the lower crime, the better.
- Pet-friendly. I care for a siberian husky who would love to run around a grassy backyard in the rain, or go on walks with me at the local park.
- Few/no cougars. (This one is silly, I know.) We are absolutely, irrationally terrified of being attacked by cougars. I know the chances are better of being attacked by a Portland criminal, but still we'd like to be in a place that isn't *known* for cougar sightings / attacks.
- $1200 (or so) / month rental price (for a 2+2)

Some places we've looked at:
Newberg / Sandy (Beautiful but inaccessible)

Places we'll be checking out on our next visit:
Wilsonville (not very rural but looks clean and beautiful, accessible via I-5)
Canby?

Sorry for the long-winded explanation!
I appreciate any help / suggestions for areas to check out. Thank you to the wonderful community here for all of your help and support.

Cheers,
--Daniel
aka "topaz420"

[Silverfall]

I think you should definitely consider Canby, and I'd look at Banks also. You might like Forest Grove. Just remember finding a rental is harder in a smaller town. They often get rented word of mouth or in local church publications, etc.

[Mt-7]

Sherwood, Newburg

[Rob Allen]

Forest Grove and Sherwood have been mentioned already, so maybe Scappoose.

[hamellr]

I don't consider Sandy "inaccessible" as it's a straight shot down 26 into town. But even at the foot of the Mt. Hood National Forest, cougars are pretty rare. Coyotes are a bigger problem, but you can find those in parts of Portland now.

Boring is a nice little town, close to Portland and Gresham. But few to no rentals unless you're looking at a house with acreage, even then it doesn't come up a lot unless you know someone. The area between Boring and Sandy is full of nurseries and long-term owners. It's all in the Urban Growth Boundary so getting building permits for anything other then a barn or garage is nearly impossible.

Your biggest problem is that the roads in the UGB are not exactly well paved with ample room for bikes on the side. Most of the residents are used to going around bikes, but there are a lot of blind corners, blind hills and frankly just awful biking conditions depending on routes you take.

[topaz420]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions -- I can't wait to go back in one month and see the places you've all mentioned in person!

@hamellr - Thanks, I'll take another look at Sandy. I just remembered going through stop-and-go traffic through many traffic lights on the way into town -- perhaps it was peak hour? I'll definitely give it a try again -- I thought it was beautiful.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by topaz420

@hamellr - Thanks, I'll take another look at Sandy. I just remembered going through stop-and-go traffic through many traffic lights on the way into town -- perhaps it was peak hour? I'll definitely give it a try again -- I thought it was beautiful.

It has gotten worse in the past few years traffic wise. There has been a lot of development in town due to the fact that it's just outside of Portland's UBG.

Ski season has always been an issue, and it gets bad during the summer festivals. But even then I don't think I've ever spent more then ten minutes getting through town unless there was an accident or something.

[topaz420]

@hamellr

What do you think of that new "cascadia village" development? there's a 3+2 1200sf home there for $1200/month

Thanks again for the great info!