Towns around Portland vs Towns around Salem (Beaverton, Tigard: neighborhoods, to live in)

[Katyia86]

Give me your opinion on the towns on the outskirts of Portland versus the towns on the outskirts of Salem please ?

[Larry Caldwell]

What kind of opinion are you looking for? Towns outside of Portland are all within the Metro area, which is a regional land use planning and transportation agency. They share bus and light rail service, and there isn't much but a name change between them. Towns around Salem are more rural, and there are still farms between them. If you want more than that, you'll have to be more specific.

[Katyia86]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

What kind of opinion are you looking for? Towns outside of Portland are all within the Metro area, which is a regional land use planning and transportation agency. They share bus and light rail service, and there isn't much but a name change between them. Towns around Salem are more rural, and there are still farms between them. If you want more than that, you'll have to be more specific.

Larry, Thanks for your help. Something i find interesting while doing research, is many of the towns closer to Portland are not walkable communities and are very car dependent, yet the towns around Salem seem to very very walkable, where I would assume with more land, they would be more car dependent.

I was also hoping people would look at this and offer their opinion, although I know, depending on where they live it could be biased. For instance, could Portland be large and cold with not a lot of community, or do the small towns around portland offer a type of community that brings everyone in..

You say "there isn't much change between them" which leaves me to believe the whole metro area just bleeds into each other and people are less community oriented am i right?

The question could have gone a million different ways..
Thanks for your help!

[Silverfall]

I don't get what you are going for. The towns around Salem are small town communities. The towns around Portland are the burbs of Portland so they have a totally different feel. You can go out farther to Banks, Forest Grove, Troutdale, etc to get a more small town feel. They are different lifestyles.

If you just say what you are looking for it would be easier to tell you towns that fit your criteria.

[Katyia86]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

I don't get what you are going for. The towns around Salem are small town communities. The towns around Portland are the burbs of Portland so they have a totally different feel. You can go out farther to Banks, Forest Grove, Troutdale, etc to get a more small town feel. They are different lifestyles.

If you just say what you are looking for it would be easier to tell you towns that fit your criteria.

Silverfall, Im looking for opinions on the differences between the two.
Ok so you said the towns in Portland vs Salem have a "totally different feel" what is that? How different?
What are the differences baring land and space?

Ive lived in the burbs of Philly and although Philly is huge, the burbs are very welcoming, and your in a world away from Philly. Do the burbs around Portland feel that way too? Or are they just an extension of a busier town.

What type of person would enjoy the towns in Portland vs the towns in Salem area?
What does the Portland area offer that the town in Salem doesn't.

just looking for peoples opinions..

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by Katyia86

Silverfall, Im looking for opinions on the differences between the two.
Ok so you said the towns in Portland vs Salem have a "totally different feel" what is that? How different?
What are the differences baring land and space?

Ive lived in the burbs of Philly and although Philly is huge, the burbs are very welcoming, and your in a world away from Philly. Do the burbs around Portland feel that way too? Or are they just an extension of a busier town.

What type of person would enjoy the towns in Portland vs the towns in Salem area?
What does the Portland area offer that the town in Salem doesn't.

just looking for peoples opinions..

My opinion is you're looking for a certain answer. Since you won't ask the question clearly, we can't answer it. We'd just be guessing.

[Steve Pickering]

The burbs in Portland "Are" Portland. You have the business district and downtown denizens, and you have the residential area (burbs as you call them). The small towns around Salem are autononimous and independent cities or communities. Not part of Salem. Well except for Kiezer and West Salem..

[Katyia86]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

The burbs in Portland "Are" Portland. You have the business district and downtown denizens, and you have the residential area (burbs as you call them). The small towns around Salem are autononimous and independent cities or communities. Not part of Salem. Well except for Kiezer and West Salem..

Thanks Steve, That was a very helpful answer. I appreciate it.

GeorgiaTransplant: I wasn't going for anything specific here. I'm not fishing for an answer to a question I haven't asked. I wanted peoples opinions on the differences between the two areas as I am sure there are many. That was all, no hidden agenda, just hoped to get someone who loved their town to share about it and the differences, thats all..

Thanks to all of you for your time, I do appreciate it!

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Katyia86

Silverfall, Im looking for opinions on the differences between the two.
Ok so you said the towns in Portland vs Salem have a "totally different feel" what is that? How different?
What are the differences baring land and space?

Ive lived in the burbs of Philly and although Philly is huge, the burbs are very welcoming, and your in a world away from Philly. Do the burbs around Portland feel that way too? Or are they just an extension of a busier town.

What type of person would enjoy the towns in Portland vs the towns in Salem area?
What does the Portland area offer that the town in Salem doesn't.

just looking for peoples opinions..

The Portland metro is about 1M people. Salem-Keizer is 200,000. Portland is a metropolitan city so people that like Portland prefer the energy of a larger city. Salem is a very sleepy, slow paced, family oriented city. People that like the small towns around Salem, ranging from 300 people to 15,000 people, are people that want small town life. You can't compare the two because they are totally different.

That's why people are struggling to help you because the type of person that wants to live in a more hip metro area isn't the type of person that wants to live in a town of 9,000 people.

[Silverfall]

I just saw your other thread where you outline the towns you were considering.

Dallas- small town about 15 minutes outside of downtown Salem. Pop about 15,000 or so. It is the county seat for Polk county but many people commute into Salem for work. I wouldn't call it thriving in a hip, cute store kind of way, but it has improved a lot over the past decade. It is a solid middle class small town.


Silverton-probably closer to what you are looking for. Kind of an artsy community, lots of festivals. Dallas is more middle class, Silverton is more artsy. Very walkable.

Milwaukie-I haven't been there in ages so I can't comment. It used to be fairly rundown. Not sure about now.

Woodburn-Not a walkable city. I don't think this is what you are looking for based on your criteria.

Tualatin/Sherwood are nice. I don't consider them particularly walkable.

Tigard-feels more suburbia-ish rather than community oriented to me.

Keizer-Suburbia.

Portland-its a great city with lots of different neighborhoods, each with their own feel. Plenty of volunteer opportunities and lots of walkable neighborhoods as well as access to the max to get downtown.

I wouldn't want to commute from Salem/Silverton/Dallas to Beaverton personally.