Where would you suggest for US in Oregon? (Portland, Eugene: appointed, rentals)

[gaspin]

I'll try to make this brief but specific.

Situation: My girlfriend and myself are wanting to move to Oregon.

Background in Oregon: We visited Oregon from Indiana this past March. We flew into Portland, traveled south along the 101 to Florence, looped up to Eugene. We then took interstate 5 to 26 linking up w/ the 101 again to Astoria. Finally we made our way to Seattle where we watched the Timbers pull out a tie vs the Sounders . After the game we went to Portland which we loved.

Results of first trip: We loved the trip and have decided to take a second trip out this May. We loved the scenery on 26 and the coast was a close second.

With that, I was hoping to get some ideas from the forum on specific places to visit on our trip this year. Our first visit was to see the State. However, this trip will be one to pinpoint neighborhoods or at least a city.

Additional information:

Work: I work retail and can make due with any suburban area with a chain retail market. However, I will require high speed internet (I have no clue on the high-speed network in Oregon)
She is a little harder, currently she works in a University setting as a "data coordinator". She can survive in a market with lower level universities or an area with a commercial market. I know this is a bit vague.

Cost of living: With the move and relocating we will be on limited means. We could expect ~$60,000 combined income and would like to keep housing to ~$900/mo.

What we're looking for: Safe neighborhoods. We will be renting. We want a house. We would be willing to sacrifice space for all other requirements.

Where we're looking: Hillsboro, Beaverton, outer Portland area (not familier with much in the 'greater' Portland area). 26 was beautiful and ideal for scenery, however, we didn't encounter much in the way of a commercial hub required for our work. With this, I'm hoping for some more suggestions on areas.
(One concern comes from Hillsboro. We stopped here after a LONG day of driving and got a cheap motel, Econolodge: 622 S.E. 10th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR, US, 97123. Our stop here could have been better we'll say, but we didn't spend much time in the city. I realize we may not have seen the best of what Hillsboro has to offer.)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind our limited income and desire to rent a house. Again, we will be making a trip to see specific areas. I tried to keep this brief, so if you would like any additional information let me know!

[bler144]

I find downtown Hillsboro charming, for the most part, but you were basically in its armpit. That's not the most attractive part of town. Hillsboro also claims Orenco Station, and a corner of Tanasbourne, so in terms of geography it's fairly spread out.

Perhaps it's just me, but I don't have a sense of what your s/o actually does or where she might do it. $900 limits your options, in conjunction with the desire for a SFH. That market is pretty tightly squeezed - lots of speculators buying properties to rent, flip, or hold has rental prices up pretty significantly here. There are places in the metro you can comfortably get a 2BR apt (maybe a townhome) for that, but...I can't think of where you'd find a house. Not even Troutdale these days. $1100, sure.

For a variety of reasons, right now Portland is also seen as a desirable location, so you're likely to have to pay a bit more for housing than you prefer to land here. Compromise to an apt, and your options expand significantly.

Edit - Salem you probably could find a decent house for that, though whatever it is your s/o does perhaps won't fly there.

[Leisesturm]

And I thought I was blunt. Armpit, however, is about right. Yikes. That being said, our gym (Schute Park Aquatic Center) is around the corner so we are in that location three, sometimes four times a week. The Don Pedro's (mexican restaurant) is a local secret but it was revealed to us by friends that live in Portland and consider it their go-to destination for authentic mexican eats. As for lodging, anywhere on Cornell (10th) that was north (or south) of that specific block would have worked better.

High end rentals are going up right downtown in Hillsboro at 4th and Main St. Our first house was $1140 (3BR) a nicely appointed townhouse. A bad location near freight rail tracks made it a less than wonderful experience. Our present digs are much more downscale (considerably cheaper as well) but not far away at all.

I highly recommend Forest Grove. Pacific University. Enough said. Other than Portland itself, what you will find in the more idyllic locations are colleges with mainline church affiliations. Hillsboro has malls and so does Beaverton, both are an easy drive from F.G. PM me and I can give further insight as to why you could do worse than put Forest Grove at the top of your short list.

H

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Try Eugene area (Creswell, Junction, Cottage Grove...). University of Oregon, Lane Community College.... strong retail. The coast is an hour west and skiing an hour east.

[Nell Plotts]

You have a lot of employer options, her not so many. Were I you I would focus on her finding a job first. Any college/university town will offer you the community you desire.

[dude1984]

Originally Posted by gaspin

I'll try to make this brief but specific.

Situation: My girlfriend and myself are wanting to move to Oregon.

Background in Oregon: We visited Oregon from Indiana this past March. We flew into Portland, traveled south along the 101 to Florence, looped up to Eugene. We then took interstate 5 to 26 linking up w/ the 101 again to Astoria. Finally we made our way to Seattle where we watched the Timbers pull out a tie vs the Sounders . After the game we went to Portland which we loved.

Results of first trip: We loved the trip and have decided to take a second trip out this May. We loved the scenery on 26 and the coast was a close second.

With that, I was hoping to get some ideas from the forum on specific places to visit on our trip this year. Our first visit was to see the State. However, this trip will be one to pinpoint neighborhoods or at least a city.

Additional information:

Work: I work retail and can make due with any suburban area with a chain retail market. However, I will require high speed internet (I have no clue on the high-speed network in Oregon)
She is a little harder, currently she works in a University setting as a "data coordinator". She can survive in a market with lower level universities or an area with a commercial market. I know this is a bit vague.

Cost of living: With the move and relocating we will be on limited means. We could expect ~$60,000 combined income and would like to keep housing to ~$900/mo.

What we're looking for: Safe neighborhoods. We will be renting. We want a house. We would be willing to sacrifice space for all other requirements.

Where we're looking: Hillsboro, Beaverton, outer Portland area (not familier with much in the 'greater' Portland area). 26 was beautiful and ideal for scenery, however, we didn't encounter much in the way of a commercial hub required for our work. With this, I'm hoping for some more suggestions on areas.
(One concern comes from Hillsboro. We stopped here after a LONG day of driving and got a cheap motel, Econolodge: 622 S.E. 10th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR, US, 97123. Our stop here could have been better we'll say, but we didn't spend much time in the city. I realize we may not have seen the best of what Hillsboro has to offer.)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind our limited income and desire to rent a house. Again, we will be making a trip to see specific areas. I tried to keep this brief, so if you would like any additional information let me know!

As a fellow Midwesterner who just got back from nice trip to PDX, down the coast to Coos Bay, and a stop in Florence I agree that it is beautiful out there. It was great seeing green plants and trees when everything back home was dead. The smell of the ocean on those cool mornings was amazing. So beautiful that I wanted to stay and serious (albeit briefly) thought about moving out there. Like you, I was beginning to look at places in the PDX suburbs: Beaverton, Tualatin, and even down to Lake Oswego.

There is one thing keeping me from moving out there...massive underemployment. The U-6 rates are worse there than in the decaying state of IL (where I live) which is a real head turner. All I am saying is that a serious in depth look at the local and state economy should be considered before blindly moving out there.