Possibly relocating to Portland from NJ (Beaverton, Hillsboro: apartment, to rent, neighborhoods)

[JerseyGirl1987]

Hello, all! I have a great opportunity at work to relocate from right outside of Philadelphia to Portland. I've been to Portland once, and enjoyed the area. I'm in my late 20's and would be relocating with my boyfriend and dog. We are pretty active, but like to be within walking distance to restaurants and bars.

I would have a job lined up, but he would need to find something. He works in project management currently and has ~6 years of experience in the field.

We're looking for cost-effective places to live, does anyone have suggestions? Any advice as we start looking to make our final decision (there's an opportunity in Denver that we're considering as well)?

[rbwpi]

Originally Posted by JerseyGirl1987

We're looking for cost-effective places to live, does anyone have suggestions? Any advice as we start looking to make our final decision (there's an opportunity in Denver that we're considering as well)?

Renting or buying? What's your budget? Downtown, city, close in suburb?

[Larry Caldwell]

Cost effective? Median price for a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment is $1900/month plus utilities. You will have to come up with first, last and security deposit to move in, call it around $5,000.

[JerseyGirl1987]

Thanks for the quick reply! I'm most likely looking to rent. I am comfortable in the Philly suburbs currently--I like having easy transportation to downtown, but don't necessarily need to live in the city.

[JerseyGirl1987]

Sorry for the lack of detail, it's been a bit of a whirl wind. I will be working out of 3 separate offices (Beaverton and Vancouver, WA); he will be working out of the Beaverton area.

Ideally, we'd like to keep our rent below $1,400. We're okay in the suburbs, as it appears that public transportation is very strong in this area.

We enjoy hiking, running, etc. but like to be within walking distance to bars and restaurants. From what I can tell, it will be hard to stay within our budget and live downtown. Does anyone have any advice/opinions on looking in Beaverton and/or Vancouver? We're in our late 20's and will know anyone if [when] we move out there. We would like to be in a younger area where it is easy to network and meet new people.

[texasdiver]

Beaverton to Vancouver will be a much easier commute than the opposite because it will be a reverse commute. Driving from Vancouver to Beaverton will put you into the metro areas peak traffic hassles.

If you are working in both Beaverton and Vancouver then someplace in one of the inner SE or NE Portland neighborhoods near the MAX line would probably work well and meet all your criteria. You'd have a train commute out to Beaverton and an easy reverse commute up the freeway to Vancouver against the traffic. And you'd have lots of walkable groceries, bars, and restaurants nearby.

[Larry Caldwell]

Do you realize there is a Portland sub-forum? Most of the people here do not live in the Metro area. The Metropolitan Service District is a regional government that handles transit and land use planning in that area. Beaverton and Hillsboro are part of Metro. Tri-Met runs a limited bus service all the way out to Forest Grove.

The commute from Vancouver to Beaverton would be a daily nightmare, and it's only going to get worse. The southbound Interstate Bridge was built during the Eisenhower administration as part of the interstate highway system. The northbound bridge was built in 1917. Both are totally inadequate. Both are drawbridges for river traffic, so I-5 sometimes closes for half an hour at a time, backing traffic up for 20 miles. Do not live in Vancouver if you work in Beaverton.

If you want to drink so much you can't legally drive, get used to Uber. Beaverton does not have a downtown worth mentioning. The last time I spent any time there, 25 years ago, I thought Beaverton was the ugliest town in Oregon. However, if you want to hike, the Nike campus is the urban hiking and jogging capital of the world, and Portland's Forest Park, with 80 miles of hiking trails, is not far away.

Plan on getting a car. This is not the East Coast. Living without wheels is very difficult.

[JerseyGirl1987]

Thanks, Larry! I'm still learning my way around city-data (I only found it recently), so I thought I was posting in the Portland thread.

I have plans on bringing my car our with me--while the public transportation in the tri-state area is great, I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, which requires a car everywhere!

Your advice regarding traffic has been EXTREMELY helpful, and I will definitely take it into account when making a final decision on where to go. Sad to hear Beaverton was not the prettiest of areas; one of the most appealing things about moving the the Northwest is being able to travel to new areas of the country that I haven't seen anymore. Fingers crossed I will spend my weekend in more scenic locations (any recommendations would be greatly appreciated).

Thanks again for your feedback--this is a big jump for us, but something I am extremely excited about.

[Luckystrike1]

I agree in that you should post in the Portland forum because some of the seasoned members may ask you important questions, and give you both pros and cons (and you do need to take heed of some of the cons). Because of the exorbitant cost of living in the Portland-metro area now, you need to hear the realities to make sure that you can do this.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by JerseyGirl1987

Thanks, Larry! I'm still learning my way around city-data (I only found it recently), so I thought I was posting in the Portland thread.

I have plans on bringing my car our with me--while the public transportation in the tri-state area is great, I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, which requires a car everywhere!

Your advice regarding traffic has been EXTREMELY helpful, and I will definitely take it into account when making a final decision on where to go. Sad to hear Beaverton was not the prettiest of areas; one of the most appealing things about moving the the Northwest is being able to travel to new areas of the country that I haven't seen anymore. Fingers crossed I will spend my weekend in more scenic locations (any recommendations would be greatly appreciated).

Thanks again for your feedback--this is a big jump for us, but something I am extremely excited about.

Beaverton will remind you of a NJ suburb and has changed, as has everywhere, during the last 25 years. I live in a very nice area in Beaverton, and I am used to living in NYC. Portland is not very urban compared to the East coast but it does have a small dense urban core. The west burbs are nice, in general, and the abundance of Oregon trees is noticeable here though many posters on the Oregon forum never come out to Portland metro. You may want to check out the Portland Forum.