Relocating to Oregon. Considering Beaverton or Hillsboro. (Portland, Aloha: cheap apartment, rent)

[Acara5]

Hello,

I have read many helpful threads on this forum. I would like to hear/read more.

My husband is being transferred to the Intel Jones Farm building from the Chandler, Arizona office. We have 3 children. 2 will attend high school and 1 in middle school. We will be moving ~May-June.

So far, we are considering Westview High School and Stoller Middle School. The schools are a big factor on where we end up living. My husband doesn't mind commuting a few minutes.

Can you recommend specific neighborhoods that are good for families and safe? The only neighborhood that we keep hearing about is Bethany.

Also, we were advised to stay away from Aloha at all costs. After looking at some of the homes online, it doesn't look bad. Is there something I am missing? Any other neighborhoods to avoid?

We are planning on traveling in March and want to check out recommended neighborhoods.

We would like to start out renting a home. Any information you can suggest is greatly appreciated. Thank you, have a great day.

[skiffrace]

Also, we were advised to stay away from Aloha at all costs. After looking at some of the homes online, it doesn't look bad. Is there something I am missing?

Aloha is fine. Somewhat less posh than, say Bethany, but with more character: fewer cookie-cutter houses, larger lots. The only places I'd avoid in Aloha are near Hwy 8 and 10 - a lot of businesses, cheap apartment complexes, and hence higher crime. Go deeper into Aloha and it's a nice place to live, but noticeably cheaper compared with much of west side.

Any other neighborhoods to avoid?

There are 2 Hillsboros. One is the "Intel city" - comfortable and safe. The other is the "agricultural" Hillsboro, with large population of migrant farm workers. An OK place if you want a cheap rental, but with job at Intel you don't need to. Once you get here, you will be able to tell one from another quite easily.

You have a lot of options near Intel. Rent something nearby, and after a while you know the local market to buy (hint: traffic is bad)

[bler144]

What does he consider "commuting a few minutes"?

Bethany is a nice area, but at rush that's significantly more than a few minutes to/from Jones Farm. Evergreen is deceptively smooth til it bogs down completely around 185th, and West Union can be pretty slow.

In theory if you were living around Keiser Woods Park he could duck up Cornelius to Germantown and then back down Keiser Rd. More fun than sitting in traffic anyway.

[hamellr]

Hillsboro, Beaverton, Aloha and Bethany are pretty much interchangeable. Unless you're looking for the signs, you can't really tell where the borders are. Each has older portions, built post WWII to about 1970s. There are other areas that are cookie cutter homes with six feet of backyard and strip malls. Newer areas tend to be closer to major amenities and slightly more walkable neighborhoods.

There are no totally avoid neighborhoods in any of the cities. Typically areas close to older apartment buildings are a bit less desirable, there are a few spots like this in Aloha, near Downtown Hillsboro, and near Downtown Beaverton.

My suggestion is to decide what amenities you want to live near, and how far he's willing to commute. Orenco station area would be a good suggestion, but possibly over priced. Bethany is about the same in my opinion. Good news that there are shuttles from the MAX stations to each of the Intel plants.

Originally Posted by hamellr

Hillsboro, Beaverton, Aloha and Bethany are pretty much interchangeable. Unless you're looking for the signs, you can't really tell where the borders are. Each has older portions, built post WWII to about 1970s. There are other areas that are cookie cutter homes with six feet of backyard and strip malls. Newer areas tend to be closer to major amenities and slightly more walkable neighborhoods.

Pretty much this.

Aloha seems a little more run down generally, but it's pretty much all one continuous sea of strip malls and cookie cutter housing utterly devoid of character, dotted with small pockets of what looks like it once had a soul.

Commute and schools will be the deciding factors. Traffic is a total disaster in the evenings. Check commute times with Google (the traffic estimate is generally pretty good).

[Nell Plotts]

The two schools you mentioned are excellent. Keep in mind the fact that teens can find trouble anywhere if they are looking for it. That is what adolescence is all about.

[D.O.N.]

Hello Acara5 - Welcome to Oregon (well, when you get here….Welcome!) - Housing in the Portland area is, in general, a bit pricier than in the Phoenix area. I'm familiar with Chandler/Gilbert, and would consider both those suburban communities kind of similar to the Bethany/Beaverton/Aloha/Hillsboro area, but more similar to Bethany/Beaverton. Home prices will be highest in Bethany, lowest in parts of Aloha and Hillsboro. I live in Cedar Hills, south of Bethany, north of Beaverton, and love it. Home prices here are slightly higher than the west side average, but less than the Bethany average, more than Beaverton (in general). But I am not in the Westview or Stoller attendance areas, so you may not want to consider Cedar Hills. If you want your family to be able to access Portland city proper ammenities, choose Beaverton/Bethany. If you can afford it, choose a Stoller MS attendance area. A suggestion: Because the west side continues go grow, school attendance area boundaries change every couple of years. You could move into the Stoller attendance area and, a year later, get changed to another MS attendance area. Following this suggestion is not necessary if your child has only a year, maybe two, left in MS (which in the Beaverton district is 6,7,8). Pay attention also to elementary schools, because some Beaverton ESs are k-8, which might mean your child would attend an elementary/middle school. I myself think that's a GOOD idea, buy you may not agree. At any rate, if you find the school you like, live as close to it as possible in hopes that attendance boundaries will not move your kids to a different school. Another thing to be cognizant of - not all areas on the map are incorporated, an odd thing about the Portland metro area. Bethany is a neighborhood, not a city. It will have a Portland address but be in the Beaverton School District. The same is true for Cedar Hills (where we live), Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, Springdale. I believe Aloha is mostly in the Beaverton District….some of it may be in Hillsboreo. I believe most Hillsboro addresses are in the Hillsboro School District. Make sure your realtor proves to you that you are looking at a home in the Beaverton School District, which is by far the best in my opinion, and after the realtor tells you what schools you'll attend in your new home, call those schools to be sure that info is correct. You can also ask the district for an attendance boundary map, or check on line for one. As for your husband's commute, it will be doable from Bethany, but not short (though I really don't know how long it will be….test it at 7:30 and 5:30 when you get here). In our opinion, though, we'd accept a longer commute for the best school district, Beaverton. I am a former Beaverton School District teacher, retired now, and have lived on the west side for 35 years. As you begin looking at homes and schools, feel free to contact me with questions. {This is my first post on this City Data site, as I just discovered it today, so I'm not really sure how you would contact me. I wanted to respond to your particular post because, as I said, I'm kind of familiar with Chandler/Gilbert (good friends there) and am also familiar with the Beaverton School District.} Lastly, if money does not matter and the commute does not matter, I suggest the Bethany area. By the way, there are two Bethany areas, the Bethany area near Bethany Elem. School, which is north of Hwy 26 but farther west, approaching 185th St, and the Bethany area that straddles Bethany Road/Laidlaw Road, which is the one you would want if you want Stoller MS. Good luck in your search for a home and schools in Beaverton!

[D.O.N.]

Okay…I think to further contact me, you would click on my name, then click on "Send a message to D.O.N."

[Scrappywings]

Do the schools in Hillsboro/Beaverton have an open enrollment policy? Do they allow you to enroll your children in any school, with an approved transfer, or are you totally bound by the school in your attendance area?

[bler144]

You'd likely get more response posting a new thread in the Portland forum.