First apartment, carless, relocating.

[Korynnn]

Hrm. I'm still looking at the West Side vs East.

The east seems like it would be far less walkable. (WalkScore.) Is this some sort of fallacy? Is it really that much less walkable than the west?

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by Korynnn

Hrm. I'm still looking at the West Side vs East.

The east seems like it would be far less walkable. (WalkScore.) Is this some sort of fallacy? Is it really that much less walkable than the west?

It's all about the neighborhood, the geography (up and down hill), and density. Portland's rental market, IMHO, is supply and demand based. Very desirable location, easy walk to shops and grocery, short distance to bus stop / light rail, yada, yada, yada.

Try this: Google map Portland, and turn on the Terrain Feature, You can see the ridge just west of Downtown Portland. NW 21st and 23rd street are part way up on that hillside. East of the Willamette River, the land is for the most part flat. There are pockets of homes and apartments that are close to amenities, grocery stores, and such. However, from IMO, outside of those pockets on the East side it is mostly detached homes with small yards.

Oh, I should add: the Pearl is flat. Cross over I-405, ah, not so much 'flat'.

All I can add is the Pearl and NW Portland have a stronger Urban Feel vibes, while the neighborhood pockets on the East side have a more relaxed 'vibes.'

[Dom1964]

Originally Posted by Korynnn

Riverside is a hole. :P Perfect definition.

Phew, though. That makes me feel lots better. Everyone keeps asking me "Why would you want to leave SoCal! People dream of living here! We have Hollywood! And Disneyland." (Although, I can't remember the last time anyone I know has gone to either of them.) And it's too sunny/smoggy here.

I can't wait for Portland. Any particular neighborhood/district tips?

As someone who has lived in Riverside, and worked for several years in Rialto, and knows the Inland Empire area VERY well, let me chime in here....

Riverside, like all other cities, has its good and its bad spots... so does Portland... dont fool yourself into thinking you are moving to some perfect place by coming here (though anything would be an improvement over Rialto, that IS a hell-hole).... some of the differences I see in my six months of living here...

you definitely wont need your car as much here (or maybe not all depending on your habits)... I personally have gone from buying a tank of gas every 4 days in So Cal, to every 4 weeks here... but if you do drive, take note, people here dont drive worth a damn (sorry natives, but your driving sucks, you drive too slow on the freeway, dont have a clue how to merge, and yielding when you have the right of way is not "being nice", its a good way to cause an accident)....

many here will tell you everything East of 82nd Ave is a ghetto... its not... again, good and bad pockets, do your research, though it sounds like you want to be closer to the downtown area....

job market here is tough, present yourself well you may have a shot... there is a lot of competition yes, but having personally sifted through literally hundreds of applications the past few months, I can tell you that many here will remain unemployed because they cant spell thier own name without using whiteout.

Good Luck!

[seain dublin]

Isn't going to be difficult to rent an apt when neither one of you has a job? Unless you have substantial savings you may run into a problem.

A landlord may require a few months rent up front because you have no income.

Granted Portland is much nicer than Riverside but unless you find employment Portland won't seem much better after a short period of time.

[MollyK1]

I keep reading all these posts and want to create my own (even tho it will be very similar to everyone else's). However, I'm new to the site and blogging (or whatever) in general. How do I set up my own entry in this forum?

Thanks ya'll.

[iamcims]

Originally Posted by MollyK1

I keep reading all these posts and want to create my own (even tho it will be very similar to everyone else's). However, I'm new to the site and blogging (or whatever) in general. How do I set up my own entry in this forum?

Thanks ya'll.

click on the new thread button

[Korynnn]

Updating: It's been a while.

First, my responses:
Dom, Thank you. :] And I know it won't be perfect, but a vast improvement over Rialto shouldn't be too hard at all. :P
Molly: We do have a good amount of savings, and we intend on paying a few to six months ahead of time.

Buut, I think I should post my update:
Sorry I haven't been around to respond. I've been a busy busy bee. We're buying a house in California first, to renovate, and then to sell. (we're both exceptionally handy, so I think it should work out alright.) :] ALSO, we're getting married! Next October, so our move will be put off for probably an extra half a year after that.
So Oregon has become our longterm (or, well, almost 2 year) goal.
We're now debating on buying versus renting. Although, it seems, that most of the condos/apts for sale are new builds, and too modern for our taste. So, does anyone know any pockets of the city that have mostly older, but still walkable buildings? O:

[Nell Plotts]

There are lots. You really need to ask that question when you are ready to move.

[iamscott]

Originally Posted by Dom1964

As someone who has lived in Riverside, and worked for several years in Rialto, and knows the Inland Empire area VERY well, let me chime in here....

Riverside, like all other cities, has its good and its bad spots... so does Portland... dont fool yourself into thinking you are moving to some perfect place by coming here (though anything would be an improvement over Rialto, that IS a hell-hole).... some of the differences I see in my six months of living here...

you definitely wont need your car as much here (or maybe not all depending on your habits)... I personally have gone from buying a tank of gas every 4 days in So Cal, to every 4 weeks here... but if you do drive, take note, people here dont drive worth a damn (sorry natives, but your driving sucks, you drive too slow on the freeway, dont have a clue how to merge, and yielding when you have the right of way is not "being nice", its a good way to cause an accident)....

On the flip side, California drivers completely forget how to drive when it starts to rain. Last time I was in California and there was a downpour I saw a astonishing amount of accidents, lol.

many here will tell you everything East of 82nd Ave is a ghetto... its not... again, good and bad pockets, do your research, though it sounds like you want to be closer to the downtown area....

You right on! 82nd get a bad rep, it's not all bad. I have never felt unsafe. Usually when I am in that area I am heading to Fubonn. Also since they built that center blockade to keep the "working girls" from running back and forth across 82nd, it seems to make the area better.