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Old 05-26-2011, 07:25 AM
 
Location: The greatest state of them all, Oregon.
780 posts, read 1,571,853 times
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What are the following communities & school districts like? Also, I've added a few other specific questions. Note that (1) my new job is in Milwaukie near the 224/I-205 junction, and (2) my current commute is 45 minutes each way.

SANDY
- How much does it snow out there? I hear its far worse than most of the Portland metro.
- How bad is rush hour traffic along 26 & 212 from Sandy to Milwaukie?

OREGON CITY
- We've seen a few places in the downtown(ish) area - is that area pretty safe?

CANBY
- What is the commute like on 99E during rush hour? Heavy volume?

WILSONVILLE
- Is I-5/I-205 really that hellacious during the rush hour?
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Old 05-26-2011, 09:22 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
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Sandy doesn't get much more snow then the rest of the Portland area. If the snow level is down to 2000 feet or so, there will be a light dusting. If the snow level is down to 1000 feet or lower, it'll get an inch or two more then rest of the Portland area. But it melts off just as fast.

Rush hour can get bad, but is OK for the most part. A lot of people live in Sandy and commute to Gresham/Portland. 212 isn't a normal Highway per say, it has stop lights and is only single lane each direction for a large portion of it's route, especially through Boring. Again, isn't that big of a deal, but one wreck on the road can *********r day.

The Schools are pretty good. A bit over crowded due to the influx of new residents (over the past 10-15 years,) but the district is working hard to fix that with a new High School for instance. The School District has the advantage of a fairly strong teacher's Union. But unlike most Unions, the teachers who are members really do care about the students so a lot of demanded changes actually do benefit the students directly.

The biggest problem with Sandy is that during the Winter it can get crowded as everyone has to pass through to get up to Mt. Hood. If there is a wreck ten miles up 26 closer to the Mountain, that can affect traffic all the way down through town.

The population is a mix of country folks and Yuppies. There are a lot of Christmas Tree farms and nurseries in the area. Something like 60% of Oregon's agricultural exports come out of Clackamas County alone, and most of that is around Sandy. As such, there isn't a lot to do "in town," you're going to end up in Gresham to fulfill a lot of your errands.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Sandy was the start of the very last leg of the Oregon Trail. The Barlow Road ends a few miles outside of town, and you can still go through people's back yards and find traces of the roads to Oregon City and Portland.
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Old 05-26-2011, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Sometimes Portland, other times LA
600 posts, read 1,465,284 times
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SANDY
- How much does it snow out there? I hear its far worse than most of the Portland metro. I would say a little more than Portland does but not by much
- How bad is rush hour traffic along 26 & 212 from Sandy to Milwaukie? In the winter - not good. You are also traveling a 4 lane hwy with all the traffic to and from the mountain.

OREGON CITY
- We've seen a few places in the downtown(ish) area - is that area pretty safe? Oregon City is safe

CANBY
- What is the commute like on during rush hour? Heavy volume? Canby is a little far out to be commuting that far.

WILSONVILLE
- Is I-5/I-205 really that hellacious during the rush hour? It gets bad in spots but its not horrible
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Portland, OR
1,657 posts, read 4,471,289 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderbygrace View Post
.....Note that (1) my new job is in Milwaukie near the 224/I-205 junction, and (2) my current commute is 45 minutes each way....
I am sure you have noticed that the only two closest bridges across the Willamette River are at I-205, and just north of Milwaukie, the Sellwood bridge.

Just so you know about the Sellwood bridge, it is very old, and starting to fall apart. Voters rejected a bond measure to help pay for a replacement in early May '11, as was expected. There is a chance that State Engineers could close that bridge to automobile traffic for safety reasons in the near future. The replacement bridge is now on hold. As it stands, driving across the Sellwood bridge during rush hour is a test of your Faith and how good you were yesterday. I thought of adding a YMMV, but that might be considered a pun in bad taste.

If you work in Milwaukie and want to live in the Southern suburbs, live on the East side of the Willamette, or crossover using the I-205 bridge.
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Old 05-26-2011, 12:44 PM
 
Location: The greatest state of them all, Oregon.
780 posts, read 1,571,853 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by philwithbeard View Post
I am sure you have noticed that the only two closest bridges across the Willamette River are at I-205, and just north of Milwaukie, the Sellwood bridge.

Just so you know about the Sellwood bridge, it is very old, and starting to fall apart. Voters rejected a bond measure to help pay for a replacement in early May '11, as was expected. There is a chance that State Engineers could close that bridge to automobile traffic for safety reasons in the near future. The replacement bridge is now on hold. As it stands, driving across the Sellwood bridge during rush hour is a test of your Faith and how good you were yesterday. I thought of adding a YMMV, but that might be considered a pun in bad taste.

If you work in Milwaukie and want to live in the Southern suburbs, live on the East side of the Willamette, or crossover using the I-205 bridge.
We've already dismissed living in Multnomah and Washington counties, so using the Sellwood probably wouldn't be necessary. While I was out there last week, I had read a little bit about it and the bond defeat.

We're more interested in the suburbs on the eastern side of the Willamette, in addition to Lake Oswego, West Linn and Wilsonville. However, I did make a drive over the Abernethy last Friday during rush hour, and it made those latter three far less attractive. And the OC bridge is kinda silly w/the 205 being right there.
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Old 05-26-2011, 01:15 PM
 
Location: Pacific NW
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Is there a reason that Milwaukie, itself, isn't on your list? Personally, I'd look from Milwaukie to Oregon City, or to the nearer eastern country towns like Damascus, Carver, Redland.
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Old 05-26-2011, 01:59 PM
 
Location: The greatest state of them all, Oregon.
780 posts, read 1,571,853 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EnricoV View Post
Is there a reason that Milwaukie, itself, isn't on your list? Personally, I'd look from Milwaukie to Oregon City, or to the nearer eastern country towns like Damascus, Carver, Redland.
Oops, good catch! I did forget to mention that in this thread. Currently, our #1 choice for a school district is North Clackamas, so we've done a ton of research into Milwaukie and Happy Valley, etc.

I did take a small look at Damascus when out there last week. My only problem is I'm not finding much available, housing wise, in the non-NCSD area of Damascus.

Never heard of Carver & Redland. I'll look into them. Can you tell me more about both?
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Old 05-26-2011, 04:07 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
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I am glad you are not discounting Milwaukie. I really like that burb. It's more like a small town and it always seems like a friendly place.
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Old 05-26-2011, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 12,106,902 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
I am glad you are not discounting Milwaukie. I really like that burb. It's more like a small town and it always seems like a friendly place.
Me too! But then, I grew up there, and most of my family still lives there. The school district seems to do a pretty good job (at least, everyone seems to have gotten a decent education).

Carver and Redland are both unincorporated areas. Both are just fairly rural communities. Lots of farmland, but more and more housing developments appear.
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Old 05-26-2011, 08:27 PM
 
Location: The greatest state of them all, Oregon.
780 posts, read 1,571,853 times
Reputation: 478
I have mixed feelings on Milwaukie.

On the good side:
- more affordable rents
- schools are okay
- easy commute to my new office

On the not so hot side:
- the schools seem to be better on the eastside of 205 in the NCSD from what I've read/heard
- the houses in Milwaukie aren't as appealing as in HV
- a Clackamas deputy told me that most of his calls seemed to come from west of 82nd, which would be squarely in Milwaukie

Should I have reason to be skitish? We admittedly come from an area now that Happy Valley kind of reminds me of (newer homes, more upscale (not that we are)).

Are there areas in Milwaukie to definitely avoid?
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