Beaverton or similar (Portland: coop, houses, neighborhoods) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

soulpatch · 08-08-2011, 06:48 PM

I can retire next year with a gross income of $59000/yr.
I have a family of 4 and the cost of living looks reasonable in Beaverton. Not knowing firsthand the area I wonder if the salaries posted here are accurate and livable.
I could work at anything to bump my income....that is not an issue for me in any way.
Primarily we want a community that recreation and family living are good.
We have been looking at Olympia WA but the rain seems pretty daunting there.....not that anywhere in the PNW is remotely dry, which we are tired of anyway.
Having a guaranteed salary without working gives us some leeway so I am hoping we can land on our feet in the Portland area since it sounds pretty nice and we are very much into local products, produce and some big city amenities after having lived in San Diego forever.

Yankeemama · 08-08-2011, 06:52 PM

We are probably just as rainy as Olympia, WA but that's an educated guess. Think about the gray factor here. Good luck to you.

soulpatch · 08-08-2011, 07:41 PM

I just found a site that states annual avg. Beaverton is 36".
Olympia, WA 50.6"
I should have looked around before asking.
That is a fairly significant difference.

soulpatch · 08-08-2011, 08:02 PM

Now, the rest of my stuff.....good family neighborhoods, towns, cities proximal to Portland?

jjpop · 08-08-2011, 10:27 PM

I haven't looked it up, but my guess is that Beaverton has about as many cloudy/overcast days as Olympia, even though it receives less precip.

I think it's hard to say whether you could make it on $60k. For some it's a slam-dunk. For others it would feel like poverty. It depends on how frugal you are, whether you want to send your kids to private school, etc.

soulpatch · 08-08-2011, 10:56 PM

Cloud cover and almost 15" of rain are two different things...
We know plenty of folks who have moved there from the Ventura area who love it.
Yeah, the income issue...even if I worked part time the addition to my salary would be all lifestyle. We like to grow a lot of our food, eat mostly organic, love to cook at home and even have our own chickens...we ain't gonna relocate them, though!

As far as private schools? Not an issue for us and we do a combination of independent learning and homeschooling.
My wife is a CA certificated teacher with her Masters in cross-cultural education and Spanish and she has been schooling our 7 year old twins since the day they have been born.
I have to explore opportunities for homeschoolers there but in CA, specifically San Diego, they are numerous through the public school system, museums, etc.
Heck, all I gotta say is it will beat being a firefighter after over 2 decades....a psyche can only handle so much before it's cracked a bit....I got the bit part down....just gotta keep it in one piece rather than two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjpop

I haven't looked it up, but my guess is that Beaverton has about as many cloudy/overcast days as Olympia, even though it receives less precip.

I think it's hard to say whether you could make it on $60k. For some it's a slam-dunk. For others it would feel like poverty. It depends on how frugal you are, whether you want to send your kids to private school, etc.

tinytonks · 08-08-2011, 11:12 PM

Beaverton tends to be an area where you need to keep up with the Jones's in my opinion. It's suburban with easy access to big box stores, malls, etc. There are alot of families there though and people seem to like the school system.

If you're looking for places to swap chicken stories and do organic seed swaps however, you may want to look in NE or SE Portland. The two areas are totally different though so I would visit and be the judge.

As far as rain, gray and misty days are just as impacting as full on rainfall. If you or your family worship the sun, you really may not like it here.

soulpatch · 08-09-2011, 12:45 AM

Now that is funny!

Can't say I've ever heard of organic seed swaps...we must not be quite that salty, er, down to earth. We just usually buy them at the nursery.
Keeping up with the Jones's hasn't ever been a priority for us, more like just living among people who treat other people decently.
Being a career firefighter I am not a big fan of dirtbags but if people are nice and honest that is good enough for me.
Honestly? As an avid biker, runner, all around outdoors guy/family, misty days are way different than rainy days.
Full on rain can certainly limit some activities but misty and gray should be livable. It seems as if some million folks up there manage.
I do have some damn good chicken stories, though, and they get better if there is a good micro-brew IPA involved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinytonks

Beaverton tends to be an area where you need to keep up with the Jones's in my opinion. It's suburban with easy access to big box stores, malls, etc. There are alot of families there though and people seem to like the school system.

If you're looking for places to swap chicken stories and do organic seed swaps however, you may want to look in NE or SE Portland. The two areas are totally different though so I would visit and be the judge.

As far as rain, gray and misty days are just as impacting as full on rainfall. If you or your family worship the sun, you really may not like it here.

dejo44 · 08-09-2011, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinytonks

As far as rain, gray and misty days are just as impacting as full on rainfall. If you or your family worship the sun, you really may not like it here.

What a ridiculous statement!? Anyway, check out Sellwood. The small lots would make it difficult to grow a lot of food but I have seen a chicken coop or two there. To name a few, Sellwood has a nice big park for the kids, and is very safe, walkable, liberal, has a New Seasons grocery, coffee shops, Oaks Bottom Park, Spring Water trail and very family friendly. Here is a link for more info...keep researching and good luck to you and your family.

Sellwood Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

HonuMan · 08-09-2011, 05:09 PM

I think Beaverton might be a good fit for you. There are modest, quiet, safe, inexpensive neighborhoods (I live in one), downtown Portland is about half an hour away during non-rush-hour traffic, some of the schools here are very good, and there are plenty of stores, restaurants, recreational activities, and healthcare. Yes, it's suburbia, and it's not hip or trendy, but it doesn't sound like that's a requirement for you. If the "three times your gross income" still applies for what level of house you can afford, there are three-bedroom, two-bathroom houses on small lots for about $180,000. You probably could make it on $59,000 if you're frugal, but knowing how expensive two kids are, I'd probably opt to work to bring in additional income.