Which neighborhoods do you think are the BEST? (Portland: appointed, new home)

[Daisy32673]

So other than the obvious here in Portland (most people are friendly, there are trees everywhere and Portland is very clean) what are you looking for? Where will you be working? How long of a commute do you want? How far from retail, etc. do you want to be? What is your housing budget? Renting or buying? Are you looking for newer construction in a suburb or established neighborhood with older homes? Are you a city person or more of a suburb person?

[gma221]

Originally Posted by makeitagreatday

I've been reading through your posts, Portlandians...and I'm wondering what neighborhoods you like best in terms of friendliness, cleanliness, beautifully treed, space (like a 1/2 acre lot or more). We can go for the outskirts for space but do not want to be near livestock farms and such. If we live within the city, we can definitely take that lot size down a notch but would like everything else mentioned above. Any food for thought????

I'm new to Portland, but two neighborhoods I've visited that fit your description are Eastmoreland and Ladd's Addition, both of which are in SE Portland. They are beautiful, but expensive; $400k would be at the low end for both neighborhoods.

Here are some links for you:
Guide to the Eastmoreland Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon (http://www.movingtoportland.net/living_eastmoreland.htm - broken link)
Eastmoreland Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon
Portland Neighborhoods: Ladd's Addition

[makeitagreatday]

I've seen some homes in the Mt. Scott West development of Happy Valley, Bridlemile/Southwest Hills, downtown near NE 22nd Ave & NE Holman St, Lake Oswego in the Westridge neighborhood and Clackamas...all different but nice. What do you think of any and/or all of these neighborhoods? I'm a FT Domestic Manager and my husband an investor so proximity to work area is irrelevant...just good place..good neighborhood vibe.

[makeitagreatday]

gma221, I've been looking at your links and I must thank you because the pros, cons and pics...it helps immensely in making the picture of each area so we can narrow down to areas. Since you are a newcomer, I would love to hear back from you and your adjustment to your new home city--Best of Luck and I think overall...it seems to be a great place to set down some roots.

[AndyAMG]

All the neighborhoods are good, you don't name any specific criteria so I don't know how anyone can answer the question.

[Daisy32673]

what other criteria are you looking for...you give no specifics other than commute doesnt matter (which it should considering traffic here can be a nightmare). but I will humor you anyway with this answer. the BEST neighborhoods in my opinion are defined by schools, safety, access to freeways and the city and quality of homes. using that criteria I feel the BEST neighborhoods are Lake Oswego, West Linn, NW Portland/Forest Heights, Laurelhurst, Burlingame area/Dunthorpe. These also happen to be the most expensive in the city.

[Minervah]

I descrbed my neighborhood but it may not be right for you. It's difficult to tell because you don't give us any details. Keep in mind that Portland, according to this website, has 95 neighborhoods. I don't believe this includes the suburbs.

Portland Oregon Guide |Portland Neighborhoods Guide

There are many such websites so this is a good place to begin. Also, do a search on CD and look for postings by Philwithbeard. He has given a very comprehensive description of Portland neighborhood website listings.

"Best" anything is relative to the beholder. In the long run, you cannot really determine what will work for you without actually coming out and doing some legwork to see which place you feel may suit you best.

[makeitagreatday]

Okay, this is not the first move we have ever made and cd forums are always helpful. We have found GREAT....mmmm, that would be GREAT to anyone that did not get it the first time around....homes in wonderful neighborhoods in fabulous cities from lake homes to coastal to mountain...all made easier with the insight from those who know the areas best. Criteria? Good neighborhood. Criteria? Good neighborhood (Just for those that missed it the first time ) Now what REALLY makes a neighborhood actually good? 1.) People--plain and simple. Everybody knows someone who has had the neighbors from you-know-where move in and terrorize their neighborhood. You simply try not to plop yourself down in a neighborhood where this is likely to happen, which is easily achieved by simply looking at how your future neighbors live. 2.) Embellished natural beauty--trees (that are actually planted to add to the present ones), shrubs, flowers. (Not neccessarily by the city but by your neighbors in their yard, which shows they also are on that same page.) 3.) (Now this is where the transportation Q. is answered.) Walking distance for a sweet treat or a Saturday/Sunday lazy morning breakfast...nothing fancy....but GOOD is an absolute requirement. We've lived in VERY large cities before and I am not unfamiliar with it taking 3-4 hrs. to only being able to creep a short distance. That being said, I do appreciate the warnings about rush hour as I myself have had to chuckle when newcomers are surprised at gridlock during rush hour in large cities. Fortunately, all of my errands and activities can be planned around the rush hour times. For fun and no parking hassle if we lived on the outskirts of the city, I wouldn't mind being close to a lightrail to head in for a show from time to time. Those 3 things will do it for our criteria. Not into the 1 mil. homes at this juncture of our lives but expect to be around $400,000 for what and where makes and keeps a neighborhood good. I hope this helps because I do appreciate your help and am trying to be specific.

[Nell Plotts]

NE Broadway has several places for sweet treats as does NE Freemont, look between those streets from about the Lloyd Center and the Hollywood District (Irvington & Grant Park neighborhoods). There are several homes in your price range, even one that Beverly Clearly evidently grew up in. In today's market you can often close a deal with 10% off the listing price so search up to $450. Light rail is on south side of the Lloyd Center, walking from there to home might be a hike.

There really isn't anything in your price range in the NW District. There is an odd-ball little house (the realtor describes it as "distinct") on NW Maywood for sale that is condo-sized.

[Minervah]

I also like Sullivan's Gulch. It looks like it meets your criteria but I don't think any neighborhood can always avoid "the neighbor from Hell." I've seen that happen in the best neighborhoods.

Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Portland Oregon | Neighborhood Notes