Where to live in the Portland 'Burbs? (Beaverton, Hillsboro: middle-class, apartments)

[GimmieCloudsnRain]

Hello All,
We (my husband, myself, and our two young daughters) are looking to move to the Portland area. We have researched a great deal and are concentrating on the following areas:
Lake Oswego (probably out of our price range)
West Linn (again, probably too expensive)
Beaverton
Tigard
Hillsboro
Anywhere else you may suggest

We both work from home and our jobs will follow us so commuting or finding work is not an issue. We want a SAFE neighborhood, hopefully very treed and green, quiet, and full of older/character homes rather than newer cookie cutter. We definitely want a house (not a condo, etc) with a large yard for kids and pets. Neighborhood amenities aren't a huge issue as we both drive, but being walking distance to the basics (like a grocery store and park) would be nice.

Safe area is a must, but I have heard that most of the safe areas/neighborhoods are HOAs. We are NOT fans! We are kind, quiet, respectful, middle-class neighbors, but we are not conformists. Our garbage cans are occasionally visible from the street ::gasp:: We own dogs WELL over 30 lbs. We have handpainted our mailbox. My husband drives a rusty old orange pickup truck (eww). Our Christmas lights were up until February this year (hey, they were down before Valentines Day)... Rules and restrictions in our own home that we have worked very hard to have, are simply not for us.

How hard is it to find a home that is not in an HOA/neighborhood with CCR's but is still really safe? Any suggestions as to where we should look?

Thanks,
Amy

[hamellr]

Finding safe neighborhoods without HOAs is easier then you think.

Safe in Oregon is relative too. There is only one place in Oregon (a small trailer park in North Portland,) that is dangerous to enter at night. There is no place where you'll be mugged for your Nike's or just for the fun of it. You're not going to wake up and find dead bodies on your door step or have your front windows bashed in.

I'd look at Central Beaverton for older homes with character and few cookie-cutter homes. "High" Crime areas of Beaverton are mostly Domestic Calls and Car Prowling, and tend to be clustered around low rent apartments.

Beaverton Neighborhood Map: Beaverton, OR - Official Website - Neighborhood Association Committees (NACs)
Beaverton Crime Maps: Beaverton, OR - Official Website - Crime Information by Neighborhood


Hillsboro and Tigard are both going to have more cookie-cutter homes as they're less established cities, although areas like Downtown Hillsboro and Sexton Mountain may have what you're looking for.

You may also want to look at Oregon City (Oregon's oldest city,) but if you need Internet access at home you may have issues getting something fast enough in certain areas.

Don't worry about what people think, the side of my garage is half painted because I'd need to tear down the fence to finish it correctly, and one of my gutters is half hanging because I need to replace the entire roof section there anyways. Oh, and I have a motorhome parked in the driveway, and I use old tires for planters.

[Skippy Weaselpants]

There are still quite a few "older" neighborhoods in the Tigard area, both inside the city limits and just outside the city in the Metzger area. It seems from your post that you are looking to buy, not rent. I'm sure you won't have a problem finding a house in a "family-friendly" neighborhood in that area. There are lots of things for kids to do in Tigard, including numerous recreational sports programs, nice parks (including a very popular dog park), bike paths and pretty good schools.

It's even possible to find a home like I mentioned above within walking distance of Washington Square shopping center. There's plenty of grocery stores, too. Oh yeah, there's even a Costco.

[Rob Allen]

Any reason you're avoiding Portland itself? There are many neighborhoods in the city, and several are sure to have the kind of environment you're looking for.

[GimmieCloudsnRain]

Thanks everyone!

Yes we are moving to Portland so that we can afford to buy instead of rent.

No reason at all we would avoid Portland itself. There are just so many neighborhoods in Portland proper and they seem to be less clearly defined. We really have no idea where to look there.

And with children, we naturally assumed the burbs as a whole would be safer and calmer. I let my children go out and play and would like to not be mad with fear when I do that.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by GimmieCloudsnRain

Thanks everyone!

Yes we are moving to Portland so that we can afford to buy instead of rent.

No reason at all we would avoid Portland itself. There are just so many neighborhoods in Portland proper and they seem to be less clearly defined. We really have no idea where to look there.

And with children, we naturally assumed the burbs as a whole would be safer and calmer. I let my children go out and play and would like to not be mad with fear when I do that.

Originally Posted by GimmieCloudsnRain

Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by GimmieCloudsnRain

Yes we are moving to Portland so that we can afford to buy instead of rent.

No reason at all we would avoid Portland itself. There are just so many neighborhoods in Portland proper and they seem to be less clearly defined. We really have no idea where to look there.

And with children, we naturally assumed the burbs as a whole would be safer and calmer. I let my children go out and play and would like to not be mad with fear when I do that.

Well the good news is that you can let your kids out to play in just about any Portland neighborhood and they will be fine.

Here's a website I always recommend regarding Portland neighborhoods. If you GOOGLE Portland Neighborhoods you will find many more with good infromation.
The burbs are fine too. But don't you do not have to rule out Portland as an option in regard to safety.


Portland Oregon Guide |Portland Neighborhoods Guide