Phl -> pdx (Portland, Beaverton: real estate, apartments, rental)

[drive carephilly]

Hi all - there's a company transfer pending (80% certain) that will take our family to Portland. If it goes through we'll have to get our stuff in order fairly quickly and i'd like to be as on-the-ball as possible.

About us - we're a married couple with a toddler. I walk to work (less than 5 mins), she bikes to center city for work (about a 10 min ride) most days but we're also really close to the subway for when it's especially crappy out. She's a 9-5ish desk jockey and 4 nights a week I work 6-midnight at a restaurant. It's not an ideal scenario but the cost of daycare or a nanny would wipe out whatever pay bump i would get from going back to my career . . . and it's just not worth not spending that time with her.

Most of the restaurants, bars and shops we frequent are 10 minutes or less on foot from where we live. Most of our trips are on bike, foot, car share and occasionally transit. We don't own a car and would like to keep it that way.
I'm at home with our daughter during the day so proximity to parks/playgrounds and other kids are important.

We bought a large-ish rowhome (about 2000 s/f) years ago that we don't plan on selling because rents here have grown much faster than home prices. So we'll rent our place at a premium here which we can use to pad our rental budget in Portland. We don't need all that space, though. I think 2 or 3 bedrooms in 1200-1600 s/f would suit us just fine. We're not particular about the type of housing. Multi-family, high rise, detached single family, attached single-family, whatever. The right location is far more important. Real estate in Philly is dirt cheap so we're prepared to pay more but we're not sure what's realistic. We're thinking $2400 would be our max.

Is it realistic to think we could find a place that comes close to a match that's still within a 15-20 minute bike ride of downtown?

Everyone i know who has lived in Portland speaks highly of it but came back to Philly (they all come back) because it was either too hard to find a decent job or because they got bored/tired of it (but usually a combo of the two). We're not looking to make a lifetime of it and we wouldn't be moving out there looking for work so part of that problem is already solved. We're pretty easy going so i'm sure it'll suit our needs for a few years. My only hesitation is whether or not we'll have to radically alter our lifestyle (if we can't afford to live close enough to downtown).

So, what does the collective brain of Portland think?

[EnricoV]

With a budget of 2400, you can live pretty much wherever you want. NW Portland, or the Pearl would be the closest to the downtown area. That's more likely going to be in a high-rise, loft, or the smaller, older apartments of NW. Another part of town that might suit you is the Alberta Arts District. It's a little further out, but still easy biking distance. There'll be more detached single-family homes there.

But, bottom line, for living car-free with easy access to everything, I'd look in the Pearl.

[Random_Walk]

IMHO and from sniffing around earlier this year, $2400/mo. to live downtown would put you in a mid-sized (say 1100 sq ft) 2bdrm or a small (same size) 3bdrm apartment.

Renting a house (or anything with more than 1200 sq. ft) for that much would be quite tough to do, unless you went towards North or East (across the river) Portland, and the bicycle ride stretched out to 30-45 minutes.

These are rough estimations on my part, based on looking around awhile back (I decided screw it, I'll telecommute and drive in from the coast a couple of days a week - from what I've found? Totally worth it).

As far as leaving/staying in PDX, a lot of it depends on you and your family, and whether or not the vibe suits you. My wife and I love going downtown, but would positively hate living there (both of us have found smaller towns to be more our liking for a place to put down roots, based on our separate life experiences). OTOH, you're probably going to be different. I'd say give it a shot and see what comes of it - you only live once, and PDX is in my opinion something you should live in at least once if you can.

[drive carephilly]

Thanks to both of you!

We're city folk through and through so it sounds like the Pearl or some downtown adjacent neighborhood is going to be our best bet.

Any suggestions on what resources to use to find a place? Maybe a local weekly or the newspaper? Some other website? CL is overwhelming and i'm not sure how I should be narrowing the search. Putting "Pearl" in the search box narrows things down a lot but when you type NW you get stuff in Vancouver, Beaverton, Hillsboro, etc.

[sayulita]

I am familiar with this place as a friend used to live there.

Southpark Square | Apartments in Portland OR | Portland Apartments

The downtown location on the Park blocks put you smack dab in the middle of downtown. Two blocks from a newish Safeway, Portland State University, the art museum, downtown library, restaurants and retail shops all within walking distance. The apartments, as I recall, are pretty spacious and modern. There's a rooftop pool and I think a workout room. Just FYI.

[Nell Plotts]

Try zip code 97210 and 97209 in your search. Alternately use PadMapper to see most Craigslist listings on a map.

The three of you would fit right in NW Portland from the standpoint of lifestyle and budget. Avoid the Old Town neighborhood with a child and the North Waterfront area isn't child friendly IMHO. This link is aimed at home buyers but gives you a feel of close in NW: Guide to the Northwest District Nob Hill Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon - Moving To Portland

There are a few rental houses in the neighborhood but for all practical purposes they are rented via relationships, rarely advertised. If you can find a rental on the blocks around of Chapman Grade School sacrifice size for location. Wallace Park and Friendly House (with activities for toddlers) are within walking distance. The Pearl is nice but there isn't as much open space for the babe.

I don't know what kind of moving package your employer is offering but you would be well advised to bring only your treasures cross country. Your current furniture may not be the right scale.

The building mentioned above would work too but it is a ways from toddler friendly activities. The one potential advantage is that there are day care options down town. I think that zip code is 97201.

The Moving to Portland website has added info for renters: http://www.movingtoportland.net/movi...-a-rental-home