Considering relocation to Portland... (Gresham, Sunnyside: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[nalem]

Hi, everyone!

So I'm originally from New York City where the public transit is great but the city is dirty and price of rent is SKY HIGH. About 6 years ago, I moved from there to Cincinnati, OH. It's alright here, but the public transit is awful and I hate having to own a car!

I've been interested in Portland because I've heard it's clean, the public transit is ace, the rent's a lot less than NYC, and it's a cool place for artists to live (I'm an artist.) I've heard the cons too such as the job market and the weather. I'm pretty much a self sustaining freelancer and the weather shouldn't be too horrible since I'm from the Northeast where it gets pretty cold. So anyway, I'm interested in visiting Portland this year to get a feel for it, even consider possibly relocating. I'm curious to know where are good places to check out/consider relocating to that has great access to the public transit (I don't want to have to own a car), is safe, and near stuff (i.e. grocery, theaters, entertainment, any of that kind of stuff.)

Any help would be awesome! Thanks!

[Nell Plotts]

Safeway and Fred Meyer are our large grocery chains. You would want to be within walking distance to one or the other. Except for the Fred Meyers on Hawthorne and W. Burnside most Fred Meyer stores are car oriented.

Our transportation system is basically hub & spoke, transit lines pass through downtown which is where you find theaters, museums.

The west side of Portland tends to have more expensive housing than the east side because of the presence of technology employers west of the city center. So, as an artist, you would probably have better luck finding something suitable on the east side of the city. In general, housing prices get lower the further you are from the city center.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by nalem

Hi, everyone!

So I'm originally from New York City where the public transit is great but the city is dirty and price of rent is SKY HIGH. About 6 years ago, I moved from there to Cincinnati, OH. It's alright here, but the public transit is awful and I hate having to own a car!

I've been interested in Portland because I've heard it's clean, the public transit is ace, the rent's a lot less than NYC, and it's a cool place for artists to live (I'm an artist.) I've heard the cons too such as the job market and the weather. I'm pretty much a self sustaining freelancer and the weather shouldn't be too horrible since I'm from the Northeast where it gets pretty cold. So anyway, I'm interested in visiting Portland this year to get a feel for it, even consider possibly relocating. I'm curious to know where are good places to check out/consider relocating to that has great access to the public transit (I don't want to have to own a car), is safe, and near stuff (i.e. grocery, theaters, entertainment, any of that kind of stuff.)

Any help would be awesome! Thanks!

Here is the problem you may encounter. These areas have very high rents. If you want to live completely carless (I do) you have to factor in the cost of living in the convenient neighborhoods. Also, you will need to determine which buses will take you where it is you want to go. Routes can be very limited.

Looking at a Tri Met map can be helpful. You can find bus and light-rail routes on their websit.

What is your rent price range? Knowing that would be helpful in steering you towards a neighborhood.

If you can afford it, NW Portland sounds like it may be a good fit for you.

[pterodactylia]

North portland, or inner SE/NE may be good options for you. Both of those areas have pretty stellar bus options and many light rail options as well. I lived in SE for years with no car and survived just fine on Trimet. Some of the inner east & most of the NW neighborhoods can be relatively spendy compared to the cost of living but house sharing is common, especially amongst artists. Belmont & Hawthorne are great neighborhoods, with stores, restaurants, grocery stores, awesome walkability and are about 15 min away from downtown via bus. Parts of north Portland (not NW, but across the river) are pretty seedy but I doubt it's anything worse than living in NYC and there are some lovely vibrant neighborhoods there.

I personally wouldn't recommend the west side of PDX aside from NW. Aside from it being mostly suburbs, being carless would not be optimal out there, because although buses run everywhere and there is MAX, it doesn't have the walkability for the most part of the older neighborhoods of inner eastside and NW. Most people out there do own cars.

Portland doesn't get anywhere as cold as the NE. There might be a snow shower once or twice a year. It does rain but not nearly as much as you'd think, and the summers are nice and usually not humid. There are tons of other things to do around Portland aside from just the city - mountains, rivers, lakes, the coast, pretty much all outdoor activities you can think. I think that was mostly my only regret of not having a car because I had to rely on other people when I wanted to do those things.

[Minervah]

The neighborhoods around Belmont and Hawthorne are great. I live just two blocks from Hawthorne and six from Belmont. Both have good bus service but keep in mind it is not like New York where buses and subways go from neighborhood to neighborhood. All buses with few exceptions lead to downtown which is fine if you want to go there or someplace along the route.

I have lived near Hawthorne for more than 30 years and have not had the need for a car until recently as the bus routes are diminished. Since I don't drive, friends are nice enough to take me where I need to go if Trimet can't.

One thing people do in my neighborhood is use the bus when it takes them where they need to go and rent a zip car for other trips. But in this area there is a huge Safeway on 27th and Hawthorne that is walking distance from most of the surrounding neighborhoods. And a Fred Meyer's aka Kroger's at the other end. There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way.

I suggested the NW part of town because it has everything you said you wanted. You can sometimes find apartments that are less expensive than around Hawthorne in NW as well. The the area around Hawthorne which encompasses several neighborhoods: Hosford Abernathy, Buckman and Sunnyside, is unfortunately seeing skyrocketing rental prices.

A brand new building has tiny studio apartments for $1000 a month. Most of the older small one-bedroom apartments around here are a bit more. The other day I saw a two bedroom apartment for $1200.

But as a New Yorker, these may not seem a lot to you. If this is within your price range, you will like the SE part along Hawthorne. NE is great too. I am not all that familiar with it though. A friend of mine lives in the Fremont area and it is really nice with lots of amenities. The bus service, however, is not so good.

There are others here more familiar with the NE side and could tell you more about it. One thing is that you will have lots of choices.

Check out the Portland Neighborhoods website. It tells a little bit about all the areas.

[nalem]

That's about half as much as New York rent. I was looking around on sites and saw Portland rent ranged between $750-$1500 and it sounded a lot more reasonable than $2k+ in New York.

I'm looking for these neighborhoods, Minervah. I can't seem to find them!

[Nell Plotts]

Here is a link to our neighborhoods map. Portland has neighborhood associations recognized by the City. They play an important role in planning and provide a forum for concerns be they street maintance, crime, neighborhood gardens ... http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/in...35788&a=283289

[Minervah]

Here's a website that may help. The lower rental prices will get you farther out of the actual Portland close-in neighborhoods. Close-in meaning how close to downtown.

The higher end rentals will have what you need. For example, in my neighborhood of Buckman along Hawthorne where everything is walking distance and about 20 minutes from downtown, one bedrooms generally begin at around $950 and up. Two bedroom apartments will begin around $1200.

Sometimes bargains can be found but those are usually through signs put out by landlords rather than putting an ad in the paper or on Craigs' List. In the more sought-after neighborhoods the landlords just put out a sign and within hours their apartments are rented.

Some though are managed by real estate management companies like Captial or Reliance Real Estate and will advertise in print or online. Check out Craig's List or "Oregon Live" websites to see if you can get an idea of what may be available and for what cost.

Here is a website that shows the different areas.

Portland Oregon Guide to Neighborhoods - Moving To Portland

You can Google "Portland Neighborhoods" to find more.

[nowannamove]

Personally, I don't care for Gresham or the far out East Side neighborhoods. Close in is nice, but is usually either pricey or crime laden.

My mom lives near Orenco station. That is a pretty nice option right now. It is right next to the Max line, many walking trails, near lots of shopping and fairly quick Max ride downtown. Also she paid $289K for her condo five years ago... now I'm seeing condos in her development selling for $75K to $120K. I imagine the rent must be very inexpensive.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by nowannamove

Personally, I don't care for Gresham or the far out East Side neighborhoods. Close in is nice, but is usually either pricey or crime laden.

My mom lives near Orenco station. That is a pretty nice option right now. It is right next to the Max line, many walking trails, near lots of shopping and fairly quick Max ride downtown. Also she paid $289K for her condo five years ago... now I'm seeing condos in her development selling for $75K to $120K. I imagine the rent must be very inexpensive.

Crime laden? Well maybe some years ago but I certainly wouldn't call it that now. Pricey I would agree with.