Moving to Portland from Boulder, CO (Gresham, Milwaukie: best neighborhood, apartments, condo)

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by moving to portland

I work from home so I can live anywhere. I'm a 26 year old single girl though so I want to be somewhere I can easily make friends and have a nightlife. Sucks I can't afford $1000+ for a 1 BR...just looking for alternatives in my price range

That is why I didn't recommend the neighborhoods right along Hawthorne. It's going to be pretty much the same in the Alberta and Mississippi areas. I think the SE Brooklyn neighboorhood is more in your price range.

There are also parts of the SE Buckman area where you may be able to find apartments within your price range. I think Montavilla would be too. It is a bit farther out than the other neighborhoods but it has a small business area with restaurants and shops.

[gypsydoc]

Originally Posted by movingtoportland

What do you mean by this? What apartment management companies? Do you mean I could get approved before I go out there? That would save a lot of time. Like I said, I only have 2 days to find a place at the end of March.

Yes, you could start the approval process with a property management company and they could begin the search for you -For example, American Property Management (I don't have any ties to them, this is just for info)... has vacancies in 10 of their properties that they manage. You could get pre-approved with them (or probably any of the others) and in their case, you can preview properties at www.blustonehockley.com

The process is probably very similar with all of them. Here is a complete list of everything you need for your apartment search. The property managers are almost at the bottom of the page - but there is tons resources to help along the way. Included are pet friendly apartments, low income, smoke free, those on bus lines, green properties, apartments, single family homes, reviews, etc.

Portland Oregon Apartment and Home Rental Information - Moving To Portland

Happy hunting.

[movingtoportland]

Thanks Minervah! that helps a lot.

Keep the responses coming...I really have no idea what I'm doing. Just going for it.

Edit: and thank you gypsydoc

[pterodactylia]

Have you considered roommates at all? Personally, if I wanted my own place and wanted an urban sort of feel, I would look in parts of north Portland along the Max line. There should still be relatively cheap rentals in that area. And as far as SE goes, I lived in a couple apartments along or near inner Foster Road (before 50th), and the rent was about $700 at the time. That was in 2009 though. It just really all depends on the quality of living you want.

[gypsydoc]

Originally Posted by movingtoportland

Thanks Minervah! that helps a lot.

Keep the responses coming...I really have no idea what I'm doing. Just going for it.

Edit: and thank you gypsydoc

Quick question - why do you only have two days to find a place?

[movingtoportland]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

Quick question - why do you only have two days to find a place?

I'll be there a week but I'll be working all but 2 days.

[EnricoV]

Brooklyn is an odd little neighborhood. It's very small and kind of pie shaped, and there's a mix of good and bad places. I'm going to guess it's on the lower socio-economic scale. Which sometimes breeds crime. It's bounded on the east by Brooklyn Yard (railroad yards), on the north by Powell (big, busy street), and on the west by McLoughlin (big, busy street --- Hwy 99E). I'd avoid any apartments on the major streets (Holgate, Powell).

If it were me, I'd think seriously about a shared living situation. SE has lots of big houses that no one can afford all by themselves. Padmapper also shows some reasonably priced apartments along SE Cesar Chaves (39th).

[gypsydoc]

Could you search after or before work on some of those days if the management company(s) had set appointments? ... at least drive around a bit. In addition, there is at least one Hostel that is a great inexpensive place to stay for a few days. The one I'm thinking of is on SE Hawthorne and is probably around $20 - $24 a day plus the folks who are there can be a wealth of information.

Rates/Reservations : Hawthorne Portland Hostel – Portland Oregon USA

I'm just thinking of ways you can "buy time" so that your decision is a good one.

When I moved here about 10 years ago, I found a great place in a day, so I know it can be done.. I'm just sayin.' It can be a bit nervous making. Actually, I lived along the Willamette River, on River Road, Milwaukie, in one of the several apartment complexes. I was drawn to the river and the beautiful area and lived there for 5 years before moving way out SE. It's about 8 miles from downtown Portland... Close to grocery stores and other shopping. 99E goes north and south, It's also close to quite a few parks.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

Could you search after or before work on some of those days if the management company(s) had set appointments? ... at least drive around a bit. In addition, there is at least one Hostel that is a great inexpensive place to stay for a few days. The one I'm thinking of is on SE Hawthorne and is probably around $20 - $24 a day plus the folks who are there can be a wealth of information.

Rates/Reservations : Hawthorne Portland Hostel – Portland Oregon USA

The Hawthorne Porltand Hostel is a good place. It's near where I live and I know people who stay there like it. But if that's a choice, the OP had better contact them about a reservation because they tend to fill up fast.

[movingtoportland]

I don't need to stay in a hostel but thanks for the recommendation. I have 2 full days of apartment hunting then my boss will be in town and we're going up to Seattle. I won't have much time outside of those 2 days to really search.

What can anyone tell me about Milwaukie?