Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Oregon > Portland
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-09-2012, 01:01 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,482,376 times
Reputation: 35863

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by davemess10 View Post
I think the bottom line is that to "effectively" live car-free in Portland is going to limit someone to a few specific (and usually expensive) neighborhoods. Portland is definitely not NYC (which is a place where you can really live car free in many more areas).
That is what I am finding. At least now it is. It wasn't so difficult at one time to find a neighborhood with good bus service and close to shopping and other needs. When I first moved in my neighborhood that certainly was the case but along with the gentrification and neighborhood upgrading came the high cost of living here.

It is possible to live-car free in Portland but the affordable places condusive to doing so are becoming more and more fewer and farther between.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-12-2012, 07:01 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
6 posts, read 9,557 times
Reputation: 16
between the comments here and talking with my mother..I'm wondering if it doesn't make more sense to live a bit further out from the city centre and take on the car payment/insurance/gas/maintenance as rent may be substantially cheaper. If I went say 20-40 minutes drive from the city centre, do the rental costs drop? I really would be fine in just a studio apartment...I don't own any furniture at the moment (or plates or glasses or silverware or anything besides clothes really) so it would be much cheaper to furnish a studio.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2012, 10:00 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,453,424 times
Reputation: 3581
Quote:
Originally Posted by spicedhazelnut View Post
If I went say 20-40 minutes drive from the city centre, do the rental costs drop?
No, sorry. Prices are pretty equivalent across the Greater Portland Area. Any price savings you do see is not going to make up for the cost of car, gas, insurance.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 12:31 AM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 12,158,365 times
Reputation: 5860
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
No, sorry. Prices are pretty equivalent across the Greater Portland Area. Any price savings you do see is not going to make up for the cost of car, gas, insurance.
I don't really agree. I think rental prices are lower out in the 'burbs, especially if you get out of Multnomah County. Not sure it'd necessarily be enough to make up for the expense of an automobile, though ...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Jennings Lodge, OR
478 posts, read 882,918 times
Reputation: 454
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
No, sorry. Prices are pretty equivalent across the Greater Portland Area. Any price savings you do see is not going to make up for the cost of car, gas, insurance.
I beg to differ. We are renting in Milwaukie, less than a 5-minute drive to Sellwood, and 15-20 minutes to downtown. We are paying $1300/mo for a charming bungalow in a safe neighborhood with 2 bedrooms, a big attic, a huge kitchen and a decent-sized yard, 2 blocks from a bus stop, 3 blocks from a supermarket, and a 5-minute walk to a big shopping center. When we were looking, comparable houses in SE PDX were $1800 or so.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 03:53 PM
 
132 posts, read 324,312 times
Reputation: 111
Quote:
Originally Posted by davemess10 View Post
I actually have a bus stop outside my door, but that doesn't help that much when the buses barely run every 20 minutes.

Biking is the way to go for me.
uh, ok?

i don't know what point you were trying to make...

20 minutes isn't that long.

people are so infantile when it comes to transportation of any sort.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 05:01 PM
 
Location: bend oregon
978 posts, read 1,090,281 times
Reputation: 390
portland is flat, if you own a nice bike then you don't need the bus

20 min is nice if theres a bench or you live by the buss
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 05:26 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,482,376 times
Reputation: 35863
I don't mind a 20 minute wait. I spend the time reading or thinking or people/car watching. Sometimes there will be an interesting person waiting and will strike up a conversation. A couple of days ago, a man from India explained to me how the Hindu religion and Karma works. I learned something I did not know.

It helps if there is a shelter so I don't get wet in the rain. My bus(es) are pretty good though in that I never have to wait more than 15 minutes and sometimes less. And there is a shelter at the stops. All the comforts of home.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 07:07 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
181 posts, read 456,163 times
Reputation: 160
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leisesturm View Post
That said, I cannot imagine being car and bicycle free! Depending on mass transit alone would drive me bonkers.
I happily lived car-free in NYC for six years, but I would never, ever give up my car in Portland. Before moving here last year, I was toying with the idea of selling my car just to save money, but once I got here I realized that I'd be missing out on so much without a car. If all you care about is getting around the city, then yes, you can make it work. But there are endless opportunities for outdoor fun beyond the city limits, most of which are impossible, dangerous, or extremely inconvenient to get to sans car. ZipCar is a good option if owning a car is prohibitively expensive... but monthly TriMet passes and ZipCar fees aren't cheap, either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2012, 07:27 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,482,376 times
Reputation: 35863
Quote:
Originally Posted by gma221 View Post
I happily lived car-free in NYC for six years, but I would never, ever give up my car in Portland. Before moving here last year, I was toying with the idea of selling my car just to save money, but once I got here I realized that I'd be missing out on so much without a car. If all you care about is getting around the city, then yes, you can make it work. But there are endless opportunities for outdoor fun beyond the city limits, most of which are impossible, dangerous, or extremely inconvenient to get to sans car. ZipCar is a good option if owning a car is prohibitively expensive... but monthly TriMet passes and ZipCar fees aren't cheap, either.
I can understand extremely inconvenient but dangerous or impossible? Could you explain?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Oregon > Portland
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:02 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top