Live in Portland work in Beaverton (homes, transfer, neighborhoods)

[fildawg]

We're moving to Portland (from Atlanta) but will be working in Beaverton. We've looked at a bunch of neighborhoods, and really like the Hawthorne area. However, I'm very concerned about the commute. Ideally we're looking for older homes in a good school district (but coming from Atlanta everything is a step up) that's very walkable. Is the MAX really usable from the SE? Should I look more SW? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[turquoise1]

There is no MAX in the SE yet. They are building it.

[Daisy32673]

You would be travelling opposite rush hour traffic so it wouldnt be that bad of a commute from Hawthorne to Bvtn

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Daisy32673

You would be travelling opposite rush hour traffic so it wouldnt be that bad of a commute from Hawthorne to Bvtn

Depends, Highway 26 right around the tunnel seems clogged both ways during rush hour. It's a little better then coming in, but you can still easily have a 30 minute delay through there.

[SETabor]

I make the commute daily. It's not bad but timing is everything. It can take 20 minutes at 7:30 am and 30+ minutes at 8 am. The big sticking point is the bridges and getting to 26. From the Hawthorne district, you would either go south and use the Ross Island which is a slightly more direct route to 26 or take the Hawthorne bridge and then travel through town. If there's an accident on the bridges, it's not good.

26 does slow through the tunnels heading out but it's more an issue of slower vehicles trying to go uphill and getting in the proper slow vehicle lanes. I don't take 26 heading back into town in the evening.

There are buses that connect SE to downtown and then buses or MAX to connect downtown to Beaverton. Even after the MAX is up and running in SE, there will still be a transfer point somewhere.

[Rob Allen]

Depending on what part of Beaverton you're going to, there might be a better route than 26. Ross Island Bridge to Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway is the first alternate I'd consider.

[fildawg]

Thanks all! This is great info. I'm going to start driving from there to Beaverton via differing routes to see how it goes. Is there an avenue I should use as a 'too far east' line? I was thinking 30th but would appreciate feedback.

Also, turquoise1 mentioned MAX in the SE - can you share any info on the plan? A website?

Thanks everyone!

[hamellr]

It's all based on your proximity to a freeway, just getting to a freeway could be the time killer. I've commuted from SW 17th, SW 87th, and NW 186th to Beaverton. 17th and 87th ended up being about the same time, usually about 45 minutes. On 17th I spent 15-20 minutes just getting to the freeway, while I was only a couple of blocks from I-205 on 87th.