Need to understand Portland Neighbothoods (Beaverton, Hillsboro: apartments, to rent, home)

[bravorojo]

Hello all,

I will be moving to Portland OR from Austin, TX. I've done a lot of research on the city, and need a little help with picking out neighborhoods to focus on.

Right now, I'm looking to rent for a little bit so that I can learn the city better while actually living there, and then eventually buy a home somewhere. I'm looking for 1/1, 2/1, 2/2 apts. In the range of $900 - $1200 of rent a month. I would prefer to be near the blue line, red line or yellow line east of the river, or even the blue line or red line west of the river. I'd like a neighborhood that's safe and walkable and as close to downtown as possible. The one that stood out to me was the area in the 97232 zip (//www.city-data.com/zips/97232.html). It appears to be in my price range according to craigslist, it has a good walkscore, and near downtown.

Here are my questios:
- Is the 97232 zip a safe place to live? Is it safe to have kids there? I have a 11 month old, and we enjoy going out for walks and such.
- Are there any other areas that I should look at that fit the above?
- What are the bad areas of town? Where are the Portland ghettos?

[Nell Plotts]

I would have no concerns living in that zip code.

Here is an interesting tool:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed Because the survey is dated ignore the $ amounts, pay attention to relationships (less expensive, more expensive).

[bravorojo]

How about Goose Hollow?

[roneb]

Sullivan's Gulch and Laurelhurst neighborhoods are both in that zip and quite nice.

[FSF]

I totally agree with the Goose Hollow suggestion considering you want to be near the red or blue line and go for walks with a small child. The only caveat is that it can be slightly hilly. It's west of the river and can be a decent walk to the hub of downtown (depending on exactly where you are), but it is very safe and family friendly, and most of it is very near the train stops.

97232 is fine but the better parts are for the most part in the southern section of that zip code and are far away from the Max. The areas of that zip code that are most around the train stations (i.e., convention center, rose garden, Lloyd Center) are in the northwest section and may leave you seriously wanting if any hint of "ghetto" bothers you. Not that it's not "safe" or is really a ghetto, but there are a lot of riff raff and drug users in that area, and it can also have a very desolate feel at night. I personally would not want to raise a small child in that neighborhood.

[Minervah]

Is there a special reason why you want to be near a MAX line? Because there are neighborhoods that would suit you just as well if not better near a good bus line than MAX lines.

[bravorojo]

Well, it doesn't have to absolutely be near the MAX line, but the reason being, is to take the train out west to Hillsboro. I absolutely hate the suburbs, and would rather live in the city. All that said, I'm open to other neighborhoods.

[hamellr]

You should look at Beaverton, yes it's "suburbs," but Oregon suburbs are not like the 'burbs in most states. Beaverton is not the strip mall hell that many make it out to be. And it is nothing like suburbs on the East Coast. To my eye, (and experience,) living in Beaverton is the exact same as living in Portland.

The reason I mention that is that there are a ton of apartments in your price range near the Beaverton Transit center. Neighborhood quality wise it's going to be as good as many places in Portland, and better then some.

[bravorojo]

hmm, thanks for the input. I will look into that as well then.

[Minervah]

The only MAX line that will take you to Hillsboro is the Blue line. The rest will take you downtown where you can transfer. It will be a commute from downtown of about an hour. The TriMet trip planner says fify minutes from downtown to the Hillsboro MAX station bur we all know how reliable that is.

Anyhoo, All the other MAX lines you mention will get you to downtown from the various neighborhoods they run through but you would have to take into consideration where they are comming from and add that time to your commute. Of course all this is unimportant if you choose to drive to work but then that's another situation altogether.

You may want to stick to the farther west side of Portland just a little closer to Hillsboro and the MAX but not the zip code you posted. It's a pretty side of Portland with more trees and more country suburban looking not very urban in appearance but it's still in Portland. It isn't anywhere near the zip code you posted but I really don't think you would want to live there and commute to Hillsboro.