English family relocating to Portland? (Lake Oswego, West Linn: rentals, homes, transfer)

[Jemima]

Hi all

My husband's company are relocating him to Portland for 3 yrs and we were wondering which areas are good for families with young children.

We have a 7yr old, two 4 yr olds and a 2 1/2 yr old. I think my son will be going into 2nd grade and my girls kindy. Can anyone recommend good schools and do your work on a catchment system over there?

My husbands office will be Downtown and ideally he'd like to cycle to work. I would prefer to be able to walk to shops, school and be in an area near to a park for cycling and running. We will have a car but would prefer not to use it day to day.

Any suggestions on good places to live would be very welcome

Oh and he's flying over this weekend for a look around so any pointers on what he should be looking at and the easiest way to get around would be very welcome.

TIA

[robclem]

Hi, we are in a simliar boat to you but hope to be relocating permanetly to the Portland area from England. We plan on arriving in the next 6 weeks and have done quite a bit of research into the area. We have visited West Linn and Lake Oswego and fell in love with the area.

Our kids are older at 15,13 and 10 but we have researched local schools and West Linn or Lake Oswego seem to have the best options for our kids. Not sure about the commute into downtown portland but heard its only about 20 mins in the car.

Good luck with your move.

Rob

[jjpop]

I work downtown, and a number of my co-workers bike to work (I live too far out to do that). For the most part, they live in inner SE or NE Portland, west of about 50th Ave. or so.

While it's true that West Linn and Lake Oswego are the best performing school districts in the state, there are some good to great schools in this area of Portland. Find the schools in the area and check them out on the website GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

[PNW-type-gal]

Also, you generally need to live within the school district's boundaries for your children to attend a particular school (our version of catchment). The district boundaries are generally by city, although there is no guarantee that living at a residence with an address in a city actually puts you within that city's school district because of the city/county overlap.

[Nell Plotts]

If you anticipate living in Portland only 3 years rent (it is my personal opinion that transaction costs are too high if you anticipate owning a home less than 10 years). One way to get a snapshot of rental costs is to search Craig's List. Don't overlook the corporate bulletin board as a resource either. Your husband's employer may be able to connect you to their corporate transfer specialist to help you find housing.

If your husband wants to bike all the way to work then you should consider 'the flats', that is the flat areas of Portland. As the earlier poster mentioned, east side west of about 50th. More expensive (very popular) is NW Portland, Irvington. First look at the primary schools, then look for homes.

It is also possible to bike to a light rail station but I have no idea how good the security is for bikes at park & rides (for example).

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

It is also possible to bike to a light rail station but I have no idea how good the security is for bikes at park & rides (for example).

There are full bike lockers at many transit centers and there is at least one car on each MAX that allows a bicycle to be brought on board (much easier than stashing them on the rack at the front of the bus).

[Jemima]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

There are full bike lockers at many transit centers and there is at least one car on each MAX that allows a bicycle to be brought on board (much easier than stashing them on the rack at the front of the bus).

Thanks

My husband currently cycles and catches the train atm so good to hear it's a possibility.

[Rob Allen]

The east side is flatter, it's true, but I see plenty of people cycling to downtown from very nice westside neighborhoods like Hillsdale, Multnomah Village and Burlingame/South Burlingame.

Just last week I met a woman from Liverpool who lives in Southwest Portland near Lewis & Clark College. If you'd like to talk with her, let me know.

And you asked about the best way to get around - the local transit website is TriMet: Public Transportation for the Portland, Oregon, Metro Area , and here's a site with several maps for bicyclists: Portland Citywide & Neighborhood Bike Maps

[dent_arthur_dent]

Jemima/Robclem -- Just wondering how your move went, and what your impressions of Portland are/were (I am English, and planning a similar move). Looks like you haven't really posted anything apart from what you wrote here, but I thought I'd ask just on the offchance that you saw this and were willing to provide an update.

[oldtintype]

You might consider NW Portland--above NW 23rd--easy access to Macleay Park and Forest Park. Lots to walk to, very shop oriented, very good school (Chapman) and lots of kids. Lots of neighborhood kids especially and easy to walk to school. You won't need a car most of the time and he can get to work easily by bike. It's not inexpensive but there are rentals that can be found, especially if you go towards the NW Thurman area (or north).