Good places in Portland/area for a cross-country newcomer? (Beaverton: rental, crime)

[TwistKick]

... Yankeemama, you're going to make me cry.

Telling a vegan who hails from a small, conservative city where the most 'vegan' thing you can buy at the local grocery is tofu, you're practically describing paradise to me.

I do have to ask though - are Montavilla and North Tabor fairly safe? Not many break-ins, or assaults or such?

Also, what are some terms I should get familiar with in order to move around the city more easily/not seem like such a total outsider?

Oh! And how's the weather? I hear a lot of conflicting information - some people say it rains every day, or it rains a bit in the morning then clears off, or it doesn't rain at all during summer.. and how cold does it get, and how hot? Do you regularly see snow? Does it ever get up to 100 degrees?

(where I'm from, we never see snow or even below 15 degrees, and in the summer we often get weeks, and months, of 100+degree heat, but it's a very dry heat).

[oldtintype]

I kind of disagree about Montavilla...but...

While the neighborhoods aren't dangerous, property crimes are your biggest problem (car break ins).

But you really should wait till you find a job to even begin to narrow down neighborhoods.

[TwistKick]

Oh dear.. so, if you drive a nice car or leave nice stuff in it, you're likely to get it (and/or the car) stolen?

Most of the job listings I've seen just say 'Portland', which is.. kind of unhelpful. But honestly, if I really like Montavilla (or North Tabor), I'll put up with a longer commute (so long as the job is still somewhere in Portland, and not a suburb).

Also, oldtintype, what do you think about Montavilla that makes you disagree a bit? That it's a good/safe neighborhood, or that you don't think it'd be to my liking?

[oldtintype]

Montavilla is up and coming. I think there are other neighborhoods I'd rather live in if I was younger that are more established. Montavilla has a small strip with cool stores but the neighborhood isn't that great otherwise. I would buy there as houses are still reasonable but I wouldn't rent there. My issue with it mainly is SE 82nd, plus if you're working on the west side at all you wouldn't want to be that far east. The area around the vegan place you mentioned is called Buckman. It's next to Kerns and Hawthorne and along with Alberta those areas might be to your liking. Or Kenton, which is right on the light rail.

ANY city you live in will have property crimes. It is never smart to leave anything showing in your car, especially anything valuable.

[TwistKick]

Hrm. Well, of course no, I wouldn't leave anything valuable in my car. I'm driving a old junky thing right now. Looks like hell, runs noisily, but it'll get you where you're going, you know? But I'd like to get a nicer car once I'm at my job six months or so..

Also, Kerns, Alberta, and Buckman are on my short list, so I'll definitely check them out as well.

When you say 'property crimes' you mean more car-related than home-related, I guess?

And when you say the neighborhood (of Montavilla) 'isn't that great otherwise', you mean there's minimal attractions/things you'd want nearby, I guess?

Finally, can you tell me anything about the light rail?

[Yankeemama]

There are a lot of car break ins in Portland, in general. Many of my friends in Laurelhurst, my fancy neighborhood next to mine, claim that Laurelhurst has a high number of car thefts and break ins. I live in a nice neighborhood and have had my car robbed. We have an alarm system on the house and very watchful neighbors so I am really more worried about the car. I know someone who lives in Montavilla with her husband and baby and she loves the neighborhood. Low violent crime was a huge draw for my family so I really do understand your need for a safe hood. North Tabor should have less theft than Montavilla and there seems to be a large population of younger, single people. There is a yoga place I have been considering going to, there is my favorite taco joint, good restaurants up and down that part of Hawthorne and it's not far from New Seasons. There are a ton of vegetarian options, too. I think with your budget you can find a small house to rent with a small backyard for your dog. My hood has some random duplexes around, too. I am in the western part of Rose City Park near Laurelhurst. You need to get out here and scout. We have incredible neighborhoods in Portland.

[oldtintype]

For some reason I always thought you were in Alameda!

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by TwistKick

And when you say the neighborhood (of Montavilla) 'isn't that great otherwise', you mean there's minimal attractions/things you'd want nearby, I guess?

Finally, can you tell me anything about the light rail?

Light rail goes around parts of Portland, to several suburbs, etc.

Montavilla is not a bad place. But since you're looking for bars, younger crowd, food carts, etc. I just think there are neighborhoods you might like better that are closer in to the majority of that stuff. The strip in Montavilla has a great second run movie theater and some good restaurants and cafes, but the rest of the area is not that interesting, which is not bad, it just doesn't lend to the things you mentioned (vegan stores, etc) and of the neighborhoods mentioned it's probably the furthest from Whole Foods, New Seasons, etc. That's why I said I'd buy there but not rent--give Montavilla five years and it will probably be fantastic.

But, compared to where you're living now you'd probably love it. It's all relative.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

For some reason I always thought you were in Alameda!

Oh, nope. I live near Hollywood and Laurelhurst.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by TwistKick

I do have to ask though - are Montavilla and North Tabor fairly safe? Not many break-ins, or assaults or such?

You are worrying WAY too much about "safe." The most unsafe part of Portland is China Town and you wouldn't live there anyways. Even then it's more of a "drug dealers on the corner," and "mentally disturbed homeless person talking to themselves" type of unsafe.

The other thing you are not quite grasping is that a lot is going to depend on your job's location. If you're in IT, you're likely going to be working in Beaverton, a western Suburb of Portland, and not in downtown Portland or even Vancouver. So telling you that prices are lower in Eastern Portland doesn't help because your commute is going to be an hour if you're working in Beaverton.

It sounds like you're in Desktop Support. Keep in mind that people with your skill sets in Portland are a dime a dozen. We have several very good help desk companies here that turn out a lot of people with good experience. Who all go into Desktop Support. So even entry level jobs are easy to fill with locals. Your best bet is to find a company that has a location in your area and get a job there, then transfer over in a few years. Otherwise go work for one of the Help Desks such as Stream, Xerox or Comcast as they are always hiring. Getting hired in the IT industry in Portland is all about who you know, not what you know unfortunately.

I would go so far as to say that you should find a different career path anyways.