Help us find a not-so-pricy neighborhood with Tri-Met access? (Portland: apartments, for rent)

[hush.bereel]

I know that this thread has been created over and over again, but because everyone is so helpful, and previous threads still seem to get answers, I'm gonna take my chances here.




So, I'm getting close to being offered a job in my field, in Portland. My salary will end up being right around $50,000. My wife will not be finding a job right away when we get there, so that will be our only income at first. I know that's not a lot. So we will be very limited in neighborhoods we can afford. Now, the place I will [hopefully] be working at is just south of Portland, actually in the general area next to the very south end of Willamette Park. By looking at a map it appears to be about halfway in between the city center and Lake Oswego (I don't want to give away any specifics at this point, mostly because of superstitious reasons of not wanting to jinx things, lol). Additionally, in order to cut expenses, we will be selling one of our cars before the move, which means I will need to plan on using Tri-Met for my commuting needs. This brings me to my main question: What neighborhood could we move to which would have Tri-Met access that goes to this area of south Portland that we could afford? I would prefer not to have to make a bunch of bus transfers or commute an hour one way, so hopefully that can be factored in as well.

Can anyone help me narrow this down? So far all I've learned is that most of the areas we looked at when we were visiting Portland last year are way too expensive for us. That will all change once my wife finds a job in her field sometime during the first year we are there, but until then we have to find a way to stay afloat. I'm guessing that an honest rent budget we will be looking at will be somewhere in the $1000 range. Are we screwed? Or is any of that a possibility?

Thank you so much, anyone who can give us any advice!!

[urbanlife78]

You should be able to find an apartment in Hillsdale or Johns Landing for under that price. Milwaukie is always a good option, but that is on the other side of the river for you.

[hush.bereel]

Thank you for the quick response. I am looking at Hillsdale right now. Johns Landing (so far) seems to be a bit expensive in what I'm turning up at the moment. Maybe because it's so close to Lake Oswego? I'll keep looking. Also, I'm going to check out Milwaukie, but yeah, being across the bridge makes me wonder about commutes. Do any bus routes go across the river there?

[Nell Plotts]

And the county is still working on the Sellwood Bridge, commuting from Milwaukie won't be easy. Better to spend a couple extra $ in rent than having an awful commute.

Add to your list of neighborhoods to consider South Burlingame.

John's Landing is the neighborhood east of I-5 near where you will be working. South Burlingame is west of the River View Cemetery. Hillsdale is west of I-5.

Our transit system is in large part a wheel and spoke design, cross town is tough and no bus crosses the Sellwood Bridge.

One advantage of living in John's Landing is that you can walk or bike to work. It is also served by two bus lines, 35 & 43.

[hush.bereel]

Thank you for your reply. Yeah I'm pretty sure that commuting across a bridge could potentially be bad, especially since my job would have me on call during some of my off hours, and I would not want to have to deal with a closed bridge or something like that. I have to admit, the more I look into John's Landing the more I think it might be what we are looking for, as long as we can find affordable housing. I like that people refer to it as a blend of urban and suburban life. For people who like city life but don't want to live in the city, and still want to be close. That sort of thing.

I will now start looking up South Burlingame.

[Rob Allen]

Add Lair Hill and South Waterfront to the list. I just saw a couple of 1-bedrooms in your price range near the Ross Island Bridge on Padmapper.

[Nell Plotts]

There is a pedestrian/bicycle bridge between Lair Hill and the South Waterfront.

[hush.bereel]

Rob, I just have to say, thank you for the reference to Padmapper! I've never used that website before, and I just went there... It's awesome! Much easier to navigate than zillow, and I like how it compares the price to what else is in the area. Anyway, yes, I really like those areas... In fact, I think I can recall these areas exactly! As I recall, the Ross Island Bridge turns into Powell heading eastward, and I had a friend in Gresham I visited while we stayed in Portland.

And thanks again, Nell.

[dperry9]

I did a search based on off-campus housing for Portland State University and found this map:

Apartments near Portland State University (PSU) and Off Campus Housing for rent in Portland - Walk Score

If John's Landing doesn't work out, take a look at the SW areas of South Burlingame and Hillsdale. There are a couple on here under $1000 in those areas, and a couple just over that.

This appears to be a nice website overall to investigate housing based on public transit convenience.

[hush.bereel]

Thank you. Yes that website is another wonderful resource! Much appreciated. I'm looking at both those areas as well. One thing I'm starting to learn though is that these areas don't seem to be very pet friendly overall. At the moment, anyway. That's kind of depressing. I have 2 cats. So now I have to expand my search outward I guess.