portland to ridgefield? (Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Wilsonville: lease, new home, safe area)

[jribe]

Hi Everyone,
looking for opinions on ridgefield, and living in the southern WA (outside Vancouver) in general for those familiar.. I have only lived in the portland metro for about 4 months and like it a lot (minus the traffic) but i telecommute full-time for work and the tax savings for me to move over to WA would be a hefty amount based on my tax bracket.

I know ridgefield is a small town (and growing) but looking for opinions of moving to the area in general. I know grocery stores and such are 10 miles +/- away as well as most other shopping needs. That's not a big deal to me. Main concerns are safety and resale.

thanks,

[Nell Plotts]

Keep in mind the fact that you are asking in the Portland forum, you may find more meaningful comments in the Vancouver, WA forum.

That said, I would have no concerns about safety (except, maybe on the freeways).

Ridgefield is a growing community. My recommendation is to buy a 3-bedroom house at the community median price and you should be fine (all other factors equal). Look for a school enrollment area with the best reputation even if you don't have kids.

[eric351982]

If rather die in Portland than live in Ridgefield.

Are the tax breaks enough to completely sacrifice everything interesting in life?

[AndyAMG]

Ridgefield: n 1. A census designated place in Clark County Washington. 2.A location where lower middle class go to feel upper middle class. See also: Battle Ground, WA, Wilsonville, OR.

You can do the research to the question on your own. Zillow is a good resource.

My opinion: Resale: fine (depends on timing) Safety, mostly domestic violence and bored kids.

[hml1976]

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

Ridgefield: n 1. A census designated place in Clark County Washington. 2.A location where lower middle class go to feel upper middle class. See also: Battle Ground, WA, Wilsonville, OR.

You can do the research to the question on your own. Zillow is a good resource.

My opinion: Resale: fine (depends on timing) Safety, mostly domestic violence and bored kids.

Hmmm...

Ridgefield median household income is $86,529.
Milwaukie, OR $52,192
Lake Oswego, OR $84,186

So perhaps not so lower middle class?

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok

[jribe]

Originally Posted by eric351982

If rather die in Portland than live in Ridgefield.

Are the tax breaks enough to completely sacrifice everything interesting in life?

i personally don't think the 15 miles from portland is too bad - obviously still able to go into portland proper when i'd want to; but i'm talking about $1400/month in taxes not a couple hundred so i think most would agree..

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If your income can be shown to be earned in Washington, then it is worth it to live in Washington and not pay the Oregon income tax.

You can still drive to Portland for the events and restaurants. You can still drive into Oregon for the sales-tax-free shopping, just like almost everyone else who lives in the Vancouver area. The commute to live in Washington and work in Oregon is a killer, but you won't be commuting, so you can avoid the commute hours of traffic.

It sounds to me like the only thing you have to worry about is the qauilty of internet in Ridgefield, Probably no one on the Oregon forum can answer that question, since we don't live there.

[hml1976]

OP you really should ask these questions on the Vancouver forum, you aren't going to be able to get answers on this one. Internet in Ridgefield should be fine unless you live way out on 20 acres by yourself, Ridgefield is a growing and prosperous suburb, we have many friends that live there. It is quiet and pretty and on the weekend it isn't a bad drive to Portland.

[jribe]

thanks everyone- i did post in the vancouver forum; just figured there may be folks over here that have experience as well. I've lived in other cities with state borders similar to the vancouver wa/ portland or setup and seems that people on both sides of the metro's usually have good perspectives. thanks again,

[backdrifter]

I think I responded to you on the Vancouver sub as well, but I used to live in Portland and also in Seattle so that may change the context of my previous post as my other half and I are by no means small town people, both having come from small hick towns. But Ridgefield is relatively affluent (though homogeneous) and like I think I said on the other thread, it's really a great place to live. Especially if you're not having to commute into Portland. You're still close enough to really be able to enjoy a good weekend or night out on the town in Portland or cultural events or the access to PDX, and the long-term prospects are really good there.

Honestly, if the downtown residential area were larger we probably would have ended up there instead of downtown Vancouver, but we just love the old neighborhood vibe and there are really only new homes and neighborhoods available in Ridgefield, for the most part. Safety in Ridgefield is top notch. Very safe area, and as far as resale of a home is concerned, it is and should remain a desirable and somewhat exclusive place to live. Although home prices are not rising dramatically like in other areas of Clark County, you are unlikely to take a hit if you sell down the road either.

It is worth noting that the Port of Ridgefield is investing heavily in a fiber infrastructure to lease out, although it is unclear when the network will be built out or if/when a service provider will be available to residential customers. I can't imagine internet connectivity as it is being any worse there than Vancouver or Portland, however.