Moving to Portland beginning of Aug. Need recommendations on locations to live. (2015)

[kdenae]

Hello!

My friend and I will be moving to Portland the first of August (2015) and we are both from and have lived in the midwest our whole lives.

We need some guidance for specific locations around the Portland area. We are looking for:

Safe
Budget $1200
Pet friendly for a cat and a 60 lb dog
Easy commute
2 bedroom
1+ bathrooms

We don't have jobs, yet, but we plan to have something lined up by mid June-ish when we go out to sign our potential lease. It's really hard to find a place to live without knowing where we will be working, but my friend is an RT (respiratory therapist) and I'm an entry level graphic designer.

Any feedback, tips, and suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you.

[Nell Plotts]

The RT will likely find a slot, you unfortunately are coming to graphic artist Mecca. Do you have any web design, computer graphics experience? Last week there was an article in the Oregon "Silicon Forrest" article discussing software firms where artistic skill were mentioned.

Nike and Adidas can employ only so many graphic artists..... you need to look beyond apparel.

[Rob Allen]

Find the jobs first, then find a place to live.

Seriously, that's the only sensible way to do it. The job market is tight here and the rental market is even tighter. The dog will be a serious liability - landlords can afford to be really picky and a lot of them would rather not bother with dogs.

Safety won't be much of an issue but in some parts of town your budget won't get you a 2-bedroom.

[patches403]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

Find the jobs first, then find a place to live.

Seriously, that's the only sensible way to do it. The job market is tight here and the rental market is even tighter. The dog will be a serious liability - landlords can afford to be really picky and a lot of them would rather not bother with dogs.

Safety won't be much of an issue but in some parts of town your budget won't get you a 2-bedroom.

Agree completely. The only part I would change is some to many. As in your budget won't get you a 2-bedroom in many parts of the metro area. At least not many parts that will be close to your likely job locations.