Scappoose Anyone? (Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro: appointed, real estate, houses)

[Diogenes Daughter]

Hello,
We are thinking about purchasing a beautifully restored, 1928, home on 13.5 acres on NW Old St. Helens Highway just south of Scappoose. Because of the wonderful home, the nice property (both forest and pasture, with a creek), and the close proximity to Portland, we hope that this might be a good place for us to retire. The only missing piece of the puzzle is the neighborhood/area around the property. It is hard to tell what it is like from Google Maps street view. Does anyone have any thoughts/help/insight they might offer before we fly all of the way there and check it out ourselves?
Thanks!

[AndyAMG]

that's great, go for it

[Nell Plotts]

Do you mean Old Portland Road?

St. Helen's Road, Hgy 30, to Portland, is a busy highway. You will want the house to be well back from Hgy 30. Ideally access that highway at a controlled intersection.

OHSU has a family medical clinic in Scappoose. For critical care you will want to go to Portland.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I guess you probably already know this, or you wouldn't be considering retiring there, but it's really WET out there during the rainy season.

If you get out there towards the end of summer, take a good look at the trees around the property.
It won't look like Louisiana, but those trees carry a lot of moss and stuff, which means cool and wet for long periods of time.

Is this the place?
http://www.johnlscott.com/Home/14004...poose-OR-97056

Looks nice!

[Nell Plotts]

If that is the property linked above the intersection at Hgy 30 (Google's street view is 8 years old) will be manageable during non-commute hours. Note the turning area in the middle of the highway.

That road also intersects Hgy 30 at Rocky Point Road, similar condition. Here Google's street view is only 3 years old.

If you want to go to Beaverton or Hillsboro take Cornelius Pass Road.

[SETabor]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

If that is the property linked above the intersection at Hgy 30 (Google's street view is 8 years old) will be manageable during non-commute hours. Note the turning area in the middle of the highway.

That road also intersects Hgy 30 at Rocky Point Road, similar condition. Here Google's street view is only 3 years old.

If you want to go to Beaverton or Hillsboro take Cornelius Pass Road.

This is petty but it's bugging me. The abbreviation for Highway is hwy not hgy.

[Nell Plotts]

I stand corrected and will never never do it again.

[Diogenes Daughter]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I guess you probably already know this, or you wouldn't be considering retiring there, but it's really WET out there during the rainy season.

If you get out there towards the end of summer, take a good look at the trees around the property.
It won't look like Louisiana, but those trees carry a lot of moss and stuff, which means cool and wet for long periods of time.

Is this the place?
27121 NW SAINT HELENS RD, Scappoose, OR 97056

Looks nice!

Yes, that's the place! Great detective work!

Yes, it's wet (except that when we were in Portland two weeks ago it was over 100! Yuck!), but as a artist/maker I spend a lot of time indoors creating stuff. In fact, the property not only has a huge barn, but it also has a large basement, either of which can be used as a studio/shop. When it's sunny...well...not raining...we enjoy backpacking, hiking, gardening, and kayaking.

I guess my biggest concern in not the wet, but what the area around the property is like. The property itself looks wonderful, but...umm...I hope that I don't get in trouble here...and I hesitate to say this...on Google Maps street view, if one looks a short distance north and south, some of the area looks a bit...well...shabby. Sorry. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong!

We also wonder about the drive to Portland. I seems to be about 20 to 30 minutes, but I wonder.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Well, it is kind of a rural area, and places that close to the coast and the river, and subject to a lot of wet weather do tend to look shabby and overgrown after a few years without constant upkeep, so....................

Remember, Scappoose has its origins in farming and logging.
Not to long ago, it was considered fairly backwoods and in the sticks.

If meticulously groomed yards and well kept estates are what you desire, you may be a little disappointed in Scappoose.

I don't quite get what your after, when I look at google earth all I see is a few houses, some farms, woods, and a highway close by, and the town to the west?

I don't see anything that would really be considered "shabby"?
Looks just like the outskirts of a small town in Oregon to me.

Of course, when a town has a median income of $50k, a well groomed and well appointed $800k piece of real estate is going to stick out like a sore thumb and make it's small town surroundings look a little shabby.
Maybe that's the problem.

[Nell Plotts]

It is a lovely house but very overpriced IMHO. As others have commented this is basically a working class town.

If you are willing to share what you are looking for perhaps we can help you find it.