Good place around portland that isn't in the big city? (Beaverton: crime rates, how much)

[Dexx122]

I've always been scared to go on these things. I've seen locals just rip apart people for just asking questions inquiring about their city, moving, what's it like, ect.
Well, I've lived in Ca all my life, and I never in my mind thought of moving to OR, but recently, my sister in law got a giant promotion offered to her, and she took it. She left with my baby nephew, and is settling in up there, while my brother stays here for another week to finish packing the house.
My mother and myself have spoken about it, and it's been really hard accepting the leave of our family. We are happy for them, but the thought of only seeing them maybe once or twice a year is weighing heavy on our hearts.
I've done some research on Portland, and I feel in my gut, it's not the right place for my mother and myself. I don't do well in big cities at all, and living in CA I actually make it a point to stay away from Los Angeles.
I've looked into Beaverton (since it's where a lot of my co-workers families live) and Lake Oswego. I also researched safe cities, population of homeless, crime rates and of course weather. My job can transfer me anywhere I'd like to go, but I want to make sure it's a good route to get to Portland, so I wont be too far from my brother and his family. Right now they're a good 30 minute drive from my place to theirs. My sister's job will be downtown, so they want to stay near the city.

Anyway,
Any suggestions for me on a good city would be appreciated. And please don't tell me to "go home" or "stay put", I've never poo-poo'd anyone's decision to move to CA. if you need to do it, do it. I just want to make sure My mom and I move to a great city where we can make lots of friends, find a good church, and enjoy our family. I'm kind of nervous about it, but I guess change is a good thing.

Thanks in advance.

[VelouriaPDX]

What's your budget and what is most important for your new home to offer? Do you prefer more rural, suburban, or small town?

[Nell Plotts]

The other question is where in/around Portland will your sister and her family be living? You do not want to transverse the city to see them.

[Koale]

Originally Posted by Dexx122

I've always been scared to go on these things. I've seen locals just rip apart people for just asking questions inquiring about their city, moving, what's it like, ect.
Well, I've lived in Ca all my life, and I never in my mind thought of moving to OR, but recently, my sister in law got a giant promotion offered to her, and she took it. She left with my baby nephew, and is settling in up there, while my brother stays here for another week to finish packing the house.
My mother and myself have spoken about it, and it's been really hard accepting the leave of our family. We are happy for them, but the thought of only seeing them maybe once or twice a year is weighing heavy on our hearts.
I've done some research on Portland, and I feel in my gut, it's not the right place for my mother and myself. I don't do well in big cities at all, and living in CA I actually make it a point to stay away from Los Angeles.
I've looked into Beaverton (since it's where a lot of my co-workers families live) and Lake Oswego. I also researched safe cities, population of homeless, crime rates and of course weather. My job can transfer me anywhere I'd like to go, but I want to make sure it's a good route to get to Portland, so I wont be too far from my brother and his family. Right now they're a good 30 minute drive from my place to theirs. My sister's job will be downtown, so they want to stay near the city.

Anyway,
Any suggestions for me on a good city would be appreciated. And please don't tell me to "go home" or "stay put", I've never poo-poo'd anyone's decision to move to CA. if you need to do it, do it. I just want to make sure My mom and I move to a great city where we can make lots of friends, find a good church, and enjoy our family. I'm kind of nervous about it, but I guess change is a good thing.

Thanks in advance.

Please take your BOLD off...
K

[AndyAMG]

West Linn or Lake Oswego.

[bler144]

I'm not entirely clear on what you mean by "IN" the big city. In terms of population density, traffic, architectural style, what?

Beaverton, e.g. is well inside the metro and has traffic that is as bad or worse as many parts of Portland proper, and is a mix of upper-middle and upper class. From what limited criteria you describe I'm not sure why you've written off Portland but are fine with Beaverton.

Lake Oswego is "outside the city" in the sense that it's expensive enough they keep all the riff-raff out, but you're still going to end up driving in the city/metro for services as you're pinched between the river and I-5. If you really want to be close to the city but really feel like you're outside it, somewhere like Sherwood or Forest Grove might feel a little more comfortable.

But the majority of the city/metro is safe. Traffic is a consideration but is a bit complex to describe. And yes, it would help to know where in the metro your brother's family is settling to draw a 30 min map around that.

[sloyd]

Its seems your comparing Portland to the area you currently live in. It would help if we knew what area of California your coming from. This information could help us suggest areas of Portland that might be a good fit for you. Portland is wide and varied in its neighborhoods.

[thedownlow]

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

West Linn or Lake Oswego.

Bingo.

[CanuckInPortland]

How much can you spend on housing? I really like West Linn, especially the little area with some older houses around the tiny downtown north of the Tualatin River, but it can be fairly pricey(in terms of Portland area prices). I also really like the area of Raleigh Hills on the border of Portland and Beaverton(and Beaverton itself is a nice medium-sized suburb with a good mix).

[Nell Plotts]

There are lots of areas that are attractive but we need to know budget and sister's home location. If sister's new home isn't set yet we could spend a lot of time sending the OP all over the metro area.