where to live within an hour to the airport? (Portland: to rent, condo)

[jribe]

Hi Everyone,
i'm considering a job that would require me being within an hour to an airport and part of the territory would be Portland. Overall my number once concern is crime (super low is great!) and would like to be able to buy a home for under 400k.

Here's some of the places i was looking at:
West Lynn
Lake Oswego
Sherwood
Canby
Wilsonville
Milwaukie


what areas would you all recommend?

[jjpop]

West Linn and Lake Oswego are pretty low crime and within an hour of the airport.

Sherwood is further out. Right now (Friday at 4:30pm) it would take an hour and 15 minutes to get from Sherwood to the airport. But it is pretty low crime.

Have you considered Camas, WA? Just east of Vancouver and definitely within an hour of the airport. If your employer will allow you to live and work in Washington you could avoid OR state income taxes.

[VelouriaPDX]

Originally Posted by jribe

Hi Everyone,
i'm considering a job that would require me being within an hour to an airport and part of the territory would be Portland. Overall my number once concern is crime (super low is great!) and would like to be able to buy a home for under 400k.

Here's some of the places i was looking at:
West Lynn
Lake Oswego
Sherwood
Canby
Wilsonville
Milwaukie


what areas would you all recommend?

I think Milwaukee is the only place on your list that might still have homes less than $400k. Wilsonville is probably more than an hour.

Maybe Vancouver?

[patches403]

If I were you I would look at Camas WA unless you're required to live in Oregon for work. $400k will not buy you much of anything other than possibly a small condo in West Linn or Lake Oswego. Sherwood is more than an hour from the Airport, probably Wilsonville and Canby are also. Milwaukee's about the only city on your list that meets your distance and maybe your price requirements.

If you have to live in Oregon, have you looked at Happy Valley or Oregon City? Not sure if they will have under 400k homes available but they would meet your distance from the airport requirement.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by patches403

If I were you I would look at Camas WA unless you're required to live in Oregon for work. $400k will not buy you much of anything other than possibly a small condo in West Linn or Lake Oswego. Sherwood is more than an hour from the Airport, probably Wilsonville and Canby are also. Milwaukee's about the only city on your list that meets your distance and maybe your price requirements.

If you have to live in Oregon, have you looked at Happy Valley or Oregon City? Not sure if they will have under 400k homes available but they would meet your distance from the airport requirement.

Sherwood is dicey. In even moderate traffic it would be about an hour exactly. But as it requires crossing the metro entirely, I can't really recommend it - too many places for things to bog down and not enough bypasses if they do. Plus given alternative options (Camas) so much nearer by, I'm just not sure why one would subject oneself to that headache.

FWIW, one doesn't even really need to be in Camas. Parts of east Vancouver would likely still be more than adequate for the OP's purposes. Curious why the OP was looking at Milwaukie rather than say, Happy Valley, which would have been more in keeping with the other towns listed.

Edit - and there is a separate Vancouver WA forum if the OP wants to look in that direction: //www.city-data.com/forum/vancouver-area/

[PDXJ]

Living in Milwaukie or points further afield is going to be a bummer commuting to the airport, especially as more people continue to move to the area. I'd recommend living close to your job - there are some great neighborhoods within 15 minutes drive of the airport. If you are more interested in being close to the city and urban amenities, then you could pick a neighborhood in NE Portland. If you're more interested in a suburban environment, then East Vancouver would fit the bill. IMHO, crime in the Portland metro area is low enough that it shouldn't be the main deciding factor in most areas. And it seems that $400,000 still goes a long way in all but the most desirable neighborhoods.

[NWGirl74]

Originally Posted by bler144

FWIW, one doesn't even really need to be in Camas. Parts of east Vancouver would likely still be more than adequate for the OP's purposes. Curious why the OP was looking at Milwaukie rather than say, Happy Valley, which would have been more in keeping with the other towns listed.

I would agree. I haven't looked at housing prices as I'm not in the market, but Fisher's Landing wouldn't be bad, especially with access to SR-14 right off of 164th.

For reference: my friend just bought a house in Milwaukie. She is in walking distance to the end of the orange line. She works next to Mall 205. If she leaves her house no later than 7:23, it takes her 20 minutes; if she leaves later than that, it takes her about 1/2 hour. So depending on time of day, Milwaukie to Airport Way should be doable.

[pdxmilw]

For someone super concerned about crime, NE Portland probably wouldn't be comfortable. I lived there 10 years and always felt safe, but I dated a crime concerned guy for a bit and I could tell that being at my house made him unhappy.

[jribe]

hi everyone,
so the job would be telecommuting for the most part; i would just need to get to the airport for travel a few times a month (hence proximity to the airport)

open to renting as well - would like to stay under 2k for a 2-3 bedroom house or townhome; and a somewhat walkable area is preferred. what areas would you recommend and which areas to avoid?

[jjpop]

Murrayhill area of south Beaverton.