Small towns for retirees within an hour of Portland? (Salem: condo, homes)

[lingevity]

My husband will be retiring in about a year and we want to move closer to our sons in Portland. Our budget will probably be ~$400k, which we know is ridiculously low for anything close in. However, we're actually looking for a safe and quiet town with mass transit that can get us to the city in about an hour. We're open to being in either WA or OR. Suggestions?

[Harpaint]

If you would enjoy an active retirement community with an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, golf course, and a lot of various club activities, I would suggest King City Civic Association. We moved here to be closer to our son, and we love it.

[Jane917]

We were in your position about 3 years ago. The kids and grandkids all live in Portland, and we were several away. We looked for homes in both OR and WA, but could not find anything that suited us in OR. The towns we liked in OR were Happy Valley, Oregon City, Forest Grove. None were an easy commute into Portland. Then we started to look into Clark County and decided on a one story new build in a small subdivision in Ridgefield that suites us quite well. Ridgefield is in the midst of a housing boom, and quite a mess to get around right now, but that will end when the building in our area is completed. Ridgefield and Camas are probably on the higher end of housing costs than many other areas in Clark County. We do not use public transportation to go into Portland, we know plenty of people who drive to a park and ride, then catch a bus, so it is very doable. Getting across the bridges can be a real headache during commute times, but since we are retired we can be flexible as to when we get on the roads. In the meantime, we find plenty to do in Clark County. When the Portland kids come here they always comment on how quiet and peaceful it is. PM me if you want me to recommend a fantastic RE in Clark County. I hope you get several opportunities to visit the area and look around. If you are interested in condo living, there are some really nice places just opening up in the brand new Vancouver Waterfront area. Good luck!

[lingevity]

Originally Posted by Harpaint

If you would enjoy an active retirement community with an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, golf course, and a lot of various club activities, I would suggest King City Civic Association. We moved here to be closer to our son, and we love it.

King City is definitely a neighborhood that we're considering. Glad to hear good news about it!

[lingevity]

Originally Posted by Jane917

We were in your position about 3 years ago. The kids and grandkids all live in Portland, and we were several away. We looked for homes in both OR and WA, but could not find anything that suited us in OR. The towns we liked in OR were Happy Valley, Oregon City, Forest Grove. None were an easy commute into Portland. Then we started to look into Clark County and decided on a one story new build in a small subdivision in Ridgefield that suites us quite well. Ridgefield is in the midst of a housing boom, and quite a mess to get around right now, but that will end when the building in our area is completed. Ridgefield and Camas are probably on the higher end of housing costs than many other areas in Clark County. We do not use public transportation to go into Portland, we know plenty of people who drive to a park and ride, then catch a bus, so it is very doable. Getting across the bridges can be a real headache during commute times, but since we are retired we can be flexible as to when we get on the roads. In the meantime, we find plenty to do in Clark County. When the Portland kids come here they always comment on how quiet and peaceful it is. PM me if you want me to recommend a fantastic RE in Clark County. I hope you get several opportunities to visit the area and look around. If you are interested in condo living, there are some really nice places just opening up in the brand new Vancouver Waterfront area. Good luck!

Thank you! Like you, we'll be retired and can avoid the rush hours. I've read some positive posts about Ridgefield so I'll look into it further.

[texasdiver]

My parents are in your same exact position. They have been living in Salem which is a bit far. They have decided to move to Canby OR to be a bit closer to Portland yet still have the small town feel. They are happy with their decision. My family goes back 5 generations in this area and my parents have lived here basically all their lives and carefully researched all their options for what that's worth. Canby is what they came up with. Of course we also have other family there which helps make the decision.

[gray horse]

Sherwood / Wilsonville might be an option. There is light rail in Wilsonville, not sure how long it takes to get into Portland. Also Charbonneau is a community that has a lot of retirees.

[Rob Allen]

The train in Wilsonville is traditional "heavy rail"; it connects to the light-rail system at the Beaverton Transit Center.

[StealthRabbit]

Can't solicit WA towns from OR forum, so you need post similar ask in WA. (If that is in fact a possibility)

There are a lot of reasons +/- either state. (I am in each state several times / week (border dweller))

commuter bus service ONLY is available as mass transit from WA. (not too handy for weekends).

If you rely on Mass transit, recommend you stay on OR side within the MAX route, as small towns are not well served. Consider the far ends of rail (lower cost housing), (& closest route to your family).

Mass transit and west coast / rural is not an option.
Wilsonville commuter rail would be a choice, Wilsonville is NOT cheap housing!

Oregon City tram another option, but you will need to be on a bus line that makes a rail connection. (on weekends)