Which side of the river? (Portland, Clackamas: homes, neighborhoods, good schools)

[TomWhite]

Thank you all for the insight! Seems like the 'sophisticated' life is to be found on the Oregon side (if you are willing to put up with state income taxes). There are places to avoid - like Gresham, or Hillsboro. If you can afford it live in Lake Oswego or the neighborhood.

On the Vancouver, 'couver, or the trashy side you don't have state taxes (although I'm sure the state will get you anyway - am I wrong assuming higher property taxes, car registration, services, etc.?).

Now, which areas of 'couver are to consider and which are to avoid. For instance I've noticed suspiciously low real estate prices for the east side in Washougal area. Is it a hidden gem or a redneck country one wants to avoid?

I am aware what I just wrote is a sweeping generalization but before I travel to the area for house hunting I hope to have a fairly decent idea about the differences and the diversity of the area.

Tom.

[Brett]

There is a paper mill somewhere out there... I would go and give any houses a good sniff before buying. Paper mills stink.

[tiffela74]

Oh man, I used to date someone whose folks lived in Washougal and boy oh boy...the smell there was something I NEVER got used to...never was too excited about having dinner w/his family especially backyard barbeques. Ugh. Other than that, it was a nice enough town when I was there last (about 12yrs ago, so I could be totally off now!)
Tiffany

[OREGONRAIN]

If you are working in Vancouver, it makes little sense to put yourself thru the commuting over the bridge every day, horrible traffic, and that is a understatement. The other is you would have no income tax to deal with, and Oregon if not the highest in the USA, it must be near the top. Your young I assume, so I imagine you would divide your social life between both Vancouver and Portland, There is only the Columbia river dividing the two cities, so its not a great distance as you will find, its just that bridge traffic in the day times is difficult. good luck

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by TomWhite

(although I'm sure the state will get you anyway - am I wrong assuming higher property taxes, car registration, services, etc.?).

Yes, and no.

Property taxes are pretty comparable between WA and OR, but it can depend on the community, though. Many cities in WA have implemented bonds that were passed by the local voters to fund various projects ranging from expanding emergency services to building and/or remodeling school buildings. So, even if the taxes are marginally higher, you have better schools and emergency services than the surrounding areas or than in many OR cities. (And in WA, for a bond to pass it must have what is called a "supermajority", meaning that 60% of voters in the affected area voted "yes". That isn't 60% of the votes being cast were yeses, but 60% of all registered voters voted yes. See how tough that can be?)

And no, car registration is no longer cheaper in Oregon. But since WA requires sales tax to be paid on vehicles and OR doesn't have a sales tax, you still find license cheaters out there.

Originally Posted by TomWhite

Now, which areas of 'couver are to consider and which are to avoid. For instance I've noticed suspiciously low real estate prices for the east side in Washougal area. Is it a hidden gem or a redneck country one wants to avoid?

Just an FYI, locals don't call it "couver". Vantucky, The 'Couv, or just plain ol' Vancouver. But not "couver".

Even though Washougal is a quickly growing community, its really one of the least expensive areas of the county. The town has always been a less expensive place to live, partially due to it's rural location, and partially because it used to have a fairly high poverty rate. (Neither of which are really true, anymore.) With the outskirts of Vancouver and Camas nudging each other, Washougal is now considered more of a suburb, instead of a rural community.

You'll find that the Washougal city council has been VERY active in revitalizing the downtown area and in bringing in new industry. Also, the last couple years has found the yearly "Home Builder's Parade of Homes" in Washougal, too. These homes are very nice, expensive, and bring in newer residents with higher incomes.

Yes, Washougal used to be EXCEEDINGLY redneck many years ago. I grew up near there and I always joked that it was a fashion statement if your Wrangler jeans matched your cowboy boots. But it's changing. And not all that slowly, either. I returned home this summer and was really blown away that my quaint little Washougal wasn't quite so little, anymore.

Areas to check out: Camas, Fisher's Landing, Lacamas Lake, Washougal, Salmon Creek, and some parts of Cascade Park.

Areas to avoid: Anything near Vancouver Mall (now called Westfield Shopping Town), most of the downtown areas including Arnada, Rosemere, Esther Short, and the Rose City neighborhoods, the Heights neighborhood.

Here's a link with the local crime reports by neighborhood. You'll see why I've mentioned these neighborhoods specifically:

www.columbian.com/news/crime/crimestatistics2006.cfm (broken link)

After going to this page, click on the link on the right side that says "Click here to see numbers for all neighborhoods."


If you'd like some more information on the Camas/Washougal area, I'd strongly suggest checking out their local newspaper. It'll give you an idea of the pertinent issues in the areas and what actions are being taken.

www.camaspostrecord.com/

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by TomWhite

Vancouver or Portland area?
I'm moving soon (the company is located in Vancouver) but I am undecided where to settle down.
Considering taxes, quality of neighborhoods, crime, singles' scene, access to city life, culture what would be a better choice. I assume all that can be found in a reasonable cummuting distance. Question is where. Any comments? What would you consider? Portland or Vancouver? Which neighborhoods?
Thanks,
Tom

Oh, and I forgot to mention that living in OR while working in WA isn't really the best move, for many reasons. Here are just a few:

1.) Oregon public schools end up closing a school or two every year for lack of funding. This doesn't happen in WA. If you're planning on having kids or already have some, this is a thing to definitely consider.
2.) If you choose to live in Oregon, you'll be paying Oregon income taxes. WA doesn't have an income tax, only sales tax on non-food items.
3.) WA has a significantly lower cost of living compared to OR.
4.) Most people who live in WA and work in OR do so because wages are usually higher in OR and are usually enough to offset the income taxes.
5.) Vancouver is 10 minutes away from Portland (during off-peak driving times). You can live in a nice neighborhood in WA and still shop/eat/be entertained in Portland.

Honestly, I absolutely adore Portland. But I prefer to not to have neighbors right on top of me all the time. It's nice to be able to drive into Portland to catch a band or visit a bookstore (Powell's is my favorite), but not have to live smack dab in the middle of a bunch of people that I may or may not like.

If you have any specific questions about the area, please feel free to PM me. I was raised my entire life in the NW, but still have family in the area. Even if I don't know an answer to your question, I can likely find it for you.

[Deserter]

The more I hear about Oregon's school funding issues, the more I think maybe I should look for a teaching job across the border in WA. I really want to live in Portland, however.

Would that be an easy commute or not? I would think it would be the opposite of traffic. I probably wouldn't be able to take public transportation, I guess.

Anyone know what that would be like?

Thanks!

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by Deserter

The more I hear about Oregon's school funding issues, the more I think maybe I should look for a teaching job across the border in WA. I really want to live in Portland, however.

Would that be an easy commute or not? I would think it would be the opposite of traffic. I probably wouldn't be able to take public transportation, I guess.

Anyone know what that would be like?

Thanks!

I have a ton of teachers in my family and not a single one will teach anywhere in Oregon because of the funding issues. (Some of which had taught there before switching to WA schools.)

But beware of trying to teach in WA if you don't already have certification there. Getting that certification can be a real pain. I would highly recommend getting a hold of the Washington Education Association to find out which particular hoops you'll need to jump through to teach in WA.

The majority of the traffic will be heading from WA into OR in the mornings and from OR to WA in the evenings. Most of it, but certainly not all. You'll still run into some traffic if going against this flow, but not nearly as much as if you were going with everyone.

You can always take public transportation into WA. There isn't light rail into Vancouver, yet, but there are lots of buses. Some of which are express lines.

Research which districts you'd like to work for in WA. They can vary quite a bit, even when the towns are right next to each other. If you need some info on the Evergreen SD, Washougal, or Camas, just let me know. That's where most of my family members teach.

[Hoosier]

We lived in Vancouver and commuted to Portland for many years. We loved living in Vancouver and I would highly recommend Salmon Creek and Fisher's Landing to anyone. We have often thought about moving back to the area (we live in Minnesota now) but as the person above said, the schools in Oregon are horrible. I would never put my children in an Oregon school. Had we stayed we would've put our kids in private school or home schooled. Vancouver schools were not that great, but anything was/is much better than what Oregon does to the parents and students.

As for singles scene...none exists in Vancouver. It's more of a family community. Portland really is the place to be for a singles scene...unless things have changed in the short time we've been away.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_guy

We lived in Vancouver and commuted to Portland for many years. We loved living in Vancouver and I would highly recommend Salmon Creek and Fisher's Landing to anyone. We have often thought about moving back to the area (we live in Minnesota now) but as the person above said, the schools in Oregon are horrible. I would never put my children in an Oregon school. Had we stayed we would've put our kids in private school or home schooled. Vancouver schools were not that great, but anything was/is much better than what Oregon does to the parents and students.

As for singles scene...none exists in Vancouver. It's more of a family community. Portland really is the place to be for a singles scene...unless things have changed in the short time we've been away.

Nope, not much has changed. You've still got it pretty dead-on. There are some "clubs" or bars in most SW WA towns (including Vancouver), but Portland has a much larger and varied entertainment scene, by far.

But even if one were to live in Vancouver, Camas, Ridgefield, Battle Ground or Washougal, the drive to Portland isn't bad, particularly on the weekend evenings when you'd be going into town for to see a band, show, go dancing, etc.

The better areas for schools in Clark County are Salmon Creek, Fisher's Landing, and Camas. You can check the website greatschools.com for information on those areas/districts. They usually have pretty accurate information, at least for the schools I've dealt with.