How is Tanasbourne or Tualatin for a family? How about NE or SE Portland? (Beaverton: apartments, to rent)

[nickyt99]

How is Tanasbourne or Tualatin for a family with 2 young kids, and how do they compare to Beaverton and Hillsboro? We don't love total suburbia, but do like that we could get a nicer newer place and cheaper. We like having things other than all chain stores and restaurants nearby.

Do SE and NE Portland have some more family oriented, newer areas? Thanks!

[hamellr]

Both Tanasbourne or Tualatin are mostly chain stores, they are the epitome of everything that is 21st century suburbs.

What do you consider family friendly though?

[figmalt]

Tanasbourne is just a section of town where Beaverton and Hillsboro meet. One side of the road is Beaverton, one side is Hillsboro (and actually some addresses are in Aloha, and some in Portland--crazy). It is the essence of suburbia, but it's close to the HWY 26, the schools are good, and it is a higher socio-economic area. If you want a safe part of town to live in, can afford it, and don't mind a lot of chain stores, Tanasbourne is great. There are a lot of apartments in the area, and many of them are higher-end on pricing. You get a lot of young professionals, young families, and people who don't want the hassle of home-ownership.

There isn't a huge difference between most of the suburbs in the metro area. Generally, the farther out from the epicenter you go (e.g. Hillsboro and Forest Grove on the west, Newberg on the south, Troutdale on the east, etc.) the more likely you are to have that feeling of 'small-town' closeness. Part of that is due to the urban growth boundaries.

[nickyt99]

Thanks...I guess by family friendly I guess I just mean a neighborhood feel with other families around (we have 2 young children), things nearby (shops, coffee shops, grocery store) without having too drive far, maybe even within walking distance. We're in LA right now, which is not very family friendly!

[nickyt99]

Oh yeah, and nice surroundings and of course safe.

[TechmanOR]

Tanasbourne and Tualatin have very good neighborhood schools. SE and NE Portland, not so much, some worse than others. Many areas of SE and NE are the "hoods". Tanasbourne is most well known for the various stores located between Cornell & Evergreen on 185th. Within the one mile radius, tanasbourne has Best Buy, Target, Safeway, Rite Aid, a movie theater, several restaurants, including 24/7 Shari's and a public library.

School district zoning is different from the actual city, so research the schools. Along that area, a Portland address could be in Beaverton School district or Hillsboro school district. The area along 185th to the north of 26 is known as Rock Creek and I believe it is a small, affluent neighborhood.

You should be able to find the percentage of students on free/reduced lunch on DOE.gov website and it gives you some information on the socioeconomic status of the neighbors in the area.

Tanasbourne and Tualatin are quite far apart, so where to pick depends on where you'll be working.

[HonuMan]

I echo what the other posters have said. Portland suburbs are fairly interchangeable, so the best thing to do is to pick one that's close to where you work. I live in the Aloha section of Beaverton, but I've worn a path to Tanasbourne because 1) my wife lived there when I met her, 2) we both used to work there, and 3) we still do a lot of our shopping there. One of my stepsons lives in Tualatin, so we go there frequently, too. We both work in downtown Portland now and therefore drive through downtown Beaverton on a daily basis. We have less reason to go to downtown Hillsboro, but we still do so occasionally, and of all the areas you mention, I find it the most charming. There's an actual old, core downtown district with shops and restaurants -- nothing spectacular, but charming nonetheless.

[nickyt99]

Thank you to everyone, that was helpful information...any specific areas of Beaverton you would suggest?

[figmalt]

You didn't say what your price range was or where your job would be, but the Bethany area (NE from Tanasbourne) is nice, so is Cedar Hills. Housing in those areas might actually have Portland as the address, but the school district is Beaverton.

[HonuMan]

Yes, Bethany and Cedar Hills are nice. Actually, most of the corridor surrounding Highway 26 (primarily on the north side) is nice. The best thing to do after you move is to rent for a while and check out the various neighborhoods, because there's a lot of diversity -- from midcentury modern to brand-new construction (and everything in between), sporadic older houses from when the area was mostly farm land, quarter- to half-acre lots (mostly with midcentury modern houses) if you want a big yard, 5,000-square-foot lots if you don't like yard work, yards with lush, mature landscaping, and so on. Only you know what your tastes are, so it's best to look around.