Tell me about west linn/lake oswego....please! (Portland, Tualatin: condo, townhouses)

[msheiny]

What are these areas like? Do they each have a distinct feel to them.. Is there alot to do? What about with little kids and with teens?
Are the people generally friendly?

[Adamson865]

Suburban. Very white. Very affluent in most areas (although I'm told there's a low-rent district to West Linn, I've never seen it). Housing prices are still skyrocketing. Two-bedroom townhouses are being built two blocks from me which will start at $610k, and four blocks away, there's going to be a mixed-use retail/condo project with penthouses slated to start at $1.4 million.

I have no clue what to do with children, so I'm no help there.

[JakeDog]

Lake Oswego is pricey and has good schools. It is an easy commute to downtown where there are lots of activities. West Linn is a bit further out, schools are not quite as good, but still good. West Linn is a poor man's Lake Oswego and has even less character.

[jhwest]

My husband grew up in Lake Oswego, and we lived in Wilsonville for 10 years. LO is very, very expensive and most homes are from the 60's-70's, but many have nice sized lots. It's a bit off the beaten track, meaning that some of LO is close to the freeways (Lake Grove in particular), but most of LO is a 10-20 min. trip just to get to either 215 or I-5. There are not a lot of kids in LO. Most families are choosing to settle elsewhere.
West Linn has more families but is also expensive. Most of the construction is new and pricey. A lot of McMansions. It's right off of 205, but the afternoon commute coming from downtown can be bad. There are some restaurants and grocery stores, but major shopping is all 15 minutes away.
We lived in Wilsonville which I loved. It's next to I-5 and has a great variety of house types and prices. Lots of families. All our children are under 12, but there were lots of teenagers in our neighborhood too. I don't know what the school scores were, but I have been very impressed with the overall calibre of the kids there. Wilsonville is somewhat affluent (the east side more than the west), but you don't seem to get the spoiled, snobbish kids that you do from the LO/WL area. BTW There is a Target and Costco in Wilsonville too
Sherwood is a great place for families. Especially younger kids. It has exploded in the last ten years. My brother and best friend both live there and love it. Very friendly. It can be a bit of a commute, though, since you have to drive through Tualatin (also a nice town but the traffic is unbearable) to get to I-5.
The rain is nice at first. It took me about 9 years to get sick of it. People in Portland seldom use umbrellas. They just get used to being soggy.

[msheiny]

Thanks so much for your reply. I will check those areas out. We have to be somewhat close to sunnyside hospital. I think that is where my husband will be working.

[Rawlings]

Originally Posted by rah62

Suburban. Very white. Very affluent in most areas (although I'm told there's a low-rent district to West Linn, I've never seen it). Housing prices are still skyrocketing. Two-bedroom townhouses are being built two blocks from me which will start at $610k, and four blocks away, there's going to be a mixed-use retail/condo project with penthouses slated to start at $1.4 million.

I have no clue what to do with children, so I'm no help there.

That pretty much says it! It's very much unlike the rest of Portland and much of the Valley and so you certainly do get a distinctive feel. It's very suburban--almost rural. It's more conservative than the surrounding sea of deep blue politics. It's a great area but really very expensive.

[New2LO]

I just moved to Lake Oswego from a suburb of Seattle. I knew nothing of Portland, Vancouver WA or LO initially but researched school districts as my first priority, then family-friendly communities. That's what led me to Lake Oswego. It is indeed more expensive than the other areas but in my opinion, it's worth it. The entire community is well-established, older but updated homes and landscaping, small-town feel and an awesome school district that provides tons of extracurricular enrichment opportunities. I have FOUR kids: 2, 4, 6 and 8. The older two are riding their bikes to/from school already and we've only been living here for two weeks. They love their new school and all the children have been very friendly and welcoming to my children. I would agree that diversity is lacking here, but I plan to get the children into some sports activities outside of our community to maintain the rich experiences they've had so far with a diverse population. The shopping is incredible here - I don't think the Wilsonville respondent has given this place enough time or had enough exposure to see what's offered in Lake Oswego. And so far, I haven't met any children here who come off as spoiled or snobby, though I think those are attributes you'd find anywhere, depending on the background of the individual family rather than basing it on a community.

[Copsgirl73]

Originally Posted by JakeDog

Lake Oswego is pricey and has good schools. It is an easy commute to downtown where there are lots of activities. West Linn is a bit further out, schools are not quite as good, but still good. West Linn is a poor man's Lake Oswego and has even less character.

Actually West Linn schools are ranked better than LO this year.
Both cities are great for kids and families. Both are very suburban conservative communities that are defnitely stereotyped for being the rich and snobby parts of town. They are not diverse. Housing prices are starting to fall a bit but it is still one of the most expensive areas to live in PDX. The area close to West Linn HS/I-205/10th street exit has a mix of both older established neigborhoods and newer construction. They are good, safe areas for families. You could jump right onto 205 north to get to Sunnyside and be there in 15 min.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

West Linn and Lake Oswego are different (tempted to say VERY different, but they are both affluent and are thus more alike than different). Lake Oswego is more of an inner-ring suburb with its own downtown (which is fairly vibrant for a suburb) and has a significant number of white collar jobs in the Kruse Way area of town. West Linn is more of an outer ring, bedroom community by comparison. Housing stock is newer in West Linn. West Linn took a bigger hit when the housing market declined recently. Both are nice suburbs, although Lake Oswego has a higher cache with the locals. Both have excellent schools although Lake Oswego is struggling with how to handle declining enrollment (that alone tells you something about the demographics).

If you want "the best" suburb and/or to be closer to the city, go with Lake O. If you want great schools, don't mind driving everywhere, and want a little better bang for the buck, go with WL.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Originally Posted by msheiny

Thanks so much for your reply. I will check those areas out. We have to be somewhat close to sunnyside hospital. I think that is where my husband will be working.

Forgot to add, if you have to be very close to Sunnyside hospital because he's on call, Lake O might be a bit far (WL too, if he has to be there within 5 minutes). Definitely check the driving times before buying. There are some nice neighborhoods nearby on the hill or in Happy Valley with great schools and great bang for the buck, although the cities overall aren't as highbrow as LO or WL.