Moving to Portland Oregon, what are great areas to live in and commute to Portland? (Beaverton: apartment, amusement park)

[DisplacedBadger]

If you have school age children, I suggest either Camas, WA or Lake Oswego, OR. Both have very good schools, lush trees, low crime and quite livable.

[elllen]

I too am looking for information on moving to Oregon, WA, or N. California. I posted a blog. Sorry but I'm new here, is a blog here the same as a forum because I can't figure this out to get some answers?

Is the weather in Portland similar to Bellingham, WA or Whidbey Island or sunnier? Job opportunities and rent?

Any info would be appreciated.

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by elllen

I too am looking for information on moving to Oregon, WA, or N. California. I posted a blog. Sorry but I'm new here, is a blog here the same as a forum because I can't figure this out to get some answers?

Is the weather in Portland similar to Bellingham, WA or Whidbey Island or sunnier? Job opportunities and rent? ....{snip}

No, a Blog is not the same as posting to a Forum. This is my preferred posting environment. I copied you Blog questions over to here so others can more easily comment on and add their replies.

Can anybody tell me the pros and cons of these three areas to relocate. I'm moving from Wisconsin.
FYI, I lived in the Madison WI area for about 10 years back in the 1970's. Loved the State, and still remember Summer Fest in Milwaukee. Don't miss the snow and cold of January, nor the snow on the ground in April.

Portland, OR, reminds me a lot of Madison, but on a larger scale. There is a district in Portland called Hawthorne, it is very close to State St in Madison about 1978 or 1979.

Portland has a very young population compared to other cities.

Local Brew Pubs in Portland brew some really great ales. Too bad I have to watch my calories, and blood sugar levels so closely. The few I have sampled are outstanding.

Google map Portland to Eugene OR. Turn on "Terrain" feature button. The valley you see, called the I-5 corridor, is the central Willamette Valley. Now, move the google map around and check out the locations of the three active volcanoes: Mt Hood, Mt. St. Helen, and Mt. Olympus up near Seattle.

Jobs
As with many other places in USA, right now high unemployment. Very bad. Don't move here without a job, or funding to survive for at least 6 months. Others on this forum claim Portland has chronic unemployment and under-employment for last 20 years or so.

There are more "Type-A" aggressive personality jobs in Seattle than in Portland. Portland is way more laid back. Eugene, OR, (home to U of Oregon) is reported to be even more 1970's hippie laid back excluding the University area which is more youth orientated, as you would expect.

Artist Opportunities
Well, yes, you can join the queue of starving artist in Portland. Lots of visual artist and graphic artist. Lots of craft shows. I don't hang out with visual artist, so I don't know about "jobs" or "income"

Life Music Scene/Festivals
This is where Portland really stands out. Lots of live music bars in an around Portland. Wide range of music, but I have to give the nod to 'Hipster' music for having the most number of musical outlets. Classical Music, not so much. A bit on the "Don't call us, we'll call you." waiting lines for any such gigs.

Bike Friendly
Even better than Madison. Lots more Bikes due to larger population. Longer bike season due to milder, albeit rain and slick roads, weather. Really great well maintained bike paths all around city.

Rent under $700.
Do able. Portland is all about the neighborhood you live in. BTW: that is $700 plus utilities! (aside: on Portland's Craigslist, use the tab for Multnomah. The other tabs are for suburban counties.)
There is a cool web site, and you can Google for it: Moving to Portland. A real estate agent compiled from a lot of sources information about the basics of Portland's neighborhoods. Susan did a good job, but be aware that web site is a bit Rah-Rah, Lots of positives, a bit lacking on down-side reality checks.

You can spend up to two grand a month for great views of Mt. Hood. You might find a place out in "Felony Flats" for under $400.00 / month. (you may not want to live out there in the 'flats', kind of far from the Perl District where the music scene is at.)

I have been told a lot of artistic types hang out in a neighborhood called NW 23rd street area. Very upscale artsy bohemian yuppie area. Some on this forum call it "Trust Fund" babies row. Very hard to find any open rentals because of low turn over in rentals. Cost of living is high in that area.

Cost of living
High. Rent is high, food is high, and party time is high. Very long thread on this subject in this forum.

Liberal/Progressive
Again, Madison.

Be aware that Portland, and Multnomah Country voted WAY over the top for the Democratic Candidate B. Obama in 2008. Vote was a bit closer in Portland's 'burb communities just outside the county line. Rural counties in East went Republican. Overall state went with large margin for President Obama.


Weather
Pacific North West says it all.

Check Portland (and Seattle, WA) out on a Globe. Note just how close both cities are to arctic circle. Seattle is norther most largest city in lower 48 states. Weather is moderated by Pacific Ocean. Check out the same for London, England and British Isles.

Portland winter is very gray, overcast, and lots of winter drizzle rain during December to April. Short daylight hours, as you expect for northern cities, in winter. Weeks on end of gray sky's. Google: Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD) Can get so bad, per the reports from a Google search, medical intervention is required. Most people just take the 3 steps:
- Vitamin C & D (as in multi-Vitamin tabs.)
- Socialize, and force yourself to be around people
(Note: there is a reason Seattle and Portland are home to the coffee bar business like Starbucks.)
- Get some rain gear, and go outside and exercise. Don't matter what, just go outside and do something.

Portland Summers are just beyond belief they are so great.

Mass Transit
One of the best bus systems in the Country. Far from Perfect, but darn good.
TriMet: Public Transportation for the Portland, Oregon, Metro Area
(aside; geography makes roads narrow. Mass Transit helps relieve car congestion in Downtown. Good Bus system needed.)

HTH.

Phil

[fidoscityguide]

Every where in Portland is GREAT. Personally I like Wilsonville. It's a very friendly community, but then Portland is very friendly.

[orcoastal1]

The places that I am sure that you would like is oceanside,oregon,astoria,oregon,warrenton, all close to portland

[karlromanoff]

Not for the faint of heart, for sure. Many depressives

[justwaitimthinking]

Ok - all I want to know is how are so many posters on CD saying they are relocating and want advice on neighborhoods around $500k for house. I am corporate upper middle income and can barely afford a $200k mortgage and spend my money wisely. Yes, perhaps the posters have a $300k downpayment or whatever, but is this real? Are there really so many people out there that can afford a $3000+ mortgage? To all the posters that are relocating...give me the job you are vacating please!!!

Oh, and to the OP - Lake Oswego is the best place in pdx hands down. Best schools, lowest crime, beautiful neighborhoods and area, close to downtown, lots of amenities (parks etc), can't go wrong with Lake O. Good luck...

[justwaitimthinking]

Originally Posted by Tonic_Writes

Whew- thank you. I still don't really have any idea what that means compared to our typical commute now, but at least I'm not completely insane. My morning drive is 17 miles and it takes 30-40 min! My husband is arriving Wed morning just in time to experience what the commute will be like as he goes to an interview. Crossing fingers...

I drove from downtown Portland to I84, basically a couple exits prior to hitting the bridge that goes over to Vancouver (on the I205 side). So, it depends as you can go from downtown to I5 across the river or up I84 and over the I205 bridge. The I205 way will run you about 45 minutes on an average rush hour day, closer to 60 minutes on an average/bad day...and if there is an accident or something...well over an hour. The worst is once you get off the I84 interchange onto I205 and the stop traffic until you get onto the I205 bridge...from there, it will depend on where in Vancouver you live (for instance, if Camas as I've seen people recommending, add another 15-25 minutes from the bridge).

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Absolutely great synopsis Philwithbeard! You nailed it!

That was an absolutely wonderful objective description of Portland!

As a Portland native, and it just amazes me how much Portland has "changed" (for lack of a better word-and it was meant in a neutral sense) during my 50+ years of living here.

[pdxisnotmyhome]

save yourself, don't move here