Our Commuting Dilemma (Portland, Eugene, Salem: apartment, rentals, townhouse)

[nausax]

Hello all,

I know that many variations of this question have been posted to this forum. I've read them all, but I'd like advice more relevant to my actual situation. My girlfriend of nearly five years will be attending Portland State University to pursue a master's degree and eventual doctorate while I will be going to UO in Eugene for my master's in a field unrelated to hers. It'll likely take me two years to complete my degree, while my girlfriend will likely take four or five years because she will be getting her doctorate. We looked all over the country for schools that we could attend together, but that didn't work out. PSU and UO were the closest schools we were both accepted to, not to mention that we are both very happy with the respective programs available at these schools.

Anyway, our original plan was to live in a modest rental with a fenced yard for our dog somewhere in Salem or Keizer. My girlfriend would commute to Portland, and I'd commute to Eugene. Most likely, we'd make this commute five days a week. Starting out, my girlfriend would likely be unable to avoid rush hour traffic due to her class schedule. After reading some of the threads about the traffic on I-5 around Portland, we have begun to consider living separately. This option would be challenging to our relationship (we've lived together for quite awhile now), and somewhat challenging financially and logistically (who takes care of the dog/has a place with a yard?, who travels where on what weekend?, do we see each other at all this weekend?, etc).

I don't mind the idea of commuting to Eugene. I have a very fuel efficient vehicle, and I know it would be temporary. We wouldn't need to commute during the summer, and after I finish my degree, we'd both move up to Portland while my girlfriend finishes her degree effectively ending our need to commute. On the other hand, my girlfriend is very concerned about the commute to Portland. She's concerned about traffic, wasted time, safety, fatigue, etc. I've researched public transportation to resolve some of those issues, but it seems like the options aren't very good. Amtrak is expensive and the routes are 12 hours apart. It looks like she could potentially drive to Wilsonville and get on some type of commuter train or light rail that'd take her downtown to PSU, but I can't find much information about the viability of this option. Maybe someone can speak to this? A carpool could work if she were able to find the right one. It appealed to her to have someone else drive so she could get work done on the commute.

So, given all of this information, do you think the commute is worth it? What advice would you give us? Thanks for your time. I look forward to your responses.

[Silverfall]

I would look at Tualatin/Sherwood area. She could drive to a Max station and take the Max in from there if she wanted, or take the bus. You'd have a long commute for 9 months out of the year but that makes more sense than doing Salem-Keizer.

[Steve Pickering]

You won't take the advice you are going to get, but here it is.

It ain't going to work. There is no doable location. One of you will be on the road at least three hours each day. Parking in the PSU area will be a challenge, and the commute from anywhere outside Portland is a killer. You are not going to like the Salem to Eugene drive either. The answer is one of you get a second apartment for five days a week, or option two, get another girlfriend, or option three you have a long distance relationship.

The Education Plans you have are a relationship killer. The stress will affect both scholastics and relationship

[nausax]

Silverfall, thanks for the suggestion. I think that'd work nicely for her, but I'm not sure that I can handle driving 3 1/2 or more hours per day. A couple of different mapping websites said it's about 1 hour and 45 minutes one-way in no traffic to get down to Eugene.

Thanks, Steve. I fear that you are correct. Long distance will be a logistical nightmare and it will put a lot of stress on our relationship, but I don't see any other way. When considering that we are both going to be in grad school, adding 3 hours of driving each day to our already hectic schedule seems unreasonable. Either way, we are in a tough position. In any case, I really appreciate the advice. One way or another, it will work out, and I'm still extremely excited to make the move up to Oregon!

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by nausax

Silverfall, thanks for the suggestion. I think that'd work nicely for her, but I'm not sure that I can handle driving 3 1/2 or more hours per day. A couple of different mapping websites said it's about 1 hour and 45 minutes one-way in no traffic to get down to Eugene.

Thanks, Steve. I fear that you are correct. Long distance will be a logistical nightmare and it will put a lot of stress on our relationship, but I don't see any other way. When considering that we are both going to be in grad school, adding 3 hours of driving each day to our already hectic schedule seems unreasonable. Either way, we are in a tough position. In any case, I really appreciate the advice. One way or another, it will work out, and I'm still extremely excited to make the move up to Oregon!

I think you will figure it out. You seem to have it together and you didn't go off on getting an answer you most likely didn't want to hear. Good Luck. I wish you the best. You seem to have some common sense.

[Rob Allen]

The train in Wilsonville is called WES; it takes you to the Beaverton Transit Center where you can get a MAX train to downtown Portland and get a bus or walk a mile or two to PSU. Not anything I'd want to do every day. The Sherwood idea might be easier - there's a frequent-service bus line straight to PSU. Check the TriMet website for local transit schedules: TriMet: Public Transit in the Portland Area.

My guess is that you'll find a place with a yard somewhere on the south side of the Portland area with easy access to PSU, and she and the dog will live there and you'll spend weekends with them and weeknights in a dorm or studio apartment in Eugene. For three years, it'll be an adventure.

[nausax]

Rob, thank you for the response. We will do something like that, though we will likely have a place with a yard in Eugene while my girlfriend has a smaller place not far from downtown and PSU. Eugene seems to be a bit cheaper than Portland, so I can probably get into a duplex or townhouse with a yard for around 750-800/month. It will definitely be an adventure!

[Sherwoody]

We really do need to work a little harder on the "transporter." Welcome home honey!

[Steve Pickering]

Cute. And a good choice. I have had good rentals in Eugene for $650 a month.