Looking for the "Gayborhood" in Vancouver (Orchards: for sale, home)

[n8naz]

My partner and I will be moving to Vancouver, WA from Phoenix, AZ next year. We're looking for a neighborhood that will be a good fit for us.
We're not so worried about the school district (we don't have children) and aren't so concerned about the nightlife. But we do want a safe, clean, and friendly neighborhood.
Most cities seem to have an area that is predominately gay or at least very gay-friendly. Stereo-typically, an older/historic neighborhood where we tend to purchase and re-model or restore, etc.
During out most recent visit we thought it looked like West of the I-5 from Downtown up to Hazel Dell seemed ok, until Fruit Valley?

So...is there a neighborhood like this in Vancouver?
Thanks for the advice.

[rosecityrain]

Why Vancouver?

Portland is a far better bet. We live in North Portland and have gay neighbors next door (at one time on either side). No one has any opinion and the age range is quite substantial.

Check out Arbor Lodge. Easy commute into Van, if that is an issue. Otherwise you are within ten minutes of just about everything, including our gay mayor's home.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by n8naz

My partner and I will be moving to Vancouver, WA from Phoenix, AZ next year. We're looking for a neighborhood that will be a good fit for us.
We're not so worried about the school district (we don't have children) and aren't so concerned about the nightlife. But we do want a safe, clean, and friendly neighborhood.
Most cities seem to have an area that is predominately gay or at least very gay-friendly. Stereo-typically, an older/historic neighborhood where we tend to purchase and re-model or restore, etc.
During out most recent visit we thought it looked like West of the I-5 from Downtown up to Hazel Dell seemed ok, until Fruit Valley?

So...is there a neighborhood like this in Vancouver?
Thanks for the advice.

You don't really find this anywhere in the Greater Portland area. There are no "gay ghettos." The vast majority of the area (including Vancouver) is very gay-friendly and you'll find same-sex couples and families scattered throughout the metro area.

[CPF]

Originally Posted by n8naz

an older/historic neighborhood where we tend to purchase and re-model or restore, etc.
During out most recent visit we thought it looked like West of the I-5 from Downtown up to Hazel Dell seemed ok, until Fruit Valley?

Define older? The most historic you'll find is Officer's Row, but those rarely come up for sale. You've visited, so you probably noticed that downtown has the most historic buildings and things get newer as you travel north or east. Your biggest obstacle is that the oldest neighborhoods contain no amenities - nightlife, daylife, or otherwise (such as grocery stores). Hazel Dell, where you will actually find businesses operating, was obviously built in the '50s if that's older enough for your needs.

[n8naz]

Originally Posted by rosecityrain

Why Vancouver?

Portland is a far better bet. We live in North Portland and have gay neighbors next door (at one time on either side). No one has any opinion and the age range is quite substantial.

Check out Arbor Lodge. Easy commute into Van, if that is an issue. Otherwise you are within ten minutes of just about everything, including our gay mayor's home.

Thanks for the advice. Yours, along with the other comments has convinced us to expand our search to Portland.

[n8naz]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

You don't really find this anywhere in the Greater Portland area. There are no "gay ghettos." The vast majority of the area (including Vancouver) is very gay-friendly and you'll find same-sex couples and families scattered throughout the metro area.

That explains why we couldn't find anything as obvious as here in Phoenix.
Thanks for the info.

[eriseducation]

My advice - if considering both Portland and Vancouver, figure out where you'll be working and find a neighborhood on that side of the [Columbia] river. Commuting across the river is hideous, and will only get worse in the coming years at whatever point they finally do something about the Interstate Bridge (I-5 across the Columbia River).

Unlike Phoenix, where the interstates get clogged but you can also "get there" on surface streets, out here you will find that there are only two roads to take you across the river (unless you travel 50+ miles out of the city). City street alternatives only get you to the bridge on one side or the other. While it's not "as bad" to live in Portland and work in Vancouver (because most people are going the opposite way), it's still no picnic.

As a side note, if you work in Vancouver AND live in Washington, you will not pay state income tax. If you live OR work in Portland (doesn't matter which one), you're stuck paying Oregon income tax.

Having lived in many regions of the U.S., we've found the PNW to be, by far, the most accepting of people of all backgrounds. Nobody takes much notice of gay/straight, race/ethnicity, or other surface factors. Instead, they'll make up their minds about you based on you, the person. Pick a side of the river, then just look for a neighborhood that appeals to you. PNW-ers are friendly in general, no need to look specifically for gay-friendly.

[northbankvirtualservices]

Excellent advice from eriseducation re. the income tax issue. We increased our net pay substantially by relocating to Vancouver.

Don't give up on Vancouver just because we don't have a lot of gay-specific nightlife or neighborhoods. I think you'll find some excellent social, personal and economic benefits by living on our side of the river and jetting over to Portland when you want to grab a little extra culture or entertainment. It's no different than living in the suburbs of a large city, but you don't have to live in the suburbs. You can live in a real community that offers a lot of opportunity.

FWIW, the inner west side and the bordering area east of I-5 and south of 39th St. are definitely up and coming neighborhoods for those living creative and/or alternative lifestyles.

[idw2s]

Friends of ours from Dallas moved across the river. They faced tremendous hate crime. They lived too far east, too conservative.

That said, the whole area is in general pretty conservative. If you're home and hearth and don't socialize with your neighbors much other than to be neighborly, that might not be a problem, but the whole "Keep Portland Weird" vs "Keep Vancouver Normal" speaks volumes.

Some call it "Vantucky".

We live over here, we lived over in Beaverton. I can't say I mind it here, there are folks on either side of the spectrum I don't agree with, but there are elements I definitely avoid.

Basically in Portland gay-friendly is more the norm. In some parts of Vancouver it is (the areas you noted) in others, it's the extreme exception.

I'll ditto what NBVS said above, and include that depending on the length/timing of your commute, it's a shorter drive from those Interstate Bridge convenient locales to just about anywhere downtown. I live in Orchards now, and from Beaverton it took me 45 minutes (on a good day) to get to the Pearl. Now I can be there in 25 minutes.

[SwitchCoasts]

Even though you are going North, there is no doubt you are moving from the far left to the right and far right crossing into Vancouver. In my opinion Vancouver is more conservative and based on the numerous Christian churches, more religious too.