Move to Vancouver area this summer, have questions about neighborhoods and schools (Camas: to rent)

[gashawty10]

My family is relocating to the Vancouver area this summer from the East Coast, we have never been to the West Coast and don't know anyone in the area. Can someone please give me some advice on where to live, ie. good family neighborhoods? Also looking for the best school districts in the area, we have elementary and middle school children. My husband will be working in Vancouver but he is ok with commuting if the neighborhood is good. Also I have been doing research on whether to live in the Portland area or Vancouver area and most stats point to Vancouver is this accurate?

Thanks

[FunTimes]

I would stick with the Washington side for monetary reasons. If your husband will be working in Washington then by living here you will not have to pay income tax. By living in Oregon you would have to pay them income tax.

Prefered schools and school districts should be based on what exactly you are looking for. While some school districts are better than others, they each have schools that may be better than schools in other districts.

Are there certain programs or curriculum you are looking for? Athletics, after school activities, small community school vs. large, rural or suburban living, are some things that will affect the best school boundaries. Also are you looking for certain transportation arrangements and/or limitations?

By posting here with some specifics you will find some very good information from people. You can either post your requirements here, or you can send a direct message to me and I would be more than willing to give you any information to your questions I can.

I am from Florida and have lived here most of my life with my family back east. I love it here and I hope you will find it an enjoyable place to live. I have raised an 18 and 16 year old here. I have lived in both Oregon and Washington, and by far living and working in Washington is the best arrangement financially.

Welcome to the beautiful Northwest.

[hml1976]

Welcome! We're former East Coasters as well and we're never going back

Camas and Hockinson have the "best" schools in the area according to most sources, but most of the schools here are fine.

We love Camas but would probably have been happy in Hockinson as well. The people are nice, its pretty affordable and the pace is slow but not painfully slow.

We live between Lacamas Swim & Sport and Lacamas Lake in the Sunningdale Gardens/Lake Pointe/Lake Heights area. Its filled with kids, is Halloween central and the neighbors are great.

You didn't say your budget? Or anything particular that you're looking for, like a great view or lots of land?

[gashawty10]

Thank you so much for the responses! We are a military family that went from the fast paced life of the DC metro area to the very slow, somewhat rural life of the NY capital region (Albany area), so we have lived the best of both worlds.

I love the current school district that my kids are attending in here in NY, and I'm looking for something comparable to it. The schools are very family oriented. There is not a lot of student turn over like we had in N. VA, since the military population is very low here, so most families know each other (even if they didn't know us), which make for a high level of parental and PTO involvement, and in the long road makes for a better school, I personally believe. I'm looking for a good rounded curriculum, a school that still has art and music programs. My oldest, will be entering 7th grade when we move, he is not into sports but is a very good student and loves music (sings in chorus and has played the trumpet for 2 yrs), he also participates in student counsel, science club, and other school activities. He is not the most social but enjoys school a lot and participating in school activities. I know bullying can be a problem everywhere but I'm would like a school district with less and faculty that is vigilant to it. Also I would like a school where the faculty is passionate about teaching and not just there for a check, where they interact with the kids positively. I know overcrowding is also a problem and even here the schools are facing budget cuts that may affect the class sizes but I would like a school where the class sizes are no more than 21-24. Our other child will be entering 2nd grade and she is very social and a hard worker, we need an elementary school that will challenge her but still have music, art, and computer classes.

We will probably be renting, being that my husband’s tour will only be 2 yrs (unless we really like the area and ask to stay a 3rd). So I know I can’t be as picky. I would however like a neighborhood where the homes are not right on top of each other but still near civilization (sorry I'm originally from GA and grew up where it took 15 minutes to get to a gas station and 20+ to shop), and have larger size homes, we prefer at least 2000 sq ft. Also looking for an area where I feel safe with the kids playing outside, we can take family walks/bike rides. Views are not as important as long as I’m not looking right into someone else’s house. Budget wise we are looking for no more than $1600 rent/mortgage a month

The most important thing for me is good schools for my kids and then I will work with whatever houses are in that area.

[nihipali5]

Originally Posted by gashawty10

[FONT=Verdana]My family is relocating to the Vancouver area this summer from the East Coast, we have never been to the West Coast and don't know anyone in the area. Can someone please give me some advice on where to live, ie. good family neighborhoods? Also looking for the best school districts in the area, we have elementary and middle school children. My husband will be working in Vancouver but he is ok with commuting if the neighborhood is good. Also I have been doing research on whether to live in the Portland area or Vancouver area and most stats point to Vancouver is this accurate?[/FONT]

Thanks

Stay close to Freeway entrances and exits. Vancouver is HUGE on this. Emergency response is terrible, thats on the City though, and if you need to get someone where, stay next to a freeway.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by gashawty10

[font=Arial]T...I love the current school district that my kids are attending in here in NY, and I'm looking for something comparable to it. The schools are very family oriented. There is not a lot of student turn over ...most families know each other ...which make for a high level of parental and PTO involvement, and in the long road makes for a better school, I personally believe. I'm looking for a good rounded curriculum, a school that still has art and music programs. My oldest, will be entering 7th grade when we move, he is not into sports but is a very good student and loves music .... I would like a school where the faculty is passionate about teaching and not just there for a check, where they interact with the kids positively. ...looking for no more than $1600 rent/mortgage a month...
The most important thing for me is good schools for my kids and then I will work with whatever houses are in that area.

You want Hockinson, do yourself (and family) a favor and focus in that region. It is rural, so you will need to drive a bit, but the school will be worth it. You will be able to find a nice home to rent, as many folks have had to leave their homes vacant when they lost their jobs (or you can find a cheap one to buy), it will be EZ to re-sell in Hockinson District. My sis and her kids are very musical and are in that district. They participate in Oregon Youth Philharmonic, special drama and vocal too....One of her kids is now a World traveling professional music entertainer, another at an East Coast music Conservatory.

This is a very first class theatre group for youth
CYT Vancouver / Portland | Christian Youth Theater, Classes & Camps in WA & OR Attend a production and you may be very pleasantly surprised at their professionalism and quality operation.

I have many friends in the homeschool network too Clark County Home Educators

Camas will probably work too, great schools and proximity to Portland, but not nearly the 'community / parent / school spirit' of Hockinson. (Camas has a few 'demographic challenges' (Camas has VERY RICH and VERY POOR population)). Hockinson is ~ 90% upper middle class (engineers / professional parents / contractors / farmers) & Apostolic Lutherans and Mormons, tho little strife, but very dedicated diligent in discipline and expectations of their School Leadership and RESULTS:ok:.

Going to a Hockinson Graduation (even 8th grade) is like attending a 'Who's Who', It is impressive and the kids are very connected and HIGH achievers.

Warning: Not all kids or parents are happy with the workload placed on Hockinson students.

PM me if you want a referral for a quality realtor that knows and lives in Camas / Hockinson border region. (Near Camp Bonneville).

[SwitchCoasts]

We moved from Massachusetts a year ago and will likely never return there. We currently live in Felida (Fa-lie-da) section of Vancouver in the NW corner. Easy trip down Fruit Valley Rd into downtown. Having spoken to a lot of people over the year, you can't really go wrong with schools in Felida, Camas, Ridgefield and Hockinson. My daughters go to an out of district Chinese immersion program they were accepted in by lottery. This is one of the few public school programs in the country and it has become highly sought after. There is also a Spanish immersion program.

Because my wife works 30 miles North of here we had to rule out Hockinson, Camas areas. If is an adjustment getting used to the homes on top of each other, when coming from an area where 1 acre lots are common but we quickly got used to not having maintain the landscaping on an acre lot.

If you are considering Portland vs Vancouver and will be working in Washington you do not want to be in Portland. Great to visit but the income, property and more taxes will kill you. For a family making $75-100k a year, with property taxes included you could be talking about giving 10% back to Oregon that you can keep in WA.

Good Luck