Location advice: Want safe, inexpensive, easy commute to downtown Portland (Seattle: apartment complexes, rental)

[jonquilo]

I plan to move to the Vancouver area and would like advice on which areas to concentrate my focus on and which areas to avoid.

Things I am looking for, in order by priority level:
1) Safe
2) Inexpensive (I'd like to stay under $750/month for a studio or one-bedroom apartment)
3) Quick commute to downtown Portland
4) Quiet

I will be living alone and have no kids, so have no concerns about school quality. I plan to live there for only two years and expect a spartan lifestyle, so I'm not looking for new or top-of-the-line amenities. I've lived in high-density neighborhoods in Seattle and Portland and am comfortable with a certain amount of noise and activity in the neighborhood, but I'd like to be able to close the door to my apartment and find peace and quiet.

I feel like, if I focus too much on "inexpensive" and "quick trip to downtown Portland", I might unwittingly end up in a less safe area. I'd just like to live somewhere where I feel confident that if I take normal safety precautions, I'm unlikely to run into trouble, but I'm not familiar enough with Vancouver to know what to avoid. I'm planning on relocating in September at the earliest, so I have some time to get on waiting lists if necessary. I'm a city dweller at heart, so lively and walkable is better, but it is far from necessary.

Appreciate in advance any guidance!

[StealthRabbit]

Forum search is your friend, come back AFTER determining a few areas from previous comments / inquiries.

With your criteria, I would rent on or as near as possible to Officer's Row. Seems GREAT to me. There are various options within the park, or within 3 blks.
I would pay extra if needed, as I really enjoyed volunteering at the Park, and everyday except 4th of July, it is VERY peaceful and safe!.

[jonquilo]

Thanks for the reply! I hadn't heard of that area. I'll have to drive up and look around.

I've been spending a lot of time reading the posts on here, and have found a lot of great pointers, but people are often looking for something slightly different than I, so I thought I'd ask. I'd probably be happiest downtown-ish, or somewhere like Officer's Row now that I've heard of it, and I've read that places like Hough can be okay, depending. But I need to be practical, so I'd probably be okay going as far north as Salmon Creek, if necessary. I think I'm becoming pretty determined to stay west, though it sounds like that means I'll have to be more aware of which pockets are good and which are not than if I were willing to go further east.

Thanks for the tip!

[StealthRabbit]

Look for the 'jewels' and avoid the 'apartment complexes'.

Be discerning, and if you are city at heart, don't bother with suburbia. There are many great options, but you won't find them without going on 'the hunt'. Consider hanging around the library for an hour or two (maybe you can find those that WALK in rather than DRIVE, and ask where they would like to live nearby) and check out nearby apartments. (they MIGHT be over retail or in / near Academy... across the street to the North). There are a few transient places in thos blocks and it IS adjacent to I-5, but... there might be some nice roomy apts also in older buildings. I would still focus on Officer's Row and the few blocks each side. (which includes Library area). Much of the Fort Vancouver Barracks area is yet to be re-developed, but there will be more housing when that happens. Fort Vancouver Event Rental Space | Event Rental Facilities | Properties

The I-5 route to Portland is NOT fast, but... you sound to enjoy / feel more comfortable with city than suburb. Anywhere BUT library area MAY require a car to get back and forth to transit. (Tho there are places to live near Van Mall and Fisher transit, BOTH are suburbia.

[jonquilo]

So, I've been seeing this as a period of suburban purgatory, but you're right. I have the time and the energy, so I can put in the work to find a place I can be happy with that will make me want to be part of the community for the time I'm there.

I'll usually be going against the standard commute when I trek in to Portland, so that helps a little, but I'll research transit and keep that in mind as part of my search.

I really appreciate the tips, and the inspiration to look at this experience a little differently.

[silibran]

Vancouver seems suburban to me in most places. We chose the eastside for the easy commute into Portland via I 205. A lot depends on where in PDX you will be working. If you work on the west side of Portland, then I 5 is a better choice, and perhaps is better even if you work in some areas on the east side. But if your job is located on the east side, I 205 might be better.

If you will be working near the airport, then I would definitely choose the I 205 route.

[Disgustedman]

Pardon me for being such, but why would you want to live in Wa and work in Or? I'd prefer to live near my work and I am sure you could find some very nice places at your price range in Or.

[silibran]

Plenty of people live in WA and work in OR. This sort of thing is not unusual. Where I used to live, people lived in IL and commuted to the StL area.

Why live in WA? Lower taxes, lower home prices, reputedly better schools.

[jonquilo]

Originally Posted by Disgustedman

Pardon me for being such, but why would you want to live in Wa and work in Or? I'd prefer to live near my work and I am sure you could find some very nice places at your price range in Or.

I don't know if you're genuinely curious, but as silibran says, there are lots of reasons. In my specific case, I'm paid in Washington for reasons I won't go into here, so I've decided to move to Washington to relieve the income tax burden and simultaneously cut living costs in order to pay off some debt on a strict timeline I've set for myself. I've always lived near work in the past, but right now I'm willing to make a change in order to set up my future. I grew up in Spokane, so Vancouver will be a livable place for me for a time, even if I prefer larger cities overall. We all make our choices and our priorities.