labrynthlily

Planning to move to the portland area next year and need some help. I would like to be no more than 30 min. outside downtown, but am looking for a picturesque, country feel. Just apartment hunting for now but plan to buy a home soon so suggestions are welcome in that area as well.

We aren't millionares. Just normal people wanting to know which places to avoid.

Also, we are a same sex couple with a daughter. Would like a family friendly area.

Thanks so much

metoo

Which Portland? Oregon or Maine?

labrynthlily

Portland oregan.....sorry

Merseyheart

I live on the west side, so I favor Washington County. Try Beaverton or Hillsboro. The further out you go in the Portland metro area, the cheaper the home will be, and the more square footage you will get for your money. I recommend being close to a MAX stop, or at least on a bus line. As the city grows, more and more people are using mass transit.

There's a few spots on the west side with views of greenbelts and such. I wouldn't say it was 30 minutes from downtown, more like 45 or 60 minutes. Many homes inside the Portland city limits are more expensive. Yes, do rent an apartment for a while, and get a sense for the city.

Andrew, on this board, knows a lot about the city. Any other Portland Fodorites want to give their opinion?

Merseyheart

http://www.movingtoportland.net

Andrew

Part of my website is devoted to Portland's neighborhoods - with pictures, google maps, and descriptions. Google for "Portland bridges neighborhoods" and that should get you to my site.

If you want "a picturesque country feel" then you might well like parts of Washington County including SW Portland and places like Raleigh Hills, Hillsdale, and Multnomah Village. The west side is more hilly and suburban and/or wooded than the east side of town which is more flat, older, and grid-like, with older "urban neighborhoods," many of which have "cafe life" with restaurants and coffeeshops within walking distance. A few areas on the east side may qualify for the "country feel" such as Mt. Tabor, an extinct volcano that is now a wonderful park on the east side.

You might also consider Troutdale on the far east side of Portland (it's the gateway to the amazing Columbia River Gorge) - a little town that is also becoming a sprawling suburb but still has some charm. Good chance of finding a "country feel" out there as well. But you can also find that in almost any direction 30 minutes drive from downtown Portland. It's really a tiny city, and you can be in the middle of nowhere in 20 miles easily. We have this neat thing called the Urban Growth Boundary that limits development away from the cities.


As for the same-sex couple thing: not a huge issue in Portland in general. It's a very liberal city. We just elected the nation's first openly-gay mayor (Sam Adams) of a major city. Oregon's new Secretary of State Kate Brown (from Portland) is openly a lesbian. It's not exactly San Francisco, but Portland feels like it in some ways. The town has a sort of stodgy old-school liberal feel in many other ways. You might have the most trouble with the same-sex thing in some more conservative suburbs perhaps out in Clackamas County (SE of Portland) or north in Vancouver, Washington, but even then, it's nothing like living in, say, the deep south.

Fodorite018

I too live on the West side, so favor that. Sherwood and Wilsonville are both 30 minutes (door to door) from downtown and are extremely family friendly. You can check the stats for any town on www.city-data.com, which has relocation forums by state/city as well. Anyway, we are in Sherwood and while most times we drive into downtown, we also use the Trimet express bus, which is really quick. Our town is very close to the wineries, lots of scenic areas nearby (great tree farm for hiking, etc), and is centered around families.

Merseyheart

ttt

labrynthlily

Wow, you guys thanks so much for the input sofar. I'm about to check out both the websites and am still torn between east and west, they both sound great. I have to say, Mt Tabor caught my eye. I have a big love for volcanos. It would be great to have a good view of one from our home.

Andrew

Well, you might not realize Mt. Tabor was a volcano if I hadn't told you so, so don't get too excited about it! It looks more like a big hill or butte. It is a beautiful park, though, a great place for recreation. Portland has some other great parks, though, all over town. There's the huge Washington Park in SW Portland for starters - includes the International Rose Test Garden and even the Zoo! Miles and miles of hiking trails. You could live in inner NW Portland be immediately adjacent to that park but still close to downtown. In SW Portland there's Gabriel Park, not quite as beautiful but still big and with off-leash areas if you have dogs.

Besides, there are plenty of active volcanos here! Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens are active volcanos and it's not hard (but maybe not cheap) to get a place with a view of them. Mt. St. Helens had its last minor eruption just in March 2005.

enzian

My son and his wife lived several years in a great family-friendly neighborhood near Gabriel Park (and Multnomah Village, although it was a bit farther). The area has a nice rural feeling, since they were also near that closed dairy---is it Alpenrose?

Scarlett

We lived in the city, in the Pearl District and wanted to buy a home somewhere either in the West Hills or around the Westside of town.
We wanted to be IN the city, but the areas around Johns Landing were so very nice that we did look there too.

Prices were ridiculous when we left, $600k for a 700 sf apt in town.. I hope things have adjusted a lot in the year and a half that we have been gone.

I loved living in Portland, I loved the Coast towns, from Cannon Beach and South and I loved the people. I made some really good friends there and I miss them and the city. Best of luck moving to Portland.
And Andrew and his photographs plus his helpfulness in any questions I asked were a big big help too

Andrew

Hi Scarlett! Portland housing has slowed way down just like it has in the rest of the country, but our market isn't nearly as bad as, say, Vegas or Miami. (And not every neighborhood has fallen that much if at all.)

There's a "condo glut" here too. But I don't think prices have fallen that much. Plus, a realtor friend here (who says his business has picked up the last two months, surprisingly) claims that while there is a condo glut now, in 18-24 months it will be gone, because people continue to move here and several big condo projects were switched to apartments before completion. I doubt we'll see the same kinds of wild price speculation we saw on condos though for a long time, if ever.

Plus, many of those Pearl condos were built with tax abatements - how ironic that people buying $500,000 condos would get a break on taxes, eh? Once those expire, I think those places aren't going to look quite as attractive.

nanabee

I personally love the Pearl District, and that's were I would most likely live if I moved to Portland.
However, with a child, I love the Mt. Tabor area. You are in the city and feel like you are in the mountains, but are within a few minutes of all that Portland has to offer.

Scarlett

Hi Andrew ... a glut , huh? I will tell my husband, although his last remarks regarding housing in Oregon were maybe we should have looked in other areas rather than just the West Hills lol...
My friend mms was close enough to shop and have lunch with me but still lived in a beautiful house on a hill... so it is something to keep in mind ..

nanabee... Anywhere with a view is fabulous ! Even our apt with the wrap around windows .. all that sky and those hills .. ok..gotta stop, missing Portland ~