Michelle

I will be moving to the Portland area this winter and would like to find a small town on the Columbia River that's within 30 minutes of Portland (so I can commute to work). I'd like a place with a real "small town" feel. And what's the climate like around Portland? I heard that it doesn't really snow, rains quite a bit in the winter, nice warm summers and falls. Can anyone give me some general advice? I'm coming from the midwest and I've never been to Oregon but need a change of pace. Thank you!

Kim

How small do you mean by "small town"? Where do you live right now in the midwest? Where is your job in Portland? If you want to be on the Columbia with easy access to the city, you would want to be on the east side. On the east side, there is Gresham (more like a suburb) & Troutdale, also Camas & Washougal, WA across the Columbia River. Portland is a beautiful city-- you will love it. You are literally an hour from Mt. Hood and an hour from the coast. It is more temperate than Seattle and gets less rain. However, the winter has a tendency to be "gray and misty", and it can be awhile before you see any sunshine! As for snow, yes Portland does get a little, maybe a couple of days out of the year, and it completely shuts the city down, Portlanders aren't used to snow! I had the complete opposite adjustment, moving back east from the Pacific Northwest. The high temp in the winter is usually 45-55 degrees. As for summers & fall, they're great-- no humidity!! Temperatures rarely get above 80-85. Other smaller towns to consider (not on the Columbia) are: West Linn, Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Tigard, Wilsonville, etc. If you want more help, feel free to e-mail me.

Kim

Michelle

Kim, thanks for your response! Let me try to answer your questions...by "small town" I mean preferably 10,000 and under, something with a "small town" feel. Right now, I live in Indianapolis. I don't have a job yet in Portland...I'm going to move first and look for work later! Is real estate terribly expensive in these small towns, or does it vary by town? Also, I have a friend that will be moving out there in a few months too, who will be looking for an inexpensive sleeping room to rent...are those difficult to find? On the map, Troutdale doesn't look like it's right on the river...is it? Is Bonneville too far to commute to Portland? How difficult is it to commute from the west side of Portland, from cities like Burlington, Warren, St. Helens, etc.? About Gresham...what's it like? What kind of scenic beauty is around it? I's sorry to ask so many questions! Thank you for your help!

John

Michelle, no offense intended, but are you any relation to Jaime, also from Indianapolis, who also wants to relocate without having a job first, who also wants to be near a large city but enjoy a small town feel, and who's looking for a nice small town near Seattle? Like North Bend?

John

What I don't get is that this woman says she has never BEEN to Oregon and yet she is MOVING there without even having a job!! Duh? And she doesn't seem to know anyone there or much of anything about the city or state. Why would you move all the way across the country to a place you know nothing about and be unemployed? Oregon has enough unemployed (many of them crankheads) and doesn't need more.

Michelle

John, Jaime is a friend of mine who is also looking for a similar situation. I hope that's not offensive to you. John #2, I realize that you may be too insecure to consider moving to (gasp) a new place. However, I have a sense of adventure and am skilled enough that I will have no trouble finding a new job. I am tired of Indiana, I liked the demographics and description of Oregon, I'm not worried about finding a job, therefore I don't find it strange to consider such a move. I don't feel that it warrants a "Duh." However, judging from your attitude, a "Duh" is just what I'd expect from someone like you. Thanks for the validation. Maybe I'll see you on the unemployment line sometime soon.

John

Michelle,
I'm sorry if my prior post sounded a little prickly. Long, long week, lame excuse. Part of the problem is that the US forum appears to be very attractive to trolls who ask legitimate-sounding questions then manage to morph the threads into provocations of all the mean spirits which seem to check in regularly.

Hey, I moved to Oregon umpteen years ago without a job first (well, I was going to school, actually. Is that employment?) I say go for it, just be aware of the economic and social circumstances. Time was when Oregonians and Washingtonians were famous for appearing hostile to immigrants, especially from California,
somehow managing to forget their own roots (State of Mainers in Oregon, Here Come the Brides, etc. in Washington.) Less a problem now, but be aware that the strong regional economies in western Oregon and Washington have removed these areas from the bargain basement, and many folks have travelled thinking they'd hit it, only to be disappointed, or in some cases living in their cars, like numerous households around a mile from my house.

So short answer: Troutdale, Oregon, might do it for you, but a 30-minute radius from Portland will not be country, not in any direction. You'll be able to SEE country from there (like the mountains or the forest lands), just not live there.

ThereNoMore

Hey John,

I don't know much about the Portland area but when I left Eastern Oregon in 1998 the people still hated Californians, Blacks, Mexicans or any other outsiders. In the winter months the unemployment, I think, reaches 50% and if things of value are not under lock and key, there are gone.

By the way, are the locals still marching in protest in front of the Grants Pass courthouse? Seems as though they were tired of the crooks who officed therein.

John

You bet people here in Oregon still dislike those who move here from out of state in droves. They especially hate it when they are from California. Until then we didn't have the huge problems we now have in this state with crank (known in some states as speed). This crank problems is very pervasive in Oregon in many areas and leads to all sorts of other problems like spouse and child abuse, burglary and street crime and lots of car accidents. And remember in this state anyone can have a concealed weapon, you don't need special permission. I read in the local paper that over 70% of locals driving are believed by the police to have a gun in their car. And some of them have been using crank.

Michelle

Where we live in Oregon the local newspaper prints in the sherrif's reports any time a needle is found in a public place. Every week there are several reports of needles found in a public place and this is not a metropolitian area we live in so I bet in big cities like Portland the problems is so much worse. I thank God I don't live in a place like Portland or Eugene where my children would be exposed to even more of this methamphetamine.