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Help! Relocating to Portland
My husband called me from work this morning to tell me his company is relocating us from Oakland (CA) to Portland, Oregon! SOON!
I'm looking for neighborhood recommendations. We'll be renting, and we're not really "city people" at heart, so somewhere on the outskirts might be more appealing, or a neighborhood that has a more small-town feel ( I grew up in a town of 2,500 back East). Our budget is decent (though not extravagant by any means!), and we'd love to find a single-family home to rent. Multi-unit apartment complexes leave us pretty cold. We're outdoorsy, married 3 years w/no kids as yet, and have a cat we would love to be able to let outside again (he's been an indoor cat here in Oakland, don't want him getting run over!). Also, we are drawn more to hills, less to flat grids!
TIA for any info you can provide! My brain is reeling a little, so if I've left out any info pertinent to what type of neighborhood would suit us, just ask!
Re: Help! Relocating to Portland
Well, I think most find Portland as a city with a town feel. Portland is definitely a city with defined neighborhoods, each with their own personality so you'll want to look into that a bit to see what would best suit you and your H.
Do you know where your husband's job will be? Although we have a pretty decent mass-transit system, things are a lot easier if you're somewhat close to work (i.e. on the side of the river work is on). Portland is essentially drawn in quadrants, east side versus west side with the Willamette river separating the two sides. Then there is NE and SE and NW and SW. I think most would agree that Portlanders tend to pick their side of the river and stick to it. I would recommend taking a look at Portland Monthly Magazines "Neighborhoods by the Numbers" so you can get a feel for areas of town.
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/real-estate/articles/neighborhoods-by-the-numbers/
So, if you'd like to live in Portland proper, the above should be helpful. That being said, you said you guys aren't really city people. There are lots of burbs surrounding Portland, if that's what you're after. Burbs to look into include: Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, Hillsboro, West Linn, Wisonville, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Gladstone, Clackamas, Happy Valley, Troutdale, Gresham.
Good luck!
Depending on where "by the airport" he works, he doesn't necessarily HAVE to get onto 205. (Just saying...)
I work out by the airport and I live in SE Portland. My commute to and from work is about 30 minutes both ways.
If you want to stay in Portland Proper and but still in a decent neighborhood/not city more town feeling... I would look into SE Portland.. Woodstock or maybe Mt. Tabor neighborhoods. Possibly Milwaukie.
Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the suburbs what so ever... but if I had to choose one to live in, it would definitely be Troutdale. Skip over Gresham.
I would recommend avoiding living too close to the airport. The neighborhoods can either be REALLY nice... or NOT nice at all.
I work in Troutdale and I personally wouldn't live there but I'm a city girl, so it might be a great place for you. Especially if you can find a place near Blue Lake. It's a really pretty area and nicer than a lot of Troutdale/Gresham. You definitely don't want to live close to 181st.
I also live in SE Portland (Milwaukie technically) and my commute is 20-30 minutes. If I leave by 7:10, it's 20 minutes, after that it's 30. I get off 205 just a couple exits before the airport and traffic is moving no problem so I bet it'd only add about 5 minutes to his commute. It's too bad you're not coming in June, I'd have a house to rent you! Our renters have a year lease though.
There are lots of houses to rent in Milwaukie usually. It's a great place for starter homes and with the market the way it is a lot of people have chosen to rent instead of sell when they upgrade. I don't know much about housing in Gresham/Troutdale. You might also like Sandy, it's more country feel.
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$975. When we get closer, hit me up. I'm 95% sure our renters will not renew their lease. We allow pets, too, with a $300 pet deposit.
First, congrats! And welcome!
I also work "near the airport" and I would not choose to live here. Call me stuck up, but I also wouldn't really live in Troutdale either (some parts are ok...but I'm not a fan of Troutdale in general...) Some parts of Gresham are nice (Persimmon golf course area) and possibly Damascus, or Oregon City, Happy Valley (love). I would stay away from anywhere in Portland on the East Side, honestly, except maybe the Parkrose area. High crime, the area is on the downswing, gang violence, etc. 82nd Avenue and 122nd Avenue would be areas to avoid.
I wouldn't live on the West Side at all if your DH works by the airport...that drive is hellacious.
I'm also a suburb fan, I live in Milwaukie, and love it. It's as good as it gets on the East Side, IMO. Safe, clean, "small town feel", but it's only 10 minutes to downtown, and there's great restaurants and shopping.
The drive from Clackamas to the airport on 205 really isn't bad in the morning at all. It takes about 30 minutes, and that's leaving Clackamas around 8:15 am.
Can you fly up here for a weekend and check out the local areas, and then rent something?
Jen I don't agree with you about avoiding SE alltogether. We used to live in SE near Holgate and 42nd and it was a great quiet neighborhood but still close to Safeway, Trader Joes, Starbucks etc. From there to hop on I-205 to get to the airport wasn't bad at all. There's also lots of other great neighborhoods in SE near Belmont, Hawthorne, Mt. Tabor, Sellwood, Woodstock. I agree to not get too close to SE 82nd, probably stay below SE 60th but there are some really great neighborhoods out there.
But if you're looking for a more smaller town feel, SE might not be for you and you should check out Happy Valley, Sandy, Damascus or Milwaukie.
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We used to live off 122nd in between NE Halsey and NE Fremont and had a great home in a very nice neighborhood. The closer you get to the busy streets can be a little dicey, but Portland is full of awesome little pockets.
Gresham is also pretty nice. It has it's pockets, like Rockwood that I would stay away from, but downtown Gresham and the outlying areas are very nice and have some pretty affordable homes.
My suggestion to you, OP, is to find a rental in Gresham or NE Portland - close to the airport - then once you are here for a while you'll find the perfect area.