Portland Mamas

[Elsaraw]

I'm not sure if this is an annoying place to put this but I'm not sure who to ask Dh will be able to transfer in his job in about a year and we are 99% sure we want to move to Portland.
Can you please tell me (or point me in a direction to look ) where would be a good area to start looking for a house when the time is right???
I'd like to live in an area with lots of kids, walking distance to a park, would be nice to be walking distance to stuff to do (like bookstore, library, etc) I don't know a lot about your city but am researching!

Tia!!

[ericak95]

Do you want to rent or buy? Also depends on your transportation needs (bus, car, M.A.X.) Where your DH would be working, ect.. With a bit more info I could come up with a list of areas.

Erica

[Elsaraw]

Buy and we have transportation, but it would be nice to be close to public in case... I'm not sure where dh would be working, but it doesn't matter, he drives pretty far now.
I really don't know. I guess I just need somewhere to start googling

Thank you

[slamont]

I would avoid the east side due to my fear of the unknown and preconception of its high crime rates. I am really loving the sw near multnomah village, garden home, and gabriel park. Outskirtswise I really like tigard, especially near summerlake park. Beaverton and aloha are nice, but the traffic annoys me, Hillsboro is really growing right now and has some pretty affordable places, but it is a trek to town if he is working downtown. I hear good things about tualatin, Sherwood, and Wilsonville too, but I have no personal experiences.
Oh and I lied a little about the east side, a few friends of ours have very much enjoyed Oregon City.
Vancouver is also very affordable and if we didn't mind the commute, we would be looking into it. We have a few family members up there who like it too.
I don't know how narrowed down that was, but I hope it helped a little.

[Elsaraw]

Thank you! That was sooo helpful- now I have an idea of what I'm looking at

[patagonia]

I absolutely LOVE the East side, that's where "true" Portland lives. We live in the SW right now and I'm begging DH to move. Sure there are neighborhoods with higher crime rates, but overall I don't think its that bad at all. The SW is a PITA for biking as there are very few bike lanes and lots of hills. The East is nice and flat and is very bike friendly. And stay out of the suburbs, YUCK

[spacecat1974]

We ended up in Tigard (the rental market in February sucks) but that pretty much describes Tigard pretty well. We live within 2 miles of just about everything we need and I can just pop over to the park and ride and bus in to work.

The public transportation system is amazing and depending on where your DH works, will probably be a much better option than driving.

I don't know if we'll stay in Tigard long-term but we like it for now. Of course, we haven't been here all that long so not the best to ask. If it weren't for my DH's tools, I'd have insisted on living closer to downtown. The zoo here, which I haven't managed to visit yet, has its own MAX station that is supposed to be cool to see.

It's really hard to go wrong here.

[PDXGreenParenting]

when we decided to move up here, we quickly narrowed it down to inner SE portland. we liked the styles of homes (old craftsman and victorians mostly), the city feel with side walks and places to walk, parks, schools, coffee shops etc... we were wanting to avoid newer construction like gated and master planned communities, so that ruled out A LOT of areas for us. we also wanted to be close in. price was also a deciding factor. some areas are just more affordable than others. a realtor should be able to help you narrow it down.
good luck and welcome, i am sure you will love it here!

[Elsaraw]

Originally Posted by PDXGreenParenting when we decided to move up here, we quickly narrowed it down to inner SE portland. we liked the styles of homes (old craftsman and victorians mostly), the city feel with side walks and places to walk, parks, schools, coffee shops etc... we were wanting to avoid newer construction like gated and master planned communities, so that ruled out A LOT of areas for us. we also wanted to be close in. price was also a deciding factor. some areas are just more affordable than others. a realtor should be able to help you narrow it down. good luck and welcome, i am sure you will love it here!

Thanks! Whenever I look at realtor sites all the houses I fall in love with are in the SE-- big old rambling overgrown with vegetation cool houses

[joannepdx]

I've lived on the east side exclusively, both NE and SE since 1992 and there is nowhere else I'd want to live in Portland. If you want the classic old style homes, pedestrian friendly urban experience, the east side has it. I've NEVER been the victim of crime!
I love my neighborhood. I live in Sellwood. Other good choices are the Woodstock, Kennilworth and Brooklyn neighborhoods. If you have a healthy budget, Hawthorne, Alameda and Irvington are beautiful, but more expensive. Right now, North Portland is very trendy and has a lot of great energy. I don't know much about that area, but I know Mississippi and Alberta streets are centers of great artsy shops and restaurants.