La Grande OR low income apartments (Portland, Green: middle-class, apartment complex, home)

[got2bteri]

I am looking for opinions on two of the low income apartments in La Grande Oregon. One of them is called Grande Woods, on Gekeler . The other is being built and is called Blue Springs Crossing, in Island City OR behind Wal-Mart. I am curious if anyone knows the areas, and in your opinion, is one area better/safer/convenient to middle/high schools, stores, then the other? Thank you for your time.

[Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z]

Depending on where on Gekeler those apartments are in LG, they would probably be closer to "the action" in LG. If it's farther out, then either location would work.

Island City is generally considered to have the best elementary school system, and the normal middle-class residents are generally more well-to-do than those in most of La Grande. However, there is no high school that I am aware of in IC, and their children end up attending La Grande Middle and High Schools when they're of the appropriate age. IMHO, after raising 3 children in La Grande, their education system is far superior to any public school in Portland, where my youngest attended middle and high school. If Island City's elementary school is really that much better than LG's, younger children are getting quite the education for their parents' tax dollars! And any school in LG is going to have better education opportunities than that of most larger cities, partly because a smaller portion of the money they get in is spent on buildings and maintenance, and partly because a larger percentage of parents are active in the school system as volunteers, fundraisers, etc. Both of the areas you mention should be far enough away from schools for your children to qualify to have school buses pick up and deliver your kiddos before and after school. If you live < a mile from a school, your children are expected to use other transportation options, or walk. My kiddos walked, as we lived in town. You can walk from one end of LG to the other in < an hour, and it's good exercise. I lived only a couple of blocks from their elementary school (Greenwood) while they were young, and I walked the to school, as I also worked there as a teacher's aid, before I got my teaching degree and license. Once they were middle and high school age, they walked to both of those and home again in the afternoon.

The closer you are to LG, the closer you are to all of the amenities. There isn't a lot going on in Island City, as it's a small town, and all the grocery stores, etc., are in La Grande. As for safety issues, both places seem pretty safe as far as I'm concerned. I used to walk 5 miles every night in La Grande, from the north end of town to up past the high school, near the hospital. I never once, in all those years, had any trouble or feeling of being unsafe or vulnerable. And I've spent a fair amount of time in IC (my niece and her husband are raising their three children, there), and never felt any sense of being unsafe there, either.

I will qualify my statements to say that I haven't lived in LG in 16 years. However, most of my family is still based there, and we visit often. Nothing much changes in that town, ever. I'm guessing that my experiences there 16 years ago are very much like what you'd find there, today. Just stay away from the bars around closing time (drunks and drunk drivers), and you and your children (who shouldn't be out and about when the bars close, anyway! LOL!) should do just fine in whichever place you decide to move.

Also, the HUD peeps have a low-income apartment complex on May Lane, as well as their low income offices. It's been there for probably 25 years, now, unless it's been sold or demolished. You might want to see if that area would interest you, too.

[got2bteri]

Thank you so much! This is great info, I really appreciate it!

[cindy Wilson 3]

Hi, I am visiting LA Grand. I am looking for my sister who has been missing for about a year and she turned to drugs and I was told she might be here I was wondering if someone could inform me of where the drug areas are so that I could look for her. Any help would be much appreciated thank you

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by cindy Wilson 3

........ could inform me of where the drug areas are so that I could look for her. ..........

La Grande is on the small side. You could probably drive up and down every street in not much more than a day.

[Nell Plotts]

Given the fact that those with drug addictions often use illegal activities to pay for drugs you could check with the County Sheriff's Office to see if they have picked her up. That might give you a 'last known' location as a start. They may have access to a state database of arrestees as well.

[dede21]

Originally Posted by cindy Wilson 3

Hi, I am visiting LA Grand. I am looking for my sister who has been missing for about a year and she turned to drugs and I was told she might be here I was wondering if someone could inform me of where the drug areas are so that I could look for her. Any help would be much appreciated thank you

Have you filed a missing persons report? If not, do so right away. Google NAMUS. Get her information into the system. You can also get advice from them. Good Luck.