Town similar to Bend in the Portland/Salem area (Albany: low crime, mortgage)

[Sequoiababy7]

I was raised in Colorado and my husband is from Oregon, we've been stuck in Southern California for the past two years and have wanted to go back to our roots since the day we left. I have tons of family in Bend and we are both in love with it, if it wasn't for my husband's work, we would move to Sunriver in a heartbeat. With that being said, I really hope to find a town similar to it but in the Portland or Salem area. I'm a nurse so I can really work anywhere but my husband is in construction so we really need to be no more than an hour away from Portland but we can be slightly flexible with the commute. It's been a dream for me since I was a kid to have my own land so we it is a must for us to be on the outskirts of the metro area with 10-20 acres of farmland. It has to be moderately inexpensive with hopefully no less than 10,000 people. Low crime/drug rates and good schools are also very important to us since we plan on starting a family in the near future. Those are our must haves and besides that we are flexible with everything else. We're conservatives and traditional Christians, but being in a liberal community isn't that big of an issue since we've been in California for the last few years. I would also love for there to be an old town to go walking around and have a nice dinner, but like I said it's not mandatory. I am open to any and all suggestions and know that there might need to be some compromise but hopefully our dream town is out there!

[PNW-type-gal]

The things that make Bend what it is are location (in the high desert, on the other side of a mountain range from the much more populous Willamette Valley, no other large cities nearby). Sunriver is a vacation and tourist mecca. You aren't going to find Bend in the Willamette Valley because the Willamette Valley is the populated heart of Oregon and where most of the larger cities are. Sure, you can find smaller towns - Silverton, Canby, Hubbard, Mt Angel, Albany, Woodburn.

Because of the urban growth boundaries, you aren't likely to find a house on that much land within a hour commute of downtown Portland, it is going to have to be further. Even then it will likely be somewhere north of $500,000 - and with water rights it may be WELL north of that.

[Thom52]

Seems like Nurse and Construction are the most likely jobs to find in Bend.

It has the major medical center for Central OR. And finding someone to do some construction for a simple home improvement project or remodel is about impossible, because all the new house construction has everyone maxed out.

Just sayin'....

[Sequoiababy7]

Originally Posted by Thom52

Seems like Nurse and Construction are the most likely jobs to find in Bend.

It has the major medical center for Central OR. And finding someone to do some construction for a simple home improvement project or remodel is about impossible, because all the new house construction has everyone maxed out.

Just sayin'....

My main concern about Bend is that if the economy takes a turn for the worst, then there would be absolutely zero construction in the area. But then again, Portland might have the same problem. Still, it's something I'll definitely look into, thanks!

[Silverfall]

Define moderately inexpensive.

[Sequoiababy7]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

Define moderately inexpensive.

Where a family of four could live on a salary of maybe $100,000-$125,000 a year. We have saved enough to buy 10 or so acres for $200,000 and then take a mortgage out to build our dream home. Hopefully that helps!

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

If you could find such a property within 1 hour of Portland, you'd have found it by now by searching realtor.com, etc.

Desirable land within commuting distance of a major metropolis doesn't come cheap. So, nope, you won't find it.

I used to live in the White Salmon area for many years, so I know that area. And if you get very far from Portland, commuting in the winter is next to impossible due to ice storms, etc.

A possibly, but bad (in my opinion), compromise would be for your husband to stay in town during the week, and for you to buy property far enough out from Portland that you could afford.

But, even areas within 2 hours of Portland have become unaffordable. So, I think you guys are going to have to do a complete revamp on your goals and lifestyle, etc.

[therese marie]

19395 SW Mountain Home Rd, Sherwood, OR 97140 | MLS #14198255 | Zillow

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Sequoiababy7

Where a family of four could live on a salary of maybe $100,000-$125,000 a year. We have saved enough to buy 10 or so acres for $200,000 and then take a mortgage out to build our dream home. Hopefully that helps!

Do your due diligence before you buy. How much will it cost to get power to your property? Build a road to your building site? Drill a well? Install a septic system? Twenty-two years ago, the price tag just to get that far was around $50,000, and I'm sure it would cost a lot more today. Make sure the county will give you a building permit. That is by no means assured, no matter what the seller says.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Sequoiababy7

Where a family of four could live on a salary of maybe $100,000-$125,000 a year. We have saved enough to buy 10 or so acres for $200,000 and then take a mortgage out to build our dream home. Hopefully that helps!

Well if you go with the 30% debt to income ratio you are looking at a loan of $300k generally speaking for the construction mortgage. You could build a smaller home for that with current construction costs.
I don't know what your definition of a dream home is. Construction of the home itself is running about $150 per square foot for a very average quality homes. Good quality construction is closer to $180 a sq foot. You will need to add well, septic, and power to your costs, plus potentially a long driveway.

On acreage that size, it will likely be zoned SA, FF, or EFU so you would need to plan for some farming or forest activity depending on the zoning and land.

We don't have a Bend in the mid-valley. The proximity to mountains and the Deschutes is what makes Bend an outdoor mecca.

The only small town around that size that I can think of that would be close to an hour away from Portland that has land that you could potentially afford would be Silverton. It has a hospital too.

You need to understand that we have urban growth boundaries here. They are imaginary lines drawn around cities that restrict growth. You can develop in the boundary, but not outside of it. Most of the land outside of it is farmland that will be 40 plus acres. Farmers can't divide that land and sell you a 10-acre parcel so you will have to find a preexisting parcel of land that size.