Work: Beaverton, Live: Portland? (Lake Oswego, Tualatin: apartments, rental, house prices)

[memphisbagman]

I am moving to the area in a couple of weeks from the Houston, TX area. I will be staying in Beaverton initially as that's where I will be working (Nike WHQ). My wife and son will be coming up during the Christmas school break.

I like the 'burbs, especially when it's close to work. However, my wife has expressed interest in living in Portland proper. We've always lived in the 'burbs and she wants to try something different.

From what I've seen, Portland is very different from other cities and this might be a viable option. However, I am a bit overwhelmed by all the information about 95 neighborhoods plus the various suburbs.

Looking for family friendly, good elementary schools w/special needs resources, and reasonable commute to Beaverton (bus/MAX). Will be renting.

EDIT: She is the artsy/creative type and looking for like-minded folks, resources, etc. So would like to try to balance that with above needs as well. Dragging her 2,200 miles away in winter, so need to keep her happy. :-)

Thanks!

[EnricoV]

This page at the PPS website might help regarding your school question.

I'd approach it by finding the best school situation, and then add in the commute factor to pick my neighborhood. Portland (the city proper) is pretty compact, so factoring in access to the artsy element is probably the least vital. It's kind of all through town.

[sayulita]

I think it kind of depends on what your wife in envisioning. Does she want to be in downtown Portland for real city life? There are lots of neighborhoods in Portland proper where day to day life would not be much different than in the suburbs. More compact and smaller lots than in the burbs, but still just regular neighborhoods. I live in Portland proper, but not downtown. My day to day life takes me to the burbs much more than it takes me downtown. For an easy commute for you and access to the resources your wife wants, I'd suggest any of these neighborhoods - West Slope, Raleigh Hills, Hillsdale, Multnomah Village, Garden Home or Bridlemile.

[hamellr]

In my opinion, having lived in Portland and commuted to the area of Nike, and having lived in Beaverton and commuted to the area of Nike, you should look much closer at Beaverton.

The schools are marginally better overall then Portland's. The commute on Highway 26 is going to be consistently 30 minutes from Downtown to Nike Campus during rush hours. Rent and house prices are cheaper. You can still find apartments in the $800 range in Beaverton, without living in undesirable areas. Comparable houses are $50k-$100k less. You're still close enough to downtown that it only takes 15 minutes to get there outside of Rush Hour.

Keep in mind that Nike employes the most Graphic Designers and other creative folks in the entire city. You'd be about halfway in between the two biggest PCC Campuses, so can easily take creative type classes. Beaverton has several community theater groups and a few community orchestras. The Beaverton Farmer's market is one of the better, if not the best in the entire region. There are art stores, scrapbooking stores, ceramic painting stores, two of the better movie theaters in the region. And you're an entire 30 minutes closer to the Coast! Not to mention closer to U-Pick places, or an easy country drive if you so desire.

Oh, and Powell's has their second biggest store in Beaverton. In many ways it's better then Downtown because it has bigger aisles and feels much less crowded.

The biggest downside to Beaverton is the lack of dining choices. Food is geared towards more towards families, and the "better" restaurants in Beaverton are a full star below comparable places in Portland. On the other hand, you don't usually need to worry about reservations at places in Beaverton.

When I moved to Beaverton 10 years ago, I was thoroughly prepared to hate it and only planned on staying a year, maybe two years.

[Nell Plotts]

Your wife will have no problem finding people with similar interests in the community.

I agree that if your child has special needs you should first look for the school that will best meet his/her needs. There are two issues to consider when commuting from Portland to campus: bridges and routes through the west hills. I lived in urban NW Portland and commuted to campus via Cornell Road, took me ~25 minutes garage to office chair. Burnside is another viable route. Hgy 26 can be a mess. Schools on the west side to look at include Chapman, Ainsworth, Bridlemile (suburban living) and maybe Skyline (which is actually in a rural area). Anything south of Bridlemile will make an unnecessarily difficult commute.

I have heard that the grade school that serves the Forest Park development is crowded but that info may be dated.

NIKE has a shuttle from the MAX. Most of the housing near a MAX stop is apartment style, some townhouses west of campus (Orenco Station comes to mind). With Intel's huge project well underway rental housing will be in high demand.

[norcalrelogal]

I understand where your wife is coming from. When we relocated here, I really wanted to live in town, but my husband wanted to live closer to his job in Tualatin. We compromised by renting in Lake Oswego, and ended up buying here which I would never have predicted. Being an "artsy" type myself, I have found that the whole metro area is full of creative people and interesting classes (look at OCAC) and groups. Downtown is only 10 minutes from where we live, and we can get there easily and often. Can't speak to the Beaverton commute, but I do know other artists who live there and love the artistic communities they are involved in. So nice that you are supportive of your wife's desires in all of this - it really makes a difference in my experience.

[sunnysunnyside]

This thread has been so helpful so far. I"m looking forward to hearing any other feedback. I'm a single mom who works from home (telecommute in software industry). I'm moving there in 5 weeks and am not sure where I'll live yet.

How long does it take to get from, say Beaverton, to the SE Portland neighborhoods? (Like woodstock or similar)

[memphisbagman]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I am trying to narrow down the options to about 10 neighborhoods and this has been helpful.

I have been of a mind that taking the MAX into Portland from Beaverton when we want entertainment would be easier than the day-to-day commute from Portland to Beaverton, but I think she will be looking for stuff more during the day while I'm at work and the kid is at school. So, I will check out the neighborhoods you guys mentioned.

We only have one car right now, so easy access to the MAX is a big issue. I'm glad to hear that Nike offers a shuttle to/from the MAX station. That would be a huge plus.

I am really looking forward to getting up there and checking things out. The area sounds like no other I have lived in. Just kinda wish I wasn't trying to move up there in the winter.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by sunnysunnyside

This thread has been so helpful so far. I"m looking forward to hearing any other feedback. I'm a single mom who works from home (telecommute in software industry). I'm moving there in 5 weeks and am not sure where I'll live yet.

How long does it take to get from, say Beaverton, to the SE Portland neighborhoods? (Like woodstock or similar)

What you will be facing is the replacement of the Selwood bridge. Not an easy drive.

[Nell Plotts]

Memphisbagman: urban NW Portland housing is relatively expensive but it is very livable with one car. Whether or not that is an option for you will depend on your budget and your child's. Wallace Park had wonderful play facilities for children.

I think you should explore the neighborhood known as Orenco Station. There are townhouses there, the land is flat so it would be easy to bike to the MAX. Again, you need to find out if the grade-school can meet your child's needs.

Back in the day NIKE had an employee BB, if that is still in use check it for housing.