Working in Salem, living in/close to Portland--is it possible? (Green: how much, house)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I would think it would only work if you were far south in Portland. I-5 is a good fast freeway, but once you get into Portland, there is so much traffic that there can be gridlock. So, you'd want to live south of most of the heavy traffic.

Is there some reason you don't want to live in Salem? It really is a decent town. Good shopping, an excellent hospital, some decent restaurants, easy drive to the coast, easy drive to skiing. Plus you can get into Portland easily enough for concerts and plays.

[Rob Allen]

Trains to Salem stop in two places in the Portland area - Union Station, between Old Town/Chinatown and the Pearl district, and on the outskirts of downtown Oregon City. The former will be more expensive but a much more vibrant, interesting place to live. Nothing wrong with Oregon City but it's an older industrial suburb.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

How long it would take to drive, with or without traffic?

My wife drove from a southeast neighborhood (Woodstock) to Salem three times a week to visit her parents.

Her average time was a little less than an hour and a half (one way) with decent traffic and driving conditions.

That was from driveway to driveway.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I would think it would only work if you were far south in Portland. I-5 is a good fast freeway, but once you get into Portland, there is so much traffic that there can be gridlock. So, you'd want to live south of most of the heavy traffic.

Is there some reason you don't want to live in Salem? It really is a decent town. Good shopping, an excellent hospital, some decent restaurants, easy drive to the coast, easy drive to skiing. Plus you can get into Portland easily enough for concerts and plays.

I am kind of curious about that myself. It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through unless there is a special reason. These trains are not commuter trains and often do not keep the best schedules. The Coast Starlight originates from LA and stops for every freight train that crosses its path. It just seems like an unnecessary hassle to me.

[Nell Plotts]

Gosh, I would not depend on the Amtrak schedule.

There are carpools that operate between Portland and Salem. Many participants are State employees, but not exclusively.

Were I the commuter I would ask my HR representative if they are aware of any Portland metro originating carpools. Here are van-pools sponsored by Metro: Metro: Vanpool schedules and routes

[Leisesturm]

I've been informed by my better half that if she gets the job in Portland that she has been doing volunteer work for for the last couple of months that our days in Hillsboro are numbered. That is less than half the distance from anywhere in PDX Metro to Salem. Some peoples tolerance for commute pain is really high, others (like my wife) not so much. I might be wrong but I just don't detect a whole lot of love for car or van pooling. People are loath to give up the control that comes from driving their own vehicles.

H

[pdxMIKEpdx]

People are loath to give up the control that comes from driving their own vehicles.

The independence, convenience, range of travel, and overall sense of freedom of having your own car beats horses, mass transit and carpooling any day.
And after the initial cost (which can be spread out over several years, or buy cash), driving an economical and reliable vehicle, and luck barring any calamities or mechanical issues, the cost of driving is slightly more than buying a monthly Metro pass.

Not to mention you also get some quality "ME" time.




Tough sell. Most people would rather drive.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

I've been informed by my better half that if she gets the job in Portland that she has been doing volunteer work for for the last couple of months that our days in Hillsboro are numbered. That is less than half the distance from anywhere in PDX Metro to Salem. Some peoples tolerance for commute pain is really high, others (like my wife) not so much. I might be wrong but I just don't detect a whole lot of love for car or van pooling. People are loath to give up the control that comes from driving their own vehicles.

H

I think that's why the car pooling idea failed at my company when I worked downtown. But I don't give much credibility in depending upon AmTrak for a daily commute. As stated before, they are not commuter trains and their schedules are not all that reliable. I suppose it's worth a try but it's been my experience with these trains just using them for vacation travel that depending upon them to run on time was the exception rather than the rule.

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

The independence, convenience, range of travel, and overall sense of freedom of having your own car beats horses, mass transit and carpooling any day.
And after the initial cost (which can be spread out over several years, or buy cash), driving an economical and reliable vehicle, and luck barring any calamities or mechanical issues, the cost of driving is slightly more than buying a monthly Metro pass.

Not to mention you also get some quality "ME" time.



Tough sell. Most people would rather drive.

You don't have to take my word for it. Drivers routinely underestimate the cost of owning and running their vehicles. A heavy user of Mass Transit is not likely to exceed 2k/yr. A light user of a paid off car is likely to exceed 4k/yr. A heavy user of a paid off car can hit 6K/yr. A light user of a car on which payments are being made is looking at 9K/yr. for the privilege. Its not sustainable kids. But that's another thread.

H

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I am kind of curious about that myself. It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through unless there is a special reason. These trains are not commuter trains and often do not keep the best schedules. The Coast Starlight originates from LA and stops for every freight train that crosses its path. It just seems like an unnecessary hassle to me.

I am referring to the Acela Amtrak Cascades, not the Coast Starlighter.

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/
http://www.amtrakcascades.com/Schedules.htm

Also although I am not a commuter, I did some math.

Take the cost of a new car, fuel, interest, insurance, tires, oil, maintenance, and in some case parking.

Now take the price of public transportation and throw in Taxi to off route locations, or Taxi for the whole trip, for anyone other than Soccer Mom's or Salesmen. Interesting numbers