Pearl District vs. South Waterfront

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Meli2

I visited the Pearl District, and honestly found it a little smelly, a lot noisy, and too "busy" for my personal taste. Prefer something quieter, safe, pleasant and where there's a bit more of a residential feel. Is the waterfront the place? Our budget is limited. Looking for a studio $1000 or under. We need somewhere where there is light/windows but we're not looking for a glam apartment if that makes sense. Just nothing dark/dank, etc. A balcony would be awesome but I'm afraid that's too much to ask for in our price range.

Any other suggestions for areas? Are there areas to avoid based on what we're looking for? One of us will have a commute to the Hillsboro area everyday but will probably be driving...

Thank you!

Will only one be commuting or will the other be commuting elsewhere?

[Meli2]

Hi-
For now only one will be commuting. The other will be looking for something part-time. Though that seems like it will not be easy

[Minervah]

So would you consider living in Hillsboro or nearby Beaverton? It would be so much easier and you could easily find a nice one bedroom apartment for $1000 a month or even less. To me anyway, it doesn't make sense to live at Waterfront Place and commute to Hillsboro even though you will be going against traffic. It will still be a long commute. Unless you really had your heart set on living in that area.

It's possible maybe to find the part time job in Hillsboro or Beaverton. But if you are against living in the suburbs, there is also the farther SW part of Portland that would be closer to Hillsboro and a shorter commute. Just a suggestion.

[Meli2]

Thanks that's very helpful. Yes, we'd definitely consider leaving in those areas...I'm not sure why we sort of settled on Portland...a shorter commute would be very helpful.
Are Hillsboro and Beaverton and SW Portland nice areas? Nice in terms of quiet, no fuss sort of areas if you know what I mean? Small is ok but safety is a must...

[Minervah]

There are good and bad areas of both. I am a city person so am not entirely familiar enough with Beaverton and Hillsboro to tell you which areas are the best to live in but I do know that people here have recommended them in the past so hopefully they will chime in soon.

Regarding SW Portland, there are some nice areas like Raleigh Hills, Hillsdale, Burlingame and Multnomah Village to name a few. I used to live in this area and I liked it very much. It is a little less expensive than the other side of the river. Multnomah Village is particuarly nice. They are all still in Portland.

Google Portland Neighborhoods. There are some great websites and maps. They will show you the distance between the various neighborhoods and where you would need to go in Hillsboro and even how to get there.

[Meli2]

I will take a look at all this - thanks so much for all the info!

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Meli2

I visited the Pearl District, and honestly found it a little smelly, a lot noisy, and too "busy" for my personal taste. Prefer something quieter, safe, pleasant and where there's a bit more of a residential feel. Is the waterfront the place? Our budget is limited. Looking for a studio $1000 or under. We need somewhere where there is light/windows but we're not looking for a glam apartment if that makes sense. Just nothing dark/dank, etc. A balcony would be awesome but I'm afraid that's too much to ask for in our price range.

Any other suggestions for areas? Are there areas to avoid based on what we're looking for? One of us will have a commute to the Hillsboro area everyday but will probably be driving...

Thank you!

If you're going to live in the city, nowhere will be uncrowded, not busy feeling, or residential feeling. That would be somthing you'll find in the suburbs.

[InUrRoomie]

just curious now in 2015 if there are folks that are interested in shared rentals for females.
Any ideas? I will be moving into Portland-area soon for work, and for now, would prefer to just be a tenant for a couple of years, just to enjoy the area, instead of spending all my free time on fixer-uppers as I made the mistake of doing in my previous two locations......


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Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I think the South Waterfront development will work but it will take time - give it another 10 years. OHSU is a great anchor. Eventually the Zidell site will be re-mediated and put to other uses, that will connect the South Waterfront with Riverplace and Waterfront Park.

The buildings were completed just as housing imploded nationwide. We had more condos than condo buyers. Access is an issue IMHO, I don't know what transportation planners have in mind.

[58rhodes]

one might consider the new LLoyd district too