Living Near Gresham? (Fairview, Wood Village, Gresham) (Portland, Tigard: affordable apartment, to rent)

[okayfortoday]

My mom might be getting a job in Gresham. We currently live together in Tigard, OR and really haven't gotten to the east side often since moving here. I work in NW Portland and my mom DOES have a car, but wants an easy bus commute just in case the weather is bad and she nor I can't drive. So...what neighborhoods near Gresham would work?

I looked up Fairview and Wood Village via Google Maps and that fits the best for the both us (one hour by bus for me; just 20 minutes for her) (and luckily, I'm used to long commute). Both of us want to avoid the MAX train, if possible.

Does anyone know anything about Fairview or Wood Village? The most ideal situation is safe, lots of shops/stores, and decent selection of affordable apartment complexes to rent (we pay for a 3 bedroom top floor apartment right now at around 1100/month). We would be open to a two bedroom for about that much.

[skiffrace]

There is a mix of good and bad news, but I think mostly good news for you.

First, the bad. The areas you mentioned tend to have higher crime than where you currently live (Tigard). However, "high crime" is a relative statement, high crime area for Portland would be called a very safe place in Atlanta or Detroit. Parts of Gresham, along with parts of North Portland, are the "bad" parts of town. Fairview and Wood Village are near by, and so suffer a bit of a spillover effect. Follow common-sense precautions and you should be fine. Try to stay to the far north or east of the area, as you go south and west, the neighborhoods get worse. Don't rent the cheapest place you can find, go a bit upscale and you should be able to find a nice and safe apartment for ~1 to 1.1K

Second, the weather tends to be a little harsher. Fairview and Wood Village are the gateways to the Columbia Gorge, and tend to be a little colder and a lot windier than the rest of PDX metro area. The combined windchill factor may occasionally make for a day much chillier than what the thermometer shows.

Now, on to the good news. Those areas are among the most affordable in PDX metro, both when it comes to renting and buying a house. If fact, the cheap apartments somehow contribute to higher crime rate. Again, if you act safely, it should not affect you.
Shopping is good. There is a mall (forgot its name) in Wood Village, outlet stores and Walmart. Gas is cheaper than elsewhere .

Finally, it's an exceptionally beautiful part of town. As I said, the Columbia Gorge, one of the most beautiful places in the entire US, starts just next door. You can drive to Multnomah Falls in 20 minutes! If you haven't been there, its the first place to visit.
The Sandy River is the favorite swimming hole for many in the area. The mighty Columbia river is the star of the show there, though. Fairview has a big, elaborate boat ramp at Chinook Landing Marine Park. There are plans to bring USS Ranger to anchor it as a museum in Troutdale (which I find ridiculous-a hulky piece of military junk completely out of character in the area)

Also, I'd say forget about trying to commute there from Tigard, by bus, max, car or any other mean of transportation (unless you get a private airplane ;-). You will waste your life away in transit. Commute to NW Portland should be doable, though a little long. 77 bus goes directly from Troutdale to NW Portland. Car commute on the always clogged I-84 would be very unpleasant and costly in term of gas $.

[bler144]

On the whole I'd say skiff's assessment is quite good. Though I'd probably be even more skeptical about the commute to NW pdx if you're having to do it in rush hour.

You could also potentially look at Troutdale or Interlachen, though prices in the latter seem to run higher. In Fairview/Wood Village the crime maps generally suggest (not surprisingly) that crime is higher right on the major corridors - Halsey, Glisan, 223rd, but pretty safe a few blocks in. In Troutdale you might get a house in that range (though utilities are often excluded).

The farther into Gresham you go the harder it's going to be to commute out, but if you stay north/northeast you'll generally be in safe neighborhoods and still have decent access to I-84. Getting in/out of Gresham along Division/Powell is often slow.

Look on Yelp or padmapper and make extensive use of CrimeMapper.

[princessgrace79]

I would avoid Gresham, but WV and Fairview are rather pretty and not sketchy, if a bit rural for my tastes.