Is Lents safe for single mom? Good investment? First-time home buyer. (Portland: appointed, crime)

[ThanksABunch]

My realtor is about to take me to see some homes there this week but just curious how safe it is over there these days? Safety is a big priority for me but I also need to live fairly close in for schools and job...so I feel a little like I don't have a lot of options in my price range.

Would love to hear from folks living around there who can offer first-hand knowledge.

Thanks

[Nell Plotts]

I don't live around there but Lent's doesn't have the best reputation. Have you looked at Milwaukie or east of I-205?

[ThanksABunch]

What are some nice areas east of 205? A few suggestions?

[AndyAMG]

Drive around Lents. Use Google street view. See what you think. Some people think it's great. Some people think Montavilla is great. I think anything near 82nd is garbage, personally. Check out the crime mapper. Make an informed decision. All people around here can do is tell you our personal perception.


For instance, my neighborhood in Milwaukie has had 2 home invasions is 2 years. Is the neighborhood still safe?

[EasyBeezy]

The city is doing everything it can to improve Lents, including creating some sort of urban renewal district, putting up fancy signs and of course the MAX runs right through there. There's a decent farmers market on weekends and I think a brewery is opening there soon. However, its reputation is still less than great. my friends bought a home there 10 years ago and are disappointed at its lack of appreciation in what is a very hot market. You can get a cheap house there for sure, but its not like formerly cheap Milwaukie and Montavilla in that it isn't on the verge of some sort of renaissance. As for safety, everywhere in Portland is safe compared to many other places in the US. Lents, like the rest of Portland, has a healthy population of roaming homeless and sketchy dudes. I don't know if that makes it unsafe, or just unattractive.

[SETabor]

The brewery has already opened up. I think the city finally got a deal with the New Silver Nickel so things may actually be happening there. The farmer's market is okay but since it's on Sunday, I prefer it. It really depends on where in Lents you're talking. I would stay at least 1 - 2 blocks off 82nd and would be wary of any houses front Lents Park. There are a lot of homeless at the park which means a lot of transient traffic to and from there.

[Smitty211]

The transient traffic is indeed heavy around Lents Park. But the old baseball field in the park (Walker Stadium) is undergoing extensive renovations and will be home to a brand new college-level wood bat baseball team this summer (the Portland Pickles). The homeless population will not disappear, but it very well could dwindle once the place becomes a greater hub of activity. From my (admittedly little, so far) experiences around Lents Park, the homeless are not of the aggressive sort.

So, with the brewery and the baseball team highlighting the neighborhood's gentrification, I'd say Lents is heading in the right direction.

[moredogsplz]

Originally Posted by ThanksABunch

My realtor is about to take me to see some homes there this week but just curious how safe it is over there these days? Safety is a big priority for me but I also need to live fairly close in for schools and job...so I feel a little like I don't have a lot of options in my price range.

Would love to hear from folks living around there who can offer first-hand knowledge.

Thanks

I moved into the Lents area. I have family which moved here around 10 years ago. Their streets have a serious neighborhood watch. Ten years ago they were "suggesting", that the meth & heroin junkies move along. Their streets are safe enough for the children. There are 2 dicey rooming houses on Holgate & (I think) 100th (one of them is yellow), otherwise there are just normal families. The neighborhood population is older white people who have lived here for years, younger startup families both white and latino. It's a good mix. Neighbors are friendly in the non-intrusive Portland way.

Have you looked around Ed Benedict Park? On weekends during the summer many latino families from the neighborhood gather, picnic, and have soccer matches. The skateboard ramp is busy in all but the worst weather. Unlike many places, you don't see small plastic ziploc bags littlering where the kids gather. No empty beer bottles or cigarette butts either. There's a kiddie playground setup in the section where soccer is played. Across the dividing road is a basketball court which also gets busy, as well as a playground setup for older children. Cross another dividing road and there's a landscaped area called The Memory Garden. Alongside that is a community garden.

I haven't seen any situation which made me feel unsafe. The worst I've seen was peoples' mail strewn on the ground, several houses away from the actual addressee (twice). One house was located near the yellow rooming house. So maybe at the worst, you might want to get a locking mailbox or a door slot?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I used to live in the Lents area and felt is was fairly unsafe. Drugs, gangs... less safe for kids. That said, there are a few small pockets that seem OK.

[sergeim105]

Foster Powell, or Mount Scott Arleta would be a better alternative if you can afford the price difference. Anywhere west of 72nd especially is attractive north or south of Foster. Lots of new businesses are showing up and the area is appreciating rapidly. There is also a new mass transit option being floated to be built by 2020 along Powell that will make getting to downtown much faster.

From what I can tell Lents is starting to get nicer, but I expect it is still 5 years from turning the corner to where it will be a more desirable area. There are many planned developments over the coming 3 years that I expect will help - see NextPortland.com