Moving to Portland (Newberg, Forest Grove, Canby: best cities, apartment, rent)

[Tyler14536]

Hello I’m looking for a nice city to move that’s far away from my hometown my current job pays me about 1800 a week and they are more than willing to move me to the Portland area , I was wonder should I have 10k in my bank account before I move or since I’d be working would 5k work and should I sell my car. I’m thinking of moving late 2023 or early 2024

[StealthRabbit]

$5k should work if you have a guaranteed job (rent, deposits, utilities, incidentals...). $10k is better, but not essential.
Sell the car if it's not a keeper, or has ever lived in a rust belt region. Check for replacement transportation or replacement car and parking costs, as keeping a paid off car may be cheaper than buying a replacement.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

It would be difficult to live in Portland without a car. Whether or not you want to bring the car you already have would depend upon the condition of the car and how far you are moving from.

The more money that you can have in savings the better. Much better to have a large emergency cushion than a small one.

[ejisme]

I assume you are single and not worried about moving your wife and/or kids. More savings is better than less, especially if you'll be buying a car when you get up to the Portland area. Think about the mechanical shape, age and mileage on your current car. If you think it has 2-3 years of mostly repair free driving left, then bring it. If you are limping it along, then sell it and get something newer/better. You can expect rent to be somewhere near $1500 for a one bedroom apartment that you'd want to live in.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

It would be difficult to live in Portland without a car. Whether or not you want to bring the car you already have would depend upon the condition of the car and how far you are moving from.

The more money that you can have in savings the better. Much better to have a large emergency cushion than a small one.

Why? Portland has an excellent bus and light rail system. It ranks extremely high on almost every list of cities to live in without a car.

2023’s Best Cities to Live Without a Car

1 San Francisco, CA 71.39
2 Boston, MA 61.74
3 Washington, DC 61.40
4 New York, NY 60.63
5 Seattle, WA 59.13
6 Portland, OR 58.54

2023’s Best Cities to Live Without a Car

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Why? Portland has an excellent bus and light rail system. It ranks extremely high on almost every list of cities to live in without a car.



2023’s Best Cities to Live Without a Car

True... when much younger, and I'm guessing near OP's age, I went nearly two years without a car in the Portland area. I took Tri-met everywhere, and just bought a monthly pass, so on and off anytime, anywhere.

Now, If you live in the far outer suburbs that would be tough. Think Newberg, Canby, Estacada, Forest Grove, etc. and it would be tough. Inner suburbs would be very doable for a year or so as you save money for bigger and better things.

[pathrunner]

I was living in Ladd's Addition (inner SE) and attending Marylhurst University 15 years ago. It would have cost me $3.75 each way and over an hour of travel by bus. 20 minutes by car with a fuel efficient vehicle. A no brainer. The money wasn't as much an issue as the bus ride and waiting to transfer. Not to mention the walking with computer and books.

I agree though that it is doable to be without a car in Portland. Make sure your home is near a bus or light rail line.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

I was living in Ladd's Addition (inner SE) and attending Marylhurst University 15 years ago. It would have cost me $3.75 each way and over an hour of travel by bus. 20 minutes by car with a fuel efficient vehicle. A no brainer. The money wasn't as much an issue as the bus ride and waiting to transfer. Not to mention the walking with computer and books.

I agree though that it is doable to be without a car in Portland. Make sure your home is near a bus or light rail line.

I had to look this up; never heard of it. Founded and operated by a religious order, focussing apparently on older students returning to college or wanting to do graduate work. Closed in 2020, proposing a deal by which some of the campus would be preserved as open space, while some of the buildings would be converted to affordable housing for public servants and employees of the adjacent senior housing facility. Beautiful campus! The (former) owners seem to be a progressive bunch.

https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/05/1...dable-housing/


Portland's Concordia College also closed in the last few years, a casualty of falling enrollments and growing fiscal gap for small private colleges.

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

I was living in Ladd's Addition (inner SE) and attending Marylhurst University 15 years ago. It would have cost me $3.75 each way and over an hour of travel by bus. 20 minutes by car with a fuel efficient vehicle. A no brainer. The money wasn't as much an issue as the bus ride and waiting to transfer. Not to mention the walking with computer and books.

I agree though that it is doable to be without a car in Portland. Make sure your home is near a bus or light rail line.

That's not exactly what I would call an easy commute. I'd guess you had one or two transfers to get out out Marylhurst. If you could have gone to Warner Pacific or even Portland State, I'm sure that bus ride would have been much simpler and quicker. Hence why posts above suggest finding your living location close to your work location.

Side note: Way back when I learned to swim at Marylhurst College when I was six. Then played a lot of tennis there in middle and high school. We had a summer time coach that was a nun and would come by and pick us up for practice in her car.

[pathrunner]

I went to Warner Pacific initially. Was not happy. I transferred quickly to Marylhurst, but should have gone to PSU.