Job offer in Portland!

Sockeye · 05-30-2001, 04:19 AM

I live in Puget Sound region and have a job offer in Portland.Where would be a good location to locate to. Good schools good neighborhood etc approx 30-40 min from Portland. I am an outdoors type of person who likes to hunt and fish and collect shellfish. Where do you fish for salmon in the salt? What kind of hunting could I expect? I sure am spoiled having all of puget sound and lake wash to run around in. Whats it like around Lake Oswego? Thanks for any info!!

Thumper · 05-30-2001, 04:21 AM

Not Vancouver! Terrible place. Overrun with gangs. Terrible schools. No fishing. Bad idea.

mikewells · 05-30-2001, 06:02 AM

Might want to check out Tigard. My son has done well in the schools. Has small town feel. Lake Oswego; too expensive, snobby, schools not as good as some people think (we lived there for 4 years). Tigard is close to I-5 and 10min to downtown Portland (during lite trafic), 15min to Oregon city for salmon steelhead shad etc.

bajaspecial · 05-30-2001, 06:26 AM

TIGARD RULES!

Hawgwash · 05-30-2001, 07:05 AM

Sockeye:

Where do you live in the Puget Sound Area. I've lived in both Seattle and Portland for 10 years each. Maybe I can suggest a place or two similar to your current neighborhood? (assuming you like it!)

I like the Portland area much better for raising kids. More relaxed, less traffic and easier to get to the beach, mountains and high dessert. Good luck. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Killertraylor · 05-30-2001, 07:09 AM

You should take a real serious look at the Scappoose/St. Helens area. It's about 20 miles northwest of Portland on Hiway 30. I've lived in NE Portland for 5 years now and I'm looking out in the St. Helens area to move. You would be no more than 25 minutes from downtown, and traffic is still good on Hiway 30. (Commuting to Portland from Tigard or Oregon City is a real pain in the you know what) You would be no more than 5 minutes from the Multnomah channel for good springer fishing, and you would also be 5 minutes from the Mainstem of the Columbia - sturgeon, salmon, steelhead, shad, etc. Also - and I think this is the best part, you are just a little more than an hour from the coast. On Friday afternoons when it takes everyone on I-5 an hour to get out of town, you'd be 3/4 of the way to Astoria for Sturgeon/Salmon fishing at the mouth of the Columbia, Razor clam digging on Long Beach, Wa. or on the Oregon beaches, etc. You could move to Beaverton or Hillsboro and be just as close to the coast, but you'd be looking at an hour commute most days on Hwy. 26. If you are looking for new homes, there are a lot of "Spec. homes" going up in the St. Helens area and you can buy 30% more home for your money out there - and nobody cares if you have a boat in your driveway - the CC&R's in most new Tigard communities don't allow you to even have a boat [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Sockeye · 05-30-2001, 07:30 AM

I live now in the Kent area so I'm not far from anything. Greenwater for shooten, creek fishen or 15-20 min to the sound. What about the Troutlake area? I have two girls one in grade school and the other in high school. I really like where we are now. We may have to come down and look around so just trying to get an idea from you guys on what areas to check out. Thanks so much for all your imput.

OR Coast Range · 05-30-2001, 07:41 AM

It doesn't really matter where you move to. If you live on the west side, you've got easy access to the Wilson, Nehalem, and other coastal rivers. If you live on the eastside you've got easy access to glacial rivers like the Sandy and the Clack. One upside to the eastside is that you're closer to some of the high elevation lakes on Mt. Hood, but a drawback is that you are that much farther from the coast.

I just moved back here after spending some time in Southern OR and CA and I hope I never have to move away again!

finclipped · 05-30-2001, 07:48 AM

Vancouver has a small town feel and less traffic than any place across the bridge. The commute to downtown Portland is anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on how close you are to the Columbia. I don't know much about the schools, but I have heard they are good. Vancouver is close to lots of fishing, and has reasonable housing prices. Its also one of the fastest growing places in the country, so its had its share of growing pains. Portland has the urban growth boundary that has forced more people into less space. The result is expensive land prices and new houses are built very close to each other. I lived in Portland and Beaverton/Tigard for 4 years and hated every minute of it. But if you compare it to Seattle, Portland looks small.

Tanner · 05-30-2001, 08:02 AM

Sockeye,
I live in Lake Oswego and have a better part of my life. It is a beautiful area. Don't let Mike Wells lead you stray. We are in the Palisades grade school district which is rated one of the top in the state. My oldest son has some learning disabilities, and they have done an excellent job accomidating him. In fact, I have never seen a school take so much interest in making sure it's students are getting a good education. Parental involvement is very high at our school which definitely contributes to it's success.
As far as houses go, Lake Oswego is a little more expensive, but the quality of life is also a little higher. We really don't have any problems with gangs and very little crime, although,you can't completely escape that anywhere. You can get a pretty nice house in my area of Lake Oswego for around 185,000 - 225,000.00

As far as snobs go. You will find as many snobs in Tigard as you do in Lake Oswego. There are many people like me that live there, people who live pretty simple lives, like to fish, hunt, boat etc. The majority of our neighbors are very nice people just trying to get along with each other.
What I have found is that usually the people who label areas as snobby have a hard time getting a long with other people or are just plain jealous.

I drive through Tigard all the time and do a lot of work out there.It is a nice area, but it definitely has it's problems with gangs and such. Beaverton used to be a nice area, but now it is a traffic nightmare all the time. Wilsonville and West Linn are both very nice areas that are very comparable to Lake Oswego.

If you have any more questions about the area feel free to e-mail me.

Congratulations and good luck.

Hawgwash · 05-30-2001, 10:15 AM

I too live in Lake Oswego and echo Tanners comments. I have two boys in gradeschool at Uplands and am very glad they are there.

There are snobs everywhere and your neighborhood is what YOU make it!

I'd move somewhere close to your new job to avoid any traffic woes, hwys 26, 84, 217 and I-5 all have their bad times and days. Nothing like 405 up north however at rush hour!

Good luck and feel free to email me as well with any questions. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Fish Hunter · 05-30-2001, 03:21 PM

If it works out...welcome to Heaven Sockeye.
With your interests you'll love it down here.
Just don't let it get out. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

FishinMission · 05-30-2001, 03:24 PM

Anywhere close to PDX is great for fishing..in about 1/2 hour you have it all covered..Sturgeon, Winter/Summer Steelies, Spring Chinook, Coho, Trout, Fall Chinook...it's a gas..I love it here. The only way I'll leave is in a "casket"!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Tinman · 05-30-2001, 03:51 PM

You should be aware of the Urban Growth Boundary that surrounds Portland. Basically, we have a regional government agency (Metro) that prohibits subdivision outside of the Boundary. The net result is that Portland is very compact, with great neighborhoods. But outside the boundary is mostly farmland and open space. In other words, there is not nearly as much urban sprawl as you might otherwise expect. You don't even have to go 30 or 40 minutes to be out of the city and into the country.

Don't rule out living in the City...we routinely get awards for liveabilty. The east side has great public transportation and you can walk to shopping and restaurants. The west side is hilly, and a bit more suburban.

You sound like you like the ocean, so you might want to tend toward the west side and the communities near the coast. Crossing the bar is a big concern here. Tillamook Bay is crossable when calm, and the Columbia Bar is a "manageable terror". I like Depoe Bay, which is a bit south.

Good luck, it's hard to go wrong here. You will love it.

Phish_on · 05-30-2001, 04:48 PM

Depends on where the job is! Consider the commute. If the job is in Portland (downtown) I would look in the city. It is pretty hellish driving in from anywhere. Well not compared to Seattle ... or LA

If the job is in Hillsboro, maybe look for a place even further out ... you'd be well on your way to the coast then.

I thought L.O. was too rich and snobby, also. That really isn't the case - but its too late now! That town has a lot of good stuff going for it ... like rich people who will pay for parks and stuff.

First Bite · 05-30-2001, 09:30 PM

Sockeye
Like it was mentioned above, if you work in downtown Portland, your commute is going to be a challenge...unless you chose to live in the Scappose or St. Helens area. My brother lives there and Hwy 30 is a breeze to get into and out of Portland. You can easily access Cornelius Pass from hwy 30 and it will bring you out on Hwy 26 in about 20 minutes. From there you're 30 minutes to the Wilson or an hour to the coast. Good luck on your search and welcome to Oregon.
Mark

Fishhead · 05-31-2001, 11:39 PM

For my two cents worth try looking at Milwaukie , Gladstone and Oregon city for affordable housing. The Lake Oswego area is a little pricey unless you plan on dumping a bundle. Plus you'll be on the right side of the Willamette to access the Clackamas and the Sandy rivers. Good luck......Fishhead Vic [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Irontrader · 06-01-2001, 10:05 AM

I think it primarily depends on where in the Portland area you'll be working and how much you like commuting.

I work on the southwest edge of downtown Portland and have a 17 mile commute to work. I live outside the urban growth boundry (south of Hillsboro) and it takes me about 30 minutes each way.