Oregon Info

[xrated]

Wife and I are kicking around the idea of thinking about making a move in life.

Her grandparents live in Portland, so for obvious reasons we would like to be close, but as I recall it is about a 10% cost of living increase from here in MN.

Anybody that lives in Portland or right around there care to share some costs? What seems to be average for a 3-4 bedroom? What does heating/cooling look like, as well as other utilities?

Is it cheaper in small surrounding towns? I'm the bread winner and wouldn't mind a 30 minute drive into work if it's cheaper living?

What about other parts of the state?

What about good areas for raising kids? We have 3 from 1 year to almost 6.

 

[chelseym]

I lived 2 yrs in Portland for college and we had a 2 bed 2 bath apt. about 3 miles from downtown and when you add in all the expenses we were paying around $1,000 a month. I personally like eastern oregon more but thats where I was raised...lots better riding over that direction to. I think you can find some great deals in the surrounding Portland area right now.

 

[xrated]

I lived 2 yrs in Portland for college and we had a 2 bed 2 bath apt. about 3 miles from downtown and when you add in all the expenses we were paying around $1,000 a month. I personally like eastern oregon more but thats where I was raised...lots better riding over that direction to. I think you can find some great deals in the surrounding Portland area right now.

That's not bad assuming close to downtown is a desired area so the price isn't ghetto low. that would be less then our mortgage payment....something to keep in mind when talking it over for sure. I gotta assume houses further out weren't to bad either.

 

[donaldej]

Guess it really depends on what you do for a living and how easy it is to get a job.
Portland is fairly expensive but i have no numbers for you, i'm sure you can find them on line.
There paying people to take houses in Bend LOL Ok not quite but home values have almost cut in half over the last couple of years. But the down side is lack of jobs.
I would use job search and see what is available. If you snowmobile a lot your going to want to be N, NE, E, SE of Portland.
If you have to be right around Portland I would think Oregon City, close to Mt Hood and has a Cat dealer.

 

[chelseym]

Yeah I have friends in Oregon City and I like it there...you are close to pretty much everything. And yes Bend is dirt cheap right now as far as houses go so if you can find a job there you are 3 hrs from Portland and way better riding over that way.

 

[darkeyes]

We live in SW Washington (Camas), about 20 miles NE of Portland, and we both commute to work downtown. Housing is definitely cheaper further out, generally speaking, and I have heard positive comments from friends who have kids in the local elementary schools. No personal experience on the school thing, though.

It takes us about 1.5 hours to get to some great mountain riding.

 

[xrated]

We live in SW Washington (Camas), about 20 miles NE of Portland, and we both commute to work downtown. Housing is definitely cheaper further out, generally speaking, and I have heard positive comments from friends who have kids in the local elementary schools. No personal experience on the school thing, though.

It takes us about 1.5 hours to get to some great mountain riding.

How long is the commute to downtown?

 

[Twostroke]

I don't know how people live in the Portland metro area, horrid traffic and a long drive to enjoy yourself, i guess maybe if you are into night life it'd be ideal.

At least two hours to snowmobile...Mt.Hood included unless your on the road before 7am and only trail riding up there.

Just my opinion though

 

[Oregongirl]

I moved out of the Portland/Metro area 2 years ago after living there for over 15 years.

How long your commute will take depends on where you live and where you work.

If you are looking to get to the mountains for sledding, I would recommend staying away from the anything further west than Beaverton (ie Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Aloha). The primary hwy (26) to access that part of the metro area is constantly under construction and traffic has only gotten contiously worse over the past decade. It'll add an hour (or more) to your travel time just to get across Portland and "out of town".

In 2004 I rented a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment for $780 with a year lease. I'm not sure what rentals are like in today's economy. We apparently have lower utility costs than other areas of the country because we live close to the source.

In terms of schools for your kids - it depends again where you live and the schools in the area. The Portland school district has had some bad press over their schools over the years. My daughter attended private school - and we lived in the Beaverton SD and then the Hillsboro SD.

Sledding - thanks to a new Wilderness at Mt Hood, there isn't much except trails to ride there. Mt Adams and Mt St Helen's - to the north and east in Washington. To the south - in Oregon - there is good riding in the Oregon Cascades from HooDoo to the California border. Some places are better, some places are more crowded than others, and all riding areas are conditional based on snowfall. You can expect to drive at least 1.5 hours to any good riding from Portland.

 

[m7cat]

The big question is what do you do for a living and do you need to be in the Portland area or is a 2-3-4 hour drive to the relatives close enough. Lots of oppertunity depending on occupation and how close you want to be.

 

[BossRev]

How long is the commute to downtown?

After living the last 5 months in Oregon and traveling from longview Wa, to Roseburg Or. and everywhere in between I can say this.

Portland traffic both south bound toward salem and north bound towards Vancouver Wa is as bad as I have ever seen. Portland has out grown it's
freeways. You could be 5 miles from the airport and it can take you over an 1hr. to get there and that is in good weather and with no accidents.
Add a pile up and you better just shut off your motor.

I was living on the Willamette River and paying $1000.00 per month for a 1300 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment.

Oregon has an Amazing Coast, beautiful and very clean beaches.

The Thai place and the blackfish cafe in Lincoln Beach has the best food EVER!! And when you ask for a double shot of crown they pour you a quadruple.

Not being able to pump your own gas sucks!

Your Kids will have fun at the O.M.S.I and the Willamette jet boat tour is a blast. Good Single track out near Bend and Sun River...

Big Foot isn't real he's just a moss covered tree swaying in the wind.

 

[Oregongirl]

Oh - the metro area has a FANTASTIC public transportation system. If you end up working downtown Portland, I would recommend taking advantage of it.....from any direction. It's one sure way to avoid getting pissed off by sitting on the interstate.

 

[xrated]

The big question is what do you do for a living and do you need to be in the Portland area or is a 2-3-4 hour drive to the relatives close enough. Lots of oppertunity depending on occupation and how close you want to be.

I work as an x-ray tech, so no Portland isn't a must...but it has the most hospitals so most likely the most jobs and best security.

For me being 3 or 4 hours away isn't bad.

As fro driving to snow, chit 1.5 is nothing, I gotta drive 4 to trail ride here in MN to my lake place and 6 to the UP of MI to get powder and off trail.

As for the commute, yeah I have heard the traffic sucks...it does no matter the big city. But I am not opposed to public transit.

Need the wife to tell me more of what she is thinking and then talk with her aunt who had her kids in Portland and works with kids in the court system all day, so she would know the schools.

 

[volcano buster]

Do you have any professional monthly's that post job ads in your field for the Oregon area? There are plenty of hospitals and teaching colleges so I wouldn't focus only on PDX. Personally, you couldn't get me to live there anyway.

I'm from Idaho and miss the riding there, but if you know where to look, the riding in Oregon can be as challenging as you want it to be. But, if you are used to bar hopping from town to town on a sled, you might get thirsty trying.

 

[m8inthemtns]

I am born and raised in Portland. Live about 1/2 hr. south in Sherwood. The metro area has it all, including traffic but pails in comparison to Seattle for traffic. It does make it a trip if you want to go for a day ride, but we do it quite often. Keep us posted and let us know where you land.

 

[duc848]

I have been in Portland now for 5 years. It is the best place I have ever lived and don't see myself moving anytime soon. All the talk about traffic really depends on where you live. The worst traffic is 26 into and out of the city to the west of downtown. I personally don't venture going over that hill into the suburbs EVER. I can get from my house in close in NE Portland to Mt Adams in 1.5 hours and be unloading.

Portland actually is very small in comparison to other west coast cities. The food is amazing, the music scene is amazing.

I highly recommend Portland to anyone.

 

[pigbristles]

Live in southern oregon and drive the 2+ houres to see grandma. Medford or Klamath Falls areas. The east side is less crowded. Great ridding down here. Jim