Moving from Denmark to Portland, OR

[laladias]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I (and our small dog) will be moving from Denmark to Portland in a couple of months.

We're both mid 30's and have no children. We're having a hard time in finding THE perfect place to live (renting a home or an apartment) because we have absolutely no idea where we would fit best. We would like to like in a safe and clean area, not much into suburbs or "old people's" quarter.

My idea is to live within the city area, and because I'll be a "staying at home wife" I think it's important to me to be close to a lively area. We're not into going out for partying etc, but we're definitely into cafes, going out for dinner or for a beer in a pub or listening to some live music.

What are your experience with different neighborhoods?

Another thing - we know anybody there - how friendly, open are people in Portland? Is it easy to get to know them?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[twostep]

Check in an extended stay hotel for a week or two (cheaper plus cooking facilities but make sure your dog is welcome) and explore Portland a bit. Check traffic during your husband's commute hours and take it into consideration. Budget will be a factor.
There are some self-imposed over 50 communities in FL but I have not seen the elderly being locked away in other places:>) You will find that Americans are dragging kids and old folks around everywhere they go.

[laladias]

Nothing against the children or elderly - i just don't want to live in a neighborhood that nothing happens :-)

[bbgee]

Hello - I am more than happy to offer up some suggestions.

If you email me your email address I would be more than happy to provide useful streets to create an ideal boundary, fun hip streets you might want to live close to (if you like cafes, restaurants and whatnot), information on neighborhoods and more. Portland is a great city and the people are very welcoming.

Thanks!
Bethany

[laladias]

Hi Bethany - thanks for your offer. Appreciated!

If you don't mind, I'd rather keep this conversation here in the forum, so that other people can benefit from your help.

[bbgee]

Portland is divided into 4 quadrants based upon direction: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast. There is also a little “wing” north of NE simply referred to as “North Portland” or “St John’s” area. A basic breakdown of the quadrants:

Northwest: This is directly downtown and includes the neighborhoods The Pearl District (expensive, apartment-based), Chinatown (sketchy at night, clubs and bars), the Alphabet District (because the streets are alphabetical from ‘B’ Burnside to ‘V’ Vaughn). This is a trendy popular area in NW. Not great for parking, walking distance to downtown, apartment-based (can find good deals for a 1 bedroom). In the Alphabet district is the trendy 23rd Ave with many cafes, a select range of restaurants and shops. 21st is similar but not nearly as popular for shopping. The further west you go, the close you are to Forest Park – the largest park within city limits, great for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and walking.

Southwest: The downtown section is condensed and has the taller buildings / restaurants / shops / theaters / etc. Apartments would be expensive. Also here is Portland State University with student housing. The further SW you go, the more residential it becomes. It starts to wind into Marquam Park. Commuting can be haphazard here at times. The South Waterfront typically has nice new apartments for rent / lease / purchase but there’s a price tag associated with them.

Southeast: Major “hip” streets are Hawthorne and Belmont. Division is probably the most southward you want to go unless you decided to live in Sellwood. Sellwood is a neighborhood a bit further south of Portland but is still relatively close for commuting and rent can be cheaper. The Sellwood neighborhood has mainly houses and has popular restaurants, cafes and shops. Sellwood has a small town feel right outside of Portland. Hawthorne is a busy street and is surrounded by residential neighborhoods – very busy, tons of restaurants and second hand / new stores. If you live in this area, I recommend living a street or two away from Hawthorne to escape the business and noise of it. Division is a trendy little area that is up and coming. Super cute, mainly houses though you could find some apartment buildings too. Belmont is quieter than Hawthorne and still offers up a lot. Mainly apartment buildings directly on / around Belmont but houses could be for rent here too. Ladds Addition, a spoke-design neighborhood is very nice and more expensive than the rest.

Northeast: North and South are defined primarily by Burnside or the I-84 interstate. North of I-84 is Northeast. Mainly neighborhoods, houses, some apartment buildings. Broadway hosts many businesses and just north are a plethora of apartment buildings. Alberta Arts District is another up and coming neighborhood featuring local artist shops, coffee shops and the famous “Last Thursday” festivals during the summer. Killingsworth is a busy street with neighborhoods all around it. Dekum area is residential but nice. Housing costs range significantly. You will pay less to live nearer to busy main thoroughfare streets like MLK, Broadway, Killingsworth – but you’d still have the perks of living close in. NE also has Mississippi Ave, Williams and Vancouver (major bike routes) with many shops, cafes and restaurants. They are very trendy – Mississippi might be more expensive but if you can find a place a few blocks away from the main street, rent would drop.

North Portland / St Johns Area: As you head further north, you enter into North Portland. Do not live on Lombard. It is a busy hectic street. There can be some nice neighborhoods in North Portland but you will be somewhat further removed from the easy commuting and downtown. The yellow Max line runs all the way north however and provides easy commuting into downtown.


If you want to remain relatively close within Portland (i.e. “close-in” as we say), then I would look:
No further east than around 50th Ave… there are some nice areas beyond the 50’s. Mt Tabor area is nice but if you are not looking to drive into work, the commute could be more lengthy.
No further south than Powell (I would say Division, but a few blocks south of Division is still near).
No further north than St Johns Area (if you really want close-in, no further north than Dekum St)
No further west than 23rd (past 23rd you start driving out to the suburbs).

For your situation (30’s, active, no kids), I would recommend looking nearby the following streets:
Alberta
Belmont
Mississippi
21st or 23rd / NW
Fremont & 40th area
Fremont & 15th area
North Williams

I hope this helps! Be sure if you are looking in craigslist to stay within Multnomah county. If you have further questions or have a particular place you are looking at, I’d be happy to offer up my 2 cents.

Good luck!

[laladias]

*OH MY GOD* Bethany, you're a lifesaver!
Thanks so much for the extensive and valuable information.
I'll sketch out the places you pointed out in a printed map tomorrow, so I can better get acquaintted to the area.

I am looking daily at Craigslist and have found a few places interesting - however, kind of hard to judge it from across the ocean!

I'll probably have to fly in sometime soon...

Thanks again for your help!

[bbgee]

No problem! Happy to help out.

Since you're looking at Craigslist, here's a few things to look for:

The higher the address number (i.e. 11440) the further out it goes. Anything under 9000 is better.
Beaverton, Gresham, St Helens, Tigard, Happy Valley and “NW Hills” are all areas outside of Portland… too far for what I think you’re looking for.
Anything over 60th street (i.e. 148th, 122nd, 121st ave) are all far out and in sketchy areas. 82nd is a notoriously sketchy strip of road. Avoid.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions - I know how hard it can be to move blindly!

[twostep]

Thank you so much for coming to the rescue!!!

[Retired-Veteran]

Don't forget to use Google Map to find the place that your looking to live.

Then zoom into the map and use "Street View" you then will see photos of the street and area. Almost every road in Portland has a close up street view.

If you don't know what that is Google paid a company to drive down "every road" (most of America) and photograph 360 degrees.

I use it all the time to see where I'm going and what to expect when I get there. Google "Street View" to see what I'm talking about or go right to Google map and look for your new home.

On Google Map you see a little yellow man under the navigation wheel (Top Left) of map. Put your mouse on him hold down right click and drag him to the street you like to see. It will zoom in to that street and show you a photograph of the street.

Cheers