I want access to the good health care, airports, and cultural opportunities that come with the cities and also because I want access to good walking and hiking.
How much can landlords increase rent per year in Washington and Oregon? For a renter like me, that would be good to know. I was under the impression that rent control was illegal in Washington and that there is a modest form of rent control in Oregon, but I guess I got that wrong.
Thanks! I'm going to check out Vancouver while in Portland. Can you recommend any neighborhood that would be walking distance to a good, safe walking trail? Anywhere to go to get a good sense of what it is like to live in Vancouver?
You mention shopping in Portland, but is it a hassle to get into the city? Is there good public transportation? How often do people really go into Portland from Vancouver to shop? I'm trying to get a sense of how Vancouver compares to someplace like Beaverton, aside from taxes.
....I lived in a very foggy part of San Francisco and it didn't bother me. I hope that living in drizzle and overcast skies will be fine. Overcast skies won't bother me. If the rain prevents me from getting out and walking, then that might be a bit of a concern. I think I'd definitely prefer gray and drizzle to someplace like Florida or someplace with lots of snow. I love the San Francisco area, but it is out of my price range.
I'm interested in knowing the weather differences between the Portland area and Seattle area. Not just rain and clouds, but also summer heat.
Thanks! Can you think of any particular neighborhoods in Beaverton/Hillsboro or any of the other Portland suburbs that are walking distance to walking trails where it would be safe for a woman to walk alone during the day?
Aside from the IT factor, can you give me a sense of the main differences between Beaverton/Hillsboro and other suburbs like West Linn and Oswego? What about Tigard?
NomDeER, I live in Portland (Grant Park neighborhood), grew up in the SF Bay Area, am a single woman, like to walk and also do cultural things. So here's my $.02, sort of in the order of some of your questions/comments.
The PDX airport is a gem, convenient & easy to get to on the MAX, with pretty good array of flights. Lots of healthcare options as others have mentioned, including "alternative" practitioners. There are colleges here for naturopathy, chiropractic care, and traditional Chinese medicine. Very easy to find an acupuncturist
The cultural activities are numerous and varied. Whatever interests you, you can probably find here. Prices seem fairly reasonable compared to other big cities. I think Portland's cultural strength is in the smaller, quirky artists and venues. Things like the live audience show "Livewire!" (heard on NPR), the innovative dance/acrobatic troupe DoJump!, and the many small theater companies and music series (Chamber Music NW, Pickathon). I go to and enjoy sooo many more cultural things here than I ever imagined I would, in part because they're so accessible.
Re: walking, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Forest Park. It's another gem. 5k acres and 80 miles of trails. If you're on the west side of town it's very close (walking distance from some parts). Otherwise it's still very easy to get to. When it was 100+ degrees here last summer it offered a welcoming cooler refuge among the old growth trees. There are also lots of urban walks (e.g. Mt. Tabor, waterfront park). Walking around the various neighborhoods can be fun too. And of course there's Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Coast Range, etc. within easy driving distance.
Beaverton could be a nice place to live IMO -- definitely cheaper -- but it's much more suburban. Harder to get to places without a car. Notably fewer sidewalks. The new Patricia Reser Center for the Arts is great though.
Re: sidewalks, in Portland proper there's a cultural difference between the east side and much of the west side (outside of downtown and Nob Hill district). The west side is more suburban feeling (definitely hillier!), with bigger lots. Someone once told me she chose to live there because she didn't want to look out her window and see neighbors. She may have been an extreme case, but there's definitely a different vibe than on the east side. And recently there was a multi-year NIMBY fight about what side of the street to put a sidewalk so people could walk to the nearby library without going into the street. That tells you something. Personally, I prefer the east side
I can live mostly car-free and get around by foot, bike or transit. That bodes well for being able to age in place.
Re: other suburbs, West Linn and Lake Oswego are fairly upscale, as another poster noted. You might be able to find relative bargains there for apartments, since many younger folks want to be closer to PDX and there's not tons of industries/businesses there, unlike Beaverton/Hillsboro. A friend once rented a 2BR place in a 1960's era building just south of downtown Lake Oswego that overlooked a creek. It was really lovely and much cheaper than anything comparable in Portland. Lake Oswego has a cute downtown, but otherwise these towns are pretty spread out. Remind me of Orinda/Moraga in the Bay Area. Beaverton/Hillsboro is more akin to Walnut Creek. Don't know much about Tigard as a place to live. Seems to be a mostly houses and strip malls when I've driven through.
Vancouver WA is very suburban, though there's an older part near downtown. Some nice amenities have been added in recent years (Confluence Project trail, Esther Short Park), but there's not nearly as much in the way of culture vs PDX (IMO anyway). I also believe it leans more red than blue politically, in case that matters. Public transport to/from Portland is not great, mostly buses aimed at commuters. There are two big shopping centers in OR just across the river, where people shop at Home Depot, Lowes, IKEA, BestBuy, Target, Marshall's, etc. My sense is for day-to-day stuff folks shop closer to home (maybe a Vancouverite will chime in).
Rent control is a hot topic. In Oregon there is state-wide rent control of 7% plus the west coast CPI. So this year the allowable increase was close to 15% I think. But many landlords will not increase by that much (I for one). Portland is a special case, with more complicated rules and a lower allowable annual increase.
If you didn't mind the fog in SF you will be fine with the gray skies in the PNW
Personally I don't like fog, but the changeable gray skies here I find beautiful. Reminds me of Ireland, especially in spring/fall -- "if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes". Weather forecasts talks of "sun breaks". And the rain doesn't stop people here from getting outdoors. Seems to me it rains more at night and less in the daytime here than in CA. People just put on a jacket with a hood and they're good. I never use an umbrella here. Portland is 90 minutes inland so gets a bit warmer in summer than Seattle, and slightly more humid. Quite tolerable though, compared to much of the US. Although more people are getting AC units after last year's record 112 degrees. As a result of that heat wave, landlords can no longer ban tenants from having their own AC units. Personally I love having four seasons.
If you want to know more (!), I'm happy to discuss offline. Feel free to PM me. You're wise to make a researched, informed decision. Moving to a new place is a big change. Good luck!