What Portland, OR Neighborhoods should I avoid?

Question

Hi. I'm moving to Portland, OR in Jan. and I need some help in picking out an apartment. What are the bad parts of town? What are the good ones? We are looking to spend 600 a month for a 1 bedroom. Can we get somewhere nice for that? Where is the most crime? Any advice is great! Thanks.

Answer 1

West of the Willamette (wuh-LAM-ut) River, it's pretty much all good, but there's good and bad everywhere -- there was a double-murder out in rural Washington County a couple weeks ago, and there are some great neighborhoods in Northeast Portland (the area voted most likely to appear in a news item with a graphic showing a chalk outline :-).

Downtown Portland is gorgeous, but on a very comfortable, human scale; again, west of the Willamette, my favorite part of town is Portland State University which is adjacent to the Park Blocks -- about a ten- or twelve-block stretch of greenery in the middle of downtown. (My oldest is a freshman at PSU.) I would have to think that there is reasonably-priced housing near the college.

Another advantage: a large portion of this part of town is located in an area called Fare-Free Square, because all public transportation is free within that area -- just get on, get where you're going, and get off. This includes buses, the Max light-rail, and the city streetcars. The Max is great, I just wish it came closer to my house -- it's so easy to get around on it once you're in Portland.

At Burnside and 11th is The World's Best Bookstore -- Powell's City of Books. It's a full city block on each side, four stories high, and mostly used books. It's INCREDIBLE. Right behind that is the new Gerding Theater -- new theater in an old building: it's an armory that appears to date from the Civil War days, all renovated inside as the home to Portland Center Stage. (Currently playing on the main stage is a very sharp production of "West Side Stor," which I saw about a month ago; downstairs in the Studio Theater is "I Am My Own Wife," the biography of Charlotte von Mahlsburg, a one-man show starring Portland's prodigy Wade McCollum, to which I have tickets for next month. Why, yes, I AM a theater nerd, why do you ask?)

If you don't feel like living right downtown (and a quick comparison of the prices there and your budget suggest it'll be tough), the western/southern suburbs can be very nice. It all depends on where you plan to commute to and what you're looking for. I live about 20 minutes southwest of PSU by freeway, and my house backs up to a 6-1/2 acre nature park; about 20 minutes more, it's farmland and the edge of the Oregon wine country.

On the east side of the Willamette, the Hawthorn District is the hip part of town -- great restaurants, cool used-clothing and music stores, and unique shopping. Look around Hawthorn between, oh, 30th and 40th. (My high-school and college age kids LOVE to go to the Hawthorn with their friends, and I love to drive them there. It's fun.)

If you're moving here in January, prepare yourself for grey, cold weather. Oh, not cold by the standards of Buffalo or Ann Arbor or Terre Haute, but chilly by the standards of southern states. It'll be in the mid-thirties most of the month long; we MAY see snowflakes once per winter, but usually only in the air. If it's still on the ground the next day it's a marvel; if it's still there after three days, it's a miracle (or a disaster, depending on whether you're a kid facing the delicious, thrilling possibility of a Snow Day, or you're a grown-up facing the gut-wrenching knowledge that you have to commute through this slush with a million other people who never see snow).

As for your question on rentals, I don't know; we moved here six years ago and were able to buy a house. However, I found the Web site for Portland rentals, and it's not going to be hard to find rents in your price range, in good and interesting neighborhoods.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

You can get a decent 1 bedroom in Southwest Portland for that. That is where I live. The further you are from highway 217 the better the neighborhoods, but the more expensive. There are areas of Northeast that are really nice, but there are chunks of freaking Gangland in between those chunks.

Lake Oswego (or Lake NoNegro as the natives say) well...if you can guess why we call it that you can draw your own conclusion. I don't want to sound like the racist.

Parts of Tigard and Tualatin are nice, but not where they would have apartments.

If you don't care where you are in the area. There are some nice areas in Clackamas which is north east of I-205. It's about a 20-30 minute drive from there to downtown.

Northwest portland by the Alphabet streets is really nice, it can be spendy and parking can be a pain.

Answer 3

You shouldn't have any problem finding an apartment for that, all over the area. Check craigslist.

Avoid southeast (well, parts) unless you're really into meth, and Rockwood (the far west side of Gresham, borders Portland on the east). Central Gresham, however, is fine, and has a lot of inexpensive apartments. The MAX line runs into Gresham for easy access to downtown. It's a nice place if you're into easy access to the gorge and the mountain, but is a tad on the "suburban sprawl" side--by Portland standards, anyway. Definitely NOT the hip and trendy place to be, but not priced like 'em, either.

You can always use the crimemapper to check an area:
http://www.portlandonline.com/police/index.cfm?c=cjida

And check this out:
http://www.portlandbridges.com/portland-neighborhoods/01-where-to-live-in-portland.html

Answer 4

Stay Away from NE Portland, Rockwood area and North Portland. Good areas are Lake Oswego, Beaverton and Gresham or SE Portland.

Answer 5

I'm thinking of moving to Portland too.
Someone told me I'd like the Hawthorne area.

Answer 6

I feel as a way to reply this question, men and women could must understand what you are watching for in a vicinity. I'd in no way are living in probably the most suburbs, since I decide on to be within the town. Even some of the east facet of the city does not fairly believe like town to me, since there are such a lot of residences. Most men and women are living in residences over there. I additionally would not are living close Hawthorne (a avenue/subject) since it is extra of a hippie vicinity, and that is no longer my variety. But the men and women are pleasant, and there may be plenty to there. Belmont is identical however extra shabby sublime hipstery as good, and there is a bit much less to do in phrases of bookstores and retail outlets and films. Other men and women would no longer love to are living within the neighbohoods I decide on. Downtown is excellent since it is in probably the most "town" facet of town, and you'll be able to are living in an rental constructing. However, it is high-priced, and you probably have a auto you are going to must pay for parking as good. Northwest is pleasant sufficient, additionally shabby-sublime hipster however extra in additional of a contemporary and no more of a hippie than the aforementioned Belmont. Northwest has a ton of quick, lovable rental structures, more often than not from the '20s or '30s, I think, with wooden flooring, ceiling lovers, tiny kitchens, pay laundry machines within the basement, and loos with separate taps for sizzling and bloodless. The streets are tree-covered, and there also are a couple of residences, primarily extra off the fundamental avenues of twenty first and twenty third. You will even have a difficult time with a auto right here: there is not any parking garages, and the streets are overcrowded with vehicles of citizens and men and women travelling the vicinity. The Pearl District is without doubt one of the latest neighborhoods, and it is really citylike as good. It's among Northwest, Old Town (which does not have many areas to are living), and bordered via Downtown, and so they all form of encroach. A lot of latest rental structures with new facilities---which involves parking garages, which you'll be able to need to pay additional for. The hire fees are might be a 3rd greater than in NW, or might be part extra, however you get contemporary amenities and home equipment, too. But on the grounds that the vicinity is new, it nonetheless sort of feels that manner, and has a tendency to be a little bit missing of requirements, primarily at its outer edges. That method no handy grocery retailer, and no longer plenty of little vicinity matters past espresso areas, a few galleries, a couple of eating places and only a few bars (which might be nonetheless sufficient to create plenty of noise from men and women at night time). It's no longer a lived-in situation. There are, nonetheless, a ton of younger couples with young children, and so they congregate on the water characteristic within the small park. Everyone turns out alternatively good-to-do or on their approach to that. Another newishly wellknown vicinity is Northeast, that's a hipster-gentrified subject with artwork galleries and little vegetarian eating places and stuff. It's form of snooty in its hipsterness, although, imo. Further clear of the river, however within the genuine North East streets there (no longer fairly the "Northeast" strip) you'll be able to additionally discover fairly pleasant residences on extra quiet vicinity streets. There are a couple of extra, and even specified places inside those neighborhoods, however I'd be ready to propose one larger if I knew what you had been watching for. By the best way, the suburbs I stated previous are essentially the equal as suburbs at any place. Houses, streets, gyms, and that is wherein some of the auto dealerships and department shops are. And so much of them generally tend to have larger entry to nature events than town neighborhoods, but it surely nonetheless generally calls for a force.

Answer 7

There just one really bad neighborhood. i cant really remember its name but any one who lives there including a realter famillar with the city should know. other than that all of portland is nice. and if you havent been to portland befor i would reccomend taking the lite rail max train to the Zoo, or if you want to drive try going to OMSI (oregon musem of science and indrustry) they have an iMax theater their. if you know what i max is?