I am relocating to Portland with my 16 year old son. I'd like to know what the best areas of Portland are for schools and safe family living? Directional like NE, NW, SE & SW would be helpful or neighborhood names.
Thank you!
2007-03-11 11:26:28 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Portland
Personally, I would choose Eugene over Portland if you have the choice. It has a nicer feel to it, quality of living is higher and cost of living a little lower, and it has all the amenities, and you are still just a quick 2 hour drive to Portland for events there.
If you must move to the Portland area, I would look at the suburb of Gresham, which is northeast of Portland, but very much part of the city as far as transit and being close to things.
2007-03-11 12:32:55 · answer #1 · answered by Pichi 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I love Portland and have been here for 12 years. It's tough to say that 'SE' or 'NE', etc is best or safest as there is great variation in that. Each part of town has it's own feel and vibe and it depends on what you want and how much you can spend. The Sellwood area in SE is very nice and safe and has many families as well as some Reed College students. SE Hawthorne/Belmont areas have lots of families and are relatively safe and has a pretty leftie/hippie/hipster type vibe. Multnomah Village is an area in SW that is very nice with lots of apartments and loads of shopping and nice places to eat, etc. Very safe and family friendly. The Pearl in the NW is kind of downtown and has lots of condo living with young professionals. Not very kid friendly, probably. NE has some nice areas. Beaumont is nice and has shopping and is safe and family friendly. Alemeda is very nice and has some pricey homes. NE Alberta area is hot lately and has lots of shopping. There are areas nearby that aren't so safe, but it is really isolated to certain corners or blocks. NE Freemont is nice as well as the Knott area.
Schools are generally better on the west side than the east side, but each school is different. I think Portland public schools web site has links to performance standards by school. you could goggle that as well and find the info. it may be on the Oregon dept of education web site. There are of course good schools on the east side as well, it just really depends.
2007-03-12 01:28:48 · answer #2 · answered by prekinpdx 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Portland has some great neighborhoods with some fine schools to boot. As far as high schools, Grant in the NE, Cleveland in the SE, and Lincoln on the Westside, are the three top rated high schools in the city. I find it strange that people continually think that schools in the suburbs are superior. While some areas, such as Lake Oswego, boasts top notch shcool. All of the three high school above rate higher than any of the high schools in the Beaverton school district in terms of test scores. Of course, there is more to consider than test scores eg. diversity, academic programs, etc..
As for neighborhoods, as mentioned before, you really need to visit and check them out. There are great neighborhoods in all of the areas, it all depends on what you're looking for and your price range. Do you want an urban feel, then NE or NW, and more quiet small town feel, then SE and SW (multnomah village).
2007-03-13 03:09:14 · answer #3 · answered by stephen L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest not living in Portland. I would recommend cities outside of Portland such as Hillsboro, Beaverton, Lake Oswego and Lincoln City. If you really want to be in Portland I would say avoid downtown. Most of the Portland area has good and bad areas mixed together so you really need to look at each area you think you might be interested in.
2007-03-12 19:04:32 · answer #4 · answered by Elizabeth 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on a lot. Since you ask about the city....
I agree with those who say check out the neighborhoods in person....I lived in SE in the westmoreland area, and it was great, really safe and everything was in walking distance. I would also agree with fremont, we have a friend who relocated there from eugene with his family and he loves it.
If you are a suburbs person, then I would check out lake oswego or beaverton. I would have to disagree with gresham though, I always felt it was sketchy.
2007-03-13 19:07:25 · answer #5 · answered by ohsotired 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a many great places to live. It depends on what you want.In the city or out-of town, small towns close to Portland.My wife and I live just out of Portland and have our nitch. Oregon City, Sandy,Gladstone, etc are very comfy and have good schools. Cost is always the diciding factor.
2007-03-12 13:27:49 · answer #6 · answered by zoman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i was a west side girl,,,,east side is more bohemian,,,,
2007-03-13 14:13:55 · answer #7 · answered by cmhurley64 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋