Berkeley Parents Network: Moving to Portland

Berkeley Parents Network

Moving to Portland

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving > Moving to Portland

Neighborhood Recommendations for Portland OR? (Oct 2006)

My family is moving to Portland, and we're looking for recommendations on neighborhoods for renting an apartment or a very cheap house. I checked the website, but would like more recent and specific (for hunting apts on craigslist) suggestions. Our dream neighborhood is (relatively) diverse, (reasonably) safe, and has a commercial area within walking distance (video rentals, coffee, bakery, pizza, bookstores, etc.). We live in the Grandlake area of Oakland now, and would love to live somewhere similar (but cheaper!) in Portland.
Buying a Raincoat Soon

We too are planning a move to Portland (hooray!) Here are some of the great resources I've found re: neighborhoods. The Insiders Guide to Portland actually has a pretty comprehensive section on relocating, including good descriptions of a number of neighborhoods (and our trips to Portland seem to have confirmed much of what we first read in the book). The website www.movingtoportland.com also has tons and tons of information. Once you've narrowed down your options a little bit, you can search specific addresses at www.portlandmaps.com which will give you crime stats and demographics by neighborhood. Finally, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement also maintains a website that helps give you an idea of what's going on in specific neighborhoods: www.portlandonline.com/oni. Mapclicks.com is also a fun site that describes some of the ''hip'' shopping areas (with some photos), announces events, etc. Best of luck. In our experience, there are so many great neighborhoods in Portland, it's kind of hard to choose!
Portland bound

June 2006

My family is planning on moving to Portland, OR and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for both moms' and dads' playgroups, good day care centers that accept infants, pediatricians, etc. Nikki

Hi Nikki, I grew up in Portland but have been in the Bay Area for many years. A friend from the ''old days'' is really into the parenting scene in the area & I know she or her website would have some good info for you. Check out www.cafemama.com (her contact info is on the site). Good luck to you & your family, it's a great place to live! Dawn

Feb 2005

My husband and I are considering a move to Portland, OR. We are a one income family living in our own home in Berkeley. We have a toddler and are talking about trying for #2. I think 2 kids in Berkeley will be almost impossible on one income, so that's why a move may happen in the next few years I'm disabled, so me finding work out of the home isn't really practical. I'm thinking Portland may work for us. Does anyone here know of websites or books that would be helpful in figuring out what a good area of Portland is? How are the public schools? I cannot drive, so I know the public transit there is pretty great. I don't see any other way that we are going to stay in Berkeley. Does anyone have stories of how they have monaged to keep their family in Berkeley on one income, short of living off of beans and rice and borrowing against our home? Any advice would be apprecited, thank you! anon

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Aug 2004

I've read the previous advice regarding moving from the Bay Area to Portland, but I'm looking for more....

We've realized that there's really nowhere in our beloved Bay Area where we can afford to buy a house. We stumbled upon Portland quite by accident on the internet looking for property listings and were simply ASTOUNDED at the price difference. I've never even been there but became intrigued. We've booked a 4 day weekend for Labor Day to go take a look around and see if it's where we're supposed to go. We've already contacted a realtor, husband is polishing the resume, and I'm trying to keep the trip a secret from my parents for right now. (Certainly not a conversation I want to have with them unless I have to!)

About us: we have a 14 month old and hoping to add to that in the near future. I'm working part time right now simply because I have to, and even then we're just scraping by. Tired of renting an apartment, want more kids, want to stay home. We could get 3 times the house in Portland than we could afford down here. School districts seem exceptional....I'm trying to find the bad part, other than the weather (and distance from family).

Any advice to maximize our short visit? It will be a whirlwind for sure. Any neighborhoods to avoid, be sure not to miss? Anywhere we can be sure to visit to get a vague feel for what life with kids in Portland is like? What about trip- specific advice....we're flying on Alaskan Air. Do I need to bring a birth certificate for a then 16 month old? We did not buy him a seat, he'll ride on our laps. It will be his first flight (yikes!) but I can pick up the air flight specific advice online.

What about any Bay Area transplants? What do you miss about Portland or vice versa? It's a big decision which will seem like it's coming out of left field to the grandparents and break their hearts so I want to make sure it's the right decision before we bring it up.

Thanks, **I don't wanna leave!**

I have a good friend who has been trying to move to Portland for about two years now. Here is the problem up there: the job market. My friend is a highly skilled manager in the health care industry and has had no luck. Whatever you do get the job first beofre the move. Best of luck to you! Anon

Portland is a small, progressive, pretty city with very bad weather. Our family moved there in 1997 in search of a calmer life where we could work less and enjoy a larger home in a pleasant neighborhood. After three years there, my partner and I decided to return to the Bay Area, despite the fact that real estate prices had almost doubled in the meantime, necessitating that we both work FT again. Having grown up in California where one can enjoy the outdoors almost any day of the year, I found the weather profoundly depressing. The rain is bad, but what is worse is that even when it's not raining, the skies remain a cloudy gray for about 9-10 months of the year. Kids play indoors for months on end. I also found that I missed the phenomenally rich cultural life of the Bay Area much more than I thought I would. And, I realized my kids were really missing out on the connection with their grammy, who lives in Monterey and did not visit as much as I had hoped.

So, it didn't work for us. There are certainly a lot of good things there, and we left many friends who are very happy there. There is good family skiing within two hours of the city, and the Gorge area is great for hiking. The people we met were warm and friendly. During the rare sunny months, the city practically explodes with free outdoor cultural events (e.g. the city ballet company holds its summer rehearsals in the park, and the symphony plays programs in neighborhood parks every week.) The schools are pretty good, but you should know that Oregon cut the state school budget quite severely in the last two years, and Portland had to pass a city tax to make up the large funding shortfall. Currently, there is a measure pending that would repeal that school tax, and I do not know whether it is likely to pass.

Good luck on your decision. alison

My parents live in Portland so we just returned from a fun, sunny week there. Some random advice: There is a fountain specifically designed for young kids to play in at Jamieson Square in the Pearl District (10th St.?) which is within walking distance of downtown. Definitely worth a stop. The Hawthorne area is a funky-ish neighborhood that is on the east side of the river, lots of cafes and feels like Berkeley. The Zoo and Children's Museum are right next to each other and our kids love them both. We have friends from SF who moved to Southeast Portland and they love it. We also have friends who live in Portland but are in the Beaverton school district and the elementary schools seem great.

Peanut Butter & Ellie's is a restaurant specifically designed for the under 10 set. 1325 NE Fremont St, 282-1783.

Portland is really kid friendly, easy to get around, not so hectic as the Bay Area. But there is the weather...

Right now Portland is beautiful so it isn't exactly fair to judge what it would be like to live there ... my advice would be to go for a long weekend in the winter or early spring when the cloud cover never leaves. It isn't really the rain that gets people, its the absence of sun sightings for weeks at a time.

Have fun! Elizabeth

Greetings, I read your post about moving to portland with a sense of tremendous familiarity! I am a Bay Area native who moved to portland - for hte first time 13 years ago, then back to the east bay for 5 years, then back to the portland area 2 years ago, where we intend to stay. I would be happy to correspond with you about details, and i will be in the bay area visiting from the 28th of august through the 8th of sept, if you would like to talk on the phone before your visit.

We moved for much the same reasons, moved back to be near family (all of it in the bay area) when we had young kids, but moved away again despite the fact that it meant moving away from beloved family, exactly because of the quality of life/cost of living issues you mention. I absolutely love Portland, and it would be perfect if we also had our family and close friends here, but I am building a community of new friends as well, adn we keep our connections through visits, emails, and the phone, with bay area relationships.

Portland is a stupendous place to raise kids - very progressive and diverse, yet small, safe and extremely clean by bay area standards.

As far as schools, it depends what you are looking for, but Portland offers a wide array of special focus schools and charter schools, and the variety is growing.

if you tell me what type of neighborhood and what price range you are interested in, i can guide you toward some must-see areas.

In terms of activities, try to go to OMSI (the museum of science and industry) where they have a great baby/toddler room in addition to the whole museum. OMSI is right on a new 4 mile (i think) walking path that loops through downtown waterfront areas and over bridges to the east side and back again to the west side.

If hte weather is nice (and the reputation is worse than reality!) go to Grant Park - there are statues of ramona and henry from ramona the pest books, since the books take place in NE portland! there is a wading pool (like many parks in portland) and a fountain too. A really amazing park is Washington Playground by the zoo, but with a 16 month old, it might be a bit chaotic . ..

the chinese garden downtown is really nice to walk through. What you should see really depends on what you like - outdoors/indoors, upscale/funky? Portland has it all! Give me a call if you want more input! Lyla

We made the (gradual) move in 2001-2002. I came up to Oregon while wife and child stayed in Oakland to sell the house, etc.

The two things off the bat:

-House prices are indeed lower than the bay. We sold our 2 bedroom in Rockridge for over $500,000 and bought a 3 bedroom in a very nice neighborhood (near the zoo) with GREAT schools for half that.

-Getting a job here really sucks. Unemployment is pretty high and a lot of industries and companies are leaving the city, county and even state. It is very tough. I would recommend you have a job lined up first, but a lot of employers will not even touch an out-of-state resume.

Neighborhoods to see: we are in Bridlemile and love it but also see Irvington and Hawthorne and everything in between. Ones to avoid: Beaverton and Hillsboro (traffic is a nightmare on the freeway) and North Portland (like West Oakland or Potrero Hill that no one wanted to visit but with gentrification [read: everyone moving from Cali] is getting nicer).

After our daughter was born, we realized that Portland was a better place to raise a family. We moved when she was 6 months. I grew up in N. Cali and I do not think I will ever go back. Portland is nice and the people are great. It helps that my wife's family is fairly local, though. As for your parents, my folks visit a LOT! It is a short, cheap flight and the drive is pretty. They love it.

We really miss the bay area restaurants but with a child, we probably would not go out even if we lived in the bay area. In Oregon, there is so much natural things to do. We head to the coast or central Oregon a LOT. Two hours to Bend is very different than 2 hours to Tahoe. happy

Hi, We just returned from a 10-day ''scouting'' trip to Portland, for the very same reasons you mentioned. We loved it! (As well as the surrounding areas, e.g., wine country, beach). We were able to hook up with a couple of friends-of-friends, which made a big difference for us in getting the real low-down. Would be happy to chat with you before your trip if that would be helpful. Lorelei

Your post on Portland made us curious, so we started researching -- the search led us to Austin instead. However, we found a really nice realtor group who were extremely helpful.

http://www.pointclickandpack.com./listings.php
Phyllis Ghazi / Jan Groff
RE/MAX Signature Properties
2717 NE Broadway, Portland 97232
Office: (503) 282-4000 ext. 119
Toll free: 1-866-454-1445 ext. 119
Cell: (503) 421-2407
www.pointclickandpack.com

They asked good questions and had a lot of pointers and sent a neighborhood info pack via email that I would be glad to forward to you or anyone else who would be interested.

July 2004

Hello! Our family is moving to Portland, OR in a few months and I haven't able to find any network like this one up there. Any recommondations? Shannon

You could start one. It might be easiest to use something like http://groups.yahoo.com for infrastructure. David

May 2004

We're moving up to Portland next month and I would love advice on resources for toddlers, such as playgroups (like the one at Epworth Church), listserves like this one, indoor rec centers, etc. (I looked in the Berkeley Parents Network archives but none of the responses to prior questions included any specifics.) We have a 13-month-old and are moving to the Northeast part of town. Thanks! Portland-bound SAHM Amy

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June 2003

Well, we're going to do it. We're moving from the beloved Bay Area to Portland (Lake Oswego) for quality of life issues - schools, cost of living, family enviroment, safety, etc. I would love to hear from anyone about their experiences in the Portland area and/or any recommendations on places that our family can experience a similar funkiness that we so love in Berkeley. Also, is there a resource as fabulous as this (Parents Network) up there? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Siouxsie.

You're going to love Portland! My family lived there for several years while I was in college, and three of my siblings ended up there after college, though our parents had moved away. If you're looking for fun urban neighborhoods, Northwest Portland has lots of fun shopping and good restaurants, in a College-Avenue kind of way; Southeast Portland is a bit grittier, but has a hip feel, and lots of cool places. The area generally has lots of beauty and outdoor activities -- tons of open space even in Portland proper -- but you have to be prepared to get wet. Bite the bullet and get good rain gear, GoreTex or the like, so that you don't wait for the sun to do outside stuff. (I will say, though, that if you have toddlers you might want to sign up for an indoor gym/playgroup, as that age doesn't do too well in the rain but really needs physical activity. My sisters-in-law both had to get on waiting lists to join one of these places -- even though they're all over up there -- however, they said it was well worth the wait and the money to join.) One other thing: don't buy a house surrounded too closely by trees, because it can be REALLY dark when it's overcast or rainy, as it so often is. Pamela

My family moved to the portland area in july from the east bay, and I also lived in portland for 5 years, 5 years ago. I would be happy talk with you via email or phone if you like! Lake oswego is not the first place that comes to mind when looking for ''funkiness'', but you can drive to portland for funkiness! feel free to give me a call or send me an email! Lyla

Portland is great. I moved up here 9 years ago and I love it. I live in Lake Oswego and really enjoy the small town feeling of the city (local farmer's market, totally redeveloping downtown, lots of beautiful parks -- yet really close to downtown Portland).

However, Lake Oswego is not at all like Berkeley. It's very high- end due to good schools, the lake and housing prices (more similar to Los Altos or Los Gatos).

The funky parts of Portland are on the eastside, downtown and northwest -- Hawthorne area, Broadway/Irvington, NW 23rd, Pearl District. It's a great city -- good size as downtown is very easy to get to and attend events. Great for kids as it is very family centric here.

The downside coming from California is the weather -- you just have to adjust and either chose to do things and get wet or find lots of indoor things with the kids (OMSI, Children's museum, indoor pools, etc.). But the summers here are fantastic and I always make plans to leave Portland during other times of the year. Leah

May 2002

Hi -- we're considering moving to Portland, and I'm looking for some recommendations. Can anyone give me advice about childcare, neighborhoods, and general community resources? I have a new baby, so I'm particularly interested in resources for new parents, including best ways to find childcare. I've already reviewed the existing postings on Portland, and am also curious if anyone has an update on what the economy there is like these days. Also, is there ever any sunny weather there, or should I be prepared for endless rain and gray days? Thanks! Lisa

I lived in Seattle for 10 years and my cousin lives right out side of Portland. I moved to the Bay Area when pregnant, so I really can't speak to your childcare questions, but I can speak to the weather (Seattle and Portland have very similar weather patterns). Be prepared for long rainy gray winters/springs (and sometimes summers). The standard joke it summer doesn't officially start until after the 4th of July. The year I left Seattle it had rained for 3 consecutive months!! That being said, when the weather is nice (usually middle summer/fall), it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Very green, lots of mountians and tons of outdoors stuff to do. Portland has a great community feel to it and it close to a lot of stuff. The wine country there is also fantastic (my cousin has a winery in the Yamhill county area Amity Vineyards. There are lots of them around and some amazing wine). Lots of good beer and coffee too! In Portland there is a an amzaing bookstore- Powells and there is a fantastic science museum that has lots of hands on stuff for kids to do. Seattle is about a 3-4 hour drive and British Columbia is not too far away. So I think if as long as you can deal with getting wet and lots of gray during the winter, it is a pretty neat place.

Just doing a quick search on Yahoo here are a couple of websites you may want to look at:

http://www.pova.com/ (Portland visitors association website)
http://www.portlandschools.org/
http://www.ci.portland.or.us/ (city of portland website)
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/
http://www.oregonian.com/ (local paper)
http://www.amityvineyards.com/
http://www.ohwy.com/or/a/amityvin.htm (has stuff about local
wineries and other attractions)

Lisa

August 2001

We're going to Portland for a week at the end of July to check the place out and see if we'd like to move there. Can anyone give us recommendations on either the move or the visit? We'd be interested in your opinion on what it would be like to raise a family in Portland, what the public schools are like, neighborhoods with good public schools, realtors, places to stay with a 3 year old, fun things to do, places to buy organic food. many thanks

we lived in portland for 6 years, and we intend to move back. i'd be happy to talk to anyone about it - its a wonderful city, imo. Lyla

My husband, almost3yearold daughter, and I just moved to the Portland area from Berkeley this past summer. So far we all love it up here! There are *lots* of family things to do, the housing is still much more affordable than they Bay Area (both apartments and homes), there are several good public school systems in the area, etc. To respond to the question about the economy up here right now... I think it's being hit like the rest of the country, but not more so (although maybe it's too soon to tell). I know of people who have been laid off (mostly from small companies, computer/internet and otherwise), but I know of even more people who have recently been hired by the big companies up here (like Intel and Nike). Affordability aside (although, admittedly, it was a big factor in our decision to move up here), I would still choose to to live in the Portland area (I live in Hillsboro, a suburb on the West side of the city). I tend to warm to new places slowly, yet I've felt integrated and a part of the community here, even thought I've only been here a few months. Reyna

I was born in Portland and lived there up until a few years ago. Indeed it is more affordable than the bay area, but it has some disadvantages too. It rains a lot! It can be cloudy for 3 months straight. Although jobs are more secure there, they are a bit harder to come by than here in the Bay Area (I mean any old job, different industries are different). There also isn't as much to do there. As a family it might not be a big deal. There are plenty of things to do for kids. The Portland Civic theater academy, the Art museum, theater groups, and many other organizations offer a wide variety of experiences for children, but if you're 20 something and like to go out, you won't be nearly as satisfied. The restaurant scene is pretty good. Katie

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