Ok: Yet another "Im moving to Portland" thread ....

[Trajan]

Yes: ... Trajan was offered a job today in the Portland area, after having had an incredible interview there (which cost me nearly $500 dollars in air fare, and $160 in lost wages for one day) ... I am absolutely ecstatic !

The job is actually in Tigard/Tualatin, and it is a temp-to-hire position with a major electronics firm. It is an EXACT fit with my skill set and experience ... The pay is very decent (for a temp job), and I am absolutely positive it will translate into a permanent position with a company that is well known for it's generous benefits ... Why am I positive ? ; because after over 20 years of doing this work: I am the BEST at what I do (Electronic Systems Test) ... I am gonna rock their socks off ! ....

This will begin a new chapter in my life; a healthy and hopefully happy phase .... NO drugs ... NO alcohol abuse ... a fitness lifestyle, with healthy diet and regular exercise .... Who could ask for a better "Do Over" ? ....

I intend to room until I am pulled in permanent .. UNLESS: I can find a decent downtown studio for about the same cost (I believe I can) ... OR some other excellent arrangements come into view ....

I leave Boulder CO (with considerable regret at not finding a permanent position - Boulder is amazing) approx. July 10th, and begin my journey to Portland to start the new job on July 18th ....

If ANY goodly DUer wishes to rent a room to a 48 year old straight male who is kind, nonviolent, considerate, clean, and helpful; a great cook, an early riser, an atheist, humanist liberal, who also plays a mean acoustic guitar .... Please consider this request.

I can find a room through other channels ... but I think it a great opportunity to 'get connected' to liberal Democratic channels in what I hope will remain my home for years to come .... I will need the room for 4 months or less, I figger ... IF I am hired permanently (I will be), I will most likely get a larger apartment and bring my teen son, my teen daughter, my adult daughter or some combination of the 3 together ...

I am leaving the most awful year of my life behind, and my kids are looking forward to leaving SW MO in the rear window of a moving automobile ... A decent family life cannot be had in Springfield MO, and I am glad to say goodbye to it ....

Either way: Portland ? ... Make way for Trajan .. Cause he IS a-comin ..... And he is so fucking thrilled ....

[0rganism]

1. Hey, welcome to Portland!

I would have liked to rent space to a fellow guitar-playin' electronics-geek liberal atheist, but alas, it is not to be. My family is moving out of our Laurelhurst (inner SE Portland) abode to a slightly less-roomful (yet larger overall) home in Hillsboro (suburbia) in early July. Still, I'm sure you can find something nice, one way or another.

I strongly recommend that you seek something closer to your job than downtown Portland. The commute is nasty, no matter how you slice it, as P-town has severely outgrown its major arterials over the last decade. You'll probably find that rentals are cheaper in suburbia, too. At the very least, go for something in SW Portland to avoid the bridge congestion and downtown crowding. If/when your family arrives, buy (yes, buy) a place in Tigard, so as to take advantage of the wacky Portland real-estate boom. You may be coming in on the tail end of it, but a mortgage is still a better investment than giving your money to a landlord.

I know you will love it here, for about three months. Then your resolve will be put to the test as the ubiquitous rain descends upon us. :)

[DesEtoiles]

3. I agree - Cedar Hills, Beaverton closer than downtown

and Lake Oswego is beautiful! Highly recommend the farmers' market on Saturday mornings. Last Saturday was the debut of Oregon cherries and strawberries. But all manner of produce is there, along with goat cheese, oysters, peanut brittle -- and gorgeous Oregon wildflowers - all much cheaper than you can get anywhere else!

Anyway - give a quick check in Lake Oswego for any cheap rents. You never know...

[Trajan]

13. Mmmmmmmmmm .. I LOVE farmer's markets ...

I was a meat and potatos fella until about 10 years ago ... Now I use many fresh vegetables and herb in my food prep, with lean meats in small portions ... I look forward to enjoying those markets ...

We visited Lake Oswego two Novemembers ago .. We adored the area, and I have found some VERY decent rentals offered there ... 3 Bedroom apts for under 1000 ... GREAT rates for such a great area ...

[DesEtoiles]

20. In that dollar range

you could probably consider a mortgage on a condo, townhouse

[Trajan]

21. Are you a lender ? ...

Cause that is what I would need to get a home loan these days ...

I had the most disastrous year of my life these last 12 months ....

I had a fire in 1999, and lost nearly everything: but that pales in comparison to last year's financial fiasco ...

I may find it hard to rent .....

[DesEtoiles]

22. I'm not a lender, just someone who thinks it is better

to buy than rent if you can swing it

[Trajan]

23. Funny thing is ...

With bad credit it IS easier to buy than rent ....

Chuckles ... funny how that works ....

I come to Portland with a hope for a better future, with a better job and a more stable household: .. the last year, in the Ozarks, was perhaps the worst of all my 48 years ....

I am sure my credit rating dropped 200 points ... Renting will be difficult ... not having a job for 6 months , then having a very poor paying job for the other 6 months, REALLY hurt us ....

Our future is brighter, but it will take some time to get ourselves back into shape ....

[HuckleB]

4. Actually...

the commute out of downtown to Tigard-Tualatin might be easier than Beaverton-Cedar Mill, and certainly easier than from Hillsboro. The key to keeping our commutes down has been to live centrally, as the commute into town remains the difficult one in the morning, and vice-versa at night. The other difference, of course, is walkability, which is something many folks desire, and is something difficult to get the farther out one goes.

Salud.

[0rganism]

6. or not

> The key to keeping our commutes down has been to live centrally

The key to keeping the commutes down is living close to one's job. If Trajan is going to work in Tualatin, the logical place for him to live is Tualatin, or as close thereto as possible. While Hillsboro wouldn't be my first choice in places to live for a job in Tualatin, I'd put it higher on the list than, say, Fremont.

> the commute into town remains the difficult one in the morning,
> and vice-versa at night

While you're correct that the commute into town is worse in the morning than the commute out of town, the commute out is no picnic either. For the last 10 years I've lived in SE Portland while holding jobs in Wilsonville and Hillsoboro. At long last, this month I'm moving to Hillsboro, and I expect to save between 1 and 2 hours per day on my commute, as well as about $100/month in gas. And this is going with the less-worst direction both ways...

26 outbound in the morning -- I challenge you to drive it at 8:30am and tell me that it's an efficient use of your time! The only solace is the schadenfreude to be had from looking at the poor inbound saps on the other side of the meridian, stacked up like Iraqis in a gas line, waiting for their chance to inch towards the tunnel in their overpowered SUVs and sportscars.

Not recommended, in EITHER direction.

> The other difference, of course, is walkability,

This is, unfortunately, the problem with suburban planning in general. However, some of the satellite cities seem to be taking a clue from Portland central and putting more focus into developing complete neighborhoods, with commerce, parks, and residential in close proximity. I was surprised to see this happening when I was looking for homes in Hillsboro, as I was fully expecting the Edward Scissorhands nightmare scenario. Not so much in Beaverton, though, which was already mostly zoned out and developed before walkability was considered among quality-of-life criteria.

If Trajan wants someplace close-in to Portland but with easy access to arterials, I would start with Burlingame and branch out south and west from there along the I-5 corridor. Raleigh Hills and Hillsdale are considerations, although I'd be wary of Cedar Hills since the natural southbound commute paths, 217 and 99W, tend to be sluggish in both directions throughout the day.

[HuckleB]

7. Of course.

Living close to one's job makes it easier, though, for many, there are other issues that play into quality of life, as well. Further, there is a very big difference in driving from central Portland to Tualatin vs. to Hillsboro. Going south on I-5 in the morning is a world of difference compared to ever having to deal with the Sunset. On the other hand, I spent a year using Max from Hollywood to Hillsboro, finding that it took the same amount of time but allowed me to use my time more wisely than sitting in a vehicle. Luckily, there is more than one way to get around town, something most cities don't offer, despite offering commutes every bit as nasty and usually worse than what we face. Finally, I am in a two career family, and we've been here for 13 years. For us it makes sense to live centrally, because our jobs are not likely to match up in terms of geography for long, and we have no desire to make moves every time our jobs change.

Second, my post did respond to yours directly, but it was intended to address the recommendation of Beaverton-Cedar Mill for a person with a job in Tualatin. I found that to be bad advice.

Yes, there are some mixed use neighborhoods being developed. And that's great. It's still very difficult to not feel like one is engulfed in Phoenix, Arizona style life when driving through the Hillsboro area, however. And, having spent time in Boulder, I suspect that someone from there is more likely to feel at home in central Portland than in Tualatin, where much more traditional suburban growth is the norm.

[funflower]

8. Tigard/Tualatin is probably a little cheaper than downtown.

Driving commute from downtown out to SW burbs shouldn't be too bad, though, if you'd rather live in the city.

Lake Oswego is a nice and bikeable but expensive suburb between Tualatin and downtown PDX.

Welcome to Portland!

[0rganism]

9. Lake Grove should definitely be on the list

Lake Oswego's "cheap" district might be just the thing, as it's pretty close to Kruse Way and I-5.

I don't know why y'all are saying that commuting from downtown to the SW burbs is cake; I-5 stacks up real nice in either direction around Capitol Hwy, the 205 interchange, and through the curves. The non-freeway alternative, Barbur blvd, can be even worse when you consider how the traffic lights affect an already heavy traffic flow.

Hehe, I'm making this place seem like LA, when it's really not that bad. Coming from a small town in a pissant state (NM) I guess I've never quite gotten used to the sheer volume of traffic, even after 17 years. Thinking back to various trips to the Bay Area, Portland's roadways are relatively well-planned by comparison.

[funflower]

10. Agreed. Lake Grove is convenient and cheaper than L.O. Good call.

[Trajan]

15. We loved Lake Oswego...

It is very pretty there ... The rents are VERY decent there as well ...

[oldtime dfl_er]

19. Thisis where Seattle erred

People here tend to live 20 miles from where they work. THAT's a big part of the traffic problem here. Personally I live 3 miles from my job, and walk to work, but I'm in the minority.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/665903

[Trajan]

14. Typically ...

As in LA ... The traffic moves towards the city in the morning, and away in the evening. I would be going aginst traffic, but as Organism says, that could still be bad traffic ...

Wherever I live, I will have to find the best routes and leave when I need to to make it to work on time ... you have to do that anywhere you live ...

I do love city life though .. I miss it ...

[Trajan]

12. Sorry I took so long to respond ...

Thanks for your kind post ... Good luck on your move ...

You know ? . there is always a balance struck between comfort and access. Living near downtown provides a link to the vital humanity and culture that a city environment provides ... I was born in North NJ to Brooklyn parents, and my first 10 years were spent in the boroughs of NYC ... I adored the flows of humanity through NYC sidewlks and the pulse of life in NYC parks, squares and streets. I returned for 4 days 18 months ago ... And I had this wry smile on my face the whole trip ...

On the other hand: I have been suburbanized: job, house, family, two cars, pool, two cats, three kids ... Some of these are lost now, but the important things remain: and that is what I strive to protect and enhance ... But we as a family could prosper either within or without the city environs ... Lake Oswego is awesome ... many of the other locales and neighborhoods are just as nice .... I know I will find a decent room first, then eventually a good home .... Portland is one of the prettiest areas I've seen; even with the rain ...

[anitar1]

2. Welcome to Oregon.

It is a great place to live. I even like the rain. One gets used to it. Portland is a nice city IMO. When Eugene begins to feel too small , we spend a couple of days in Portland. I am sure you will like it here, and hope your children are able to come out here soon.

[Trajan]

16. Thank You for your kind welcome

We have been to Portland before, and we loved it, even with the rain ....

The kids, now living in Springfied MO, where churches outnumber jobs and meal costs outweigh hourly wages ... They will be QUITE pleased to leave the Ozarks for a metropolitan lifestyle ...

[HuckleB]

5. A good place to search for a room.

http://portland.craigslist.org/

[Trajan]

17. Thanks Huckle ...

That is an excellent resource ... I am using it ....

[lupita]

11. Welcome! WA County needs liberals...

Welcome to Oregon!
Multnomah County has tons of them.
We need you in Washington County! Please consider
living in Beaverton or Tigard :)

Lupita

[Trajan]

18. I will consider all areas ....

The job is near Tigard, Durham, Tualatin, near SW 72nd and Boone's Ferry .... ANY of the areas or nearby hamlets will be great for us ...

Being a liberal in a state like Missouri had little reward (except the shock value of correcting a false RW statement in public) ... I think the tide is turning for Liberalism, and I am one to FIGHT for it ...

I am a proud liberal, and IF we defend our agenda, we WILL prevail ....

70 years of liberal success is somegthing we should be proud of ... ALL we need do now is defend it; publically, intelligently and loudly

Thanks Lupita .....

[0rganism]

24. You will make a difference in Oregon

especially in Washington county, if that's your choice.

You come at a time when Democrats are poised to retake the state House, but also at a time when a decade of Norquist-sponsored anti-tax ballot measures have gutted the funding base for schools (and the state universities), highway patrol, and health services for the poor (the formerly great Oregon Health Plan). You will live in a state that voted for the last three Democratic presidential candidates, but only by small margins that must be protected and enlarged. In 2008, we will have a chance to oust one of the most devious republican senators to hold the office, Gordon Smith, but it will be an uphill battle. We have a proud tradition of keeping the people's space, evidenced by the public beaches and waterways, but we are also Enron's second home. We post one of the few congressional delegations in which a majority opposed the invasion of Iraq, yet we recently voted to destroy our urban planning laws and amended the state constitution to prohibit gay marriage.

So you'll find no shortage of false rightwing statements to correct, and you'll find a pliant audience that needs very much to be swayed; we're a battleground state, and right now the Dems are winning -- but not by much.