Relocating to Portland, or and Need Info on Suburbs

We live in Beaverton... I've noticed you've got a lot of responses from the Westsiders!! I would vote West side over East, but that's my opinion. The schools out here are great, there is tons to do with kiddos and we're close to the beach! I moved here from Phoenix, so be prepared for a HUGE change in climate and the vibe in the Portland Metro area is way different than in the Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa area but it's nice and we really love it here.

We just moved to Hillsboro three years ago and really love it. I would recommend moving close to your husband's place of employment. Traffic here in Portland is crazy.... there is rush hour traffic in both directions, to and from the city. It still is mind-boggling. Check out our neighborhood... and surrounding areas, Travertine Condos (Luxury Townhomes) and Orenco Station. It is an awesome walkable community. You can walk to Costco!! Trader Joes and a new Whole Foods are about 5-8 minutes away driving. Lots of farmer markets and Hillsboro Parks are wonderful. You can get to the Zoo and Children's Museum on Highway 26 within 15-20 minutes. Good Luck -

Hillsboro is okay but there are better schools in nearby suburbs. I would check out NW Portland/Forest Heights, Bethany, and Beaverton. That list is in order of cost starting with the highest. Kids activities - definitley purchase a family Oregon Zoo membership; it pays for itself within 2 visits. There is also OMSI and the children's museum (near the zoo), those are great for young children (I have a 1 and 3 year old also). There's Oaks Amusement park that during the summer has toddler hours and story/snack time which is inexpensive. A few more kid activities - Pump It Up, Jr., Safari Sams, and many play parks around including ones with water fountains for the kids to run through - downtown Beaverton, downtown Portland and I'm sure there are smaller ones in the burbs, I just don't get out to the Hillsboro area with my boys very often. Hope this helps!

Hi T.,

Congrats on moving to an amazing city. We live in Cedar Hills and love it (about 20-30 minutes from Hillsboro), and used to live in Bethany. In fact, we still have our house there that we'd LOVE to sell you (hehe). Let me know if you'd like some pics. The house is on a culdesac filled with kiddos your childrens' age and older, and backs to a great forest with hiking trails, blackberries in the summer, etc. Great schools in Bethany too: Findley Elementary, Stoller Middle, and Sunset High. It's only about 10 minutes from Hillsboro and all the Intel campusus (am I guessing right?), and most of the folks in the 'hood work at either Intel or Nike.

Good luck on your move!

My husband and I live in the Bethany area in NW Portland which is practically next to Hillsboro and my husband works in Hillsboro (he has a 10 min commute). We couldn't be happier with the neighborhood we live in. It's very family friendly with a small park area with a play structure behind the houses across the street and there are other amenities nearby such as food, shopping, walking trails, and a day spa. The kids and the families here are very friendly and we're looking forward to our son being able to grow up here with other kids his age. Hope this helps! :)

Hi T.,

I've lived in Beaverton for many years, and I love the Bethany area. The schools are great, it's close to shopping and the small shopping center is the area has a fountain and hosts events all year long. We also have a pool with a park in the area.

Best of all, we're close to Hillsboro. My husband works at the Yahoo Hillsboro campus, (close to Intel), and he's only 10 minutes away.

Good Luck and Welcome.

R. Magby

I am from Portland and absolutely love it there!! It is a wonderful place to raise a family!! Cedar Hills is a nice area and is very close to Hillsboro. I grew up in SW Portland and love the area, the schools are fabulous and there are a lot of young families. Westside dance and gymnastics in Tigard is a great place to take young kids. Fridays they have open gym for the kids and it is very affordable. The Children's Museum, Omsi, and The Oregon Zoo are great places to take your litle ones! Good luck on your move and enjoy the beautiful NW!!

I live in NE Portland but many years ago I lived in Hillsboro. The entire way between Portland and Forest Grove could be considered one town. Yes, there are city boundaries but the main highway going thru all those towns has constant businesses and homes. There are still more rural areas outside the cities.

What is probably more important to choosing a town in which to reside is finding a home that is an easy commute to his work. Traffic is terrible in many parts of that area. Is he going to work in a major or mainstream company? If so his company will be able to provide all sorts of helpful information.

I also suggest that you look at different city's web sites. The ones surrounding Hillsboro are Beaverton, Aloha, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Banks. A highway map will also give you a clue as to commuting routes.

Also check out the Chamber of Commerce sites.

When I lived in Hillsboro it was definitely a town. It looks like a city to me now and I wouldn't recognize the boundary.

I lived in Tempe for several years and moved back to Portland ten years ago. If I can help you look for houses let me know. I suggest, that if at all possible you come look at the area if you've not seen it before. I'm no longer familiar with specific towns and their amenities but I can still navigate the area. If you have questions about the location of anything specific I may be able to help.

You will not have difficulty finding nearly everything you want from where ever you live. The area is compact and full of activities and services. When I lived in Hillsboro, close to downtown, I drove into Portland frequently. It was about a 30 minute drive. Now we have MAX, a light rail system and you can get to nearly anywhere quickly using public transportation.

I'm in Hillsboro and think it's a great suburb. Nearby are also Forest Grove, Cornellius, and Beaverton.

Welcome to the Beaverton, Aloha, Hillsboro area. I live right on the Aloha-Hillsboro line. In a small housing community, it is very quite. In fact there is a horse ranch down the street. Washington county has very good schools.
Marda made some very good suggestions. I would recommend staying close to your husbands place of employment. Traffic is really bad everywhere. The farther you are the more travel time it takes. (ie 30 min. normal drive time/ 1 1/2 hour rush hour drive).
Try using google maps on the employer address and pan the area in the view so that you can see the buildings and streets.

Good luck

Wilsonville is one of the coolest suburbs of Portland.
Why not live in Portland. The Northeast is a very liveable section of town. The city has excellent public transportation is very clean and well planned out. It has everything.
Portland has a children's zoo and a regular zoo. It has a science center for kids and a place where kids go on rainy days to meet other kids in games and art projects and music.
I take my grandchildren to Portland for fun just as I took my children from schoolage to adulthood.

Hillsboro itself is a fantastic suburb. It is about a 30 min drive to portland, it's beautiful and green, tons of great food, and places to shop. I don't mean downtown hillsboro, more like tanasbourne. Look for places near Orenco, or the tanasbourne mall. For renting, places like Palladia, Lions gate, The Verandas are all really nice and reasonable and near a nice shopping center and whole foods. Or in Orenco, a great place to rent are the newer apartments called Nexus, they are higher end, and absolutely beautiful. It's considered one of ten best family communities in the US,(Orenco that is)
If you are looking to get way out into the country, Forest Grove is a nice family town as well. It's hit or miss what you will find in Beaverton, and Aloha. There is a lot of nice places near the bethany area of beaverton though.
Good luck with your search!

I live in Hillsboro, Oregon and there are plenty of great places to live in Hillsboro. I suggest you look for a house in Hillsboro instead of Portland, Hillsboro has a better school system. Who exactly will your husband be working for? My Husband works at Intel & we didn't want to fight traffic. I am glad we bought a house close to his work, rush hour traffic starts as early as 2pm on week days. If you want to talk shoot me an e-mail & I will send you my phone number.