I'v got the itch to move to Portland or S. Washington

Peter,
Portland is a great city,small enough to be intimate,large enough to be interesting and cosmopolitan.
I have to laugh about the "weather" since we spend 2 mo (now) in S Ca in the wet as the NW has been sunny and warm (unseasonable and unusual)
Summers in the NW are glorious!
Lake Oswego is lovely-expensive for Portland but compared to S Cal dirt cheap!I nice 3 bedroom overlooking but not on the lake goes for 750K-950 K.
On the lake mil and up.
Prop a little further out from Porland proper (20) miles in say Wilsonville is much less expensive.
Next time you are in the area-call me at 503-635-2595
Marty

 

Peter--Marty (the good doc, above) and I both live in Lake Oswego, though in different parts. For another price reference, my house is 3100 sq.ft., on a 7500 sq.ft. lot (no specific views, etc.) and is worth 650K. As you may know, Lake Oswego was recently listed in the Wall Street Journal as one of the 5 (maybe 10) desirable places to live in the U.S. Lake Oswego's schools are routinely acknowleged as the among the best public systems in the state, thus creating high (but stable to increasing) property values.

The greater Portland area has something called an urban growth boundary. While this does help limit sprawl, it creates scarce and pricey land within it, and large parcel but pricey land just outside of it. If you have no significant need to commute, and want some land/views. you might consider Stafford, which is roughly south of Lake Oswego before Wilsonville. There are, of course, numerous other options scattered around and just outside the city.

It may be important for you to note that Oregon, within the past several years, has had both the worst economy and highest unemployment figures of any state. Thus, services have declined, tax battles abound, etc. We have no sales tax, but do deal with income and property taxes. Some folks choose to live just across the river in Vancouver, Washington. Better tax structure, and a quick drive to Oregon to purchase things without tax.

Good luck in your search. I'm sure Marty or I would be happy to give you more information, or direct you to appropriate sources, as needed.

 

L.O is a beautiful area of Oregon. I was born and raised there. I now reside in Vancouver WA, (near Ridgefield) for the reasons Scotty pointed out. However, yearning to move back to Oregon.
I highly recommend, as Scotty, that you look into L.O. and the Stafford area but also West Linn. There are beautiful properties within $650-$1.5mm. I plan moving to one of those areas next spring. Good Luck in your search.
No place is quite like the NW. Everything you could want to do is within a hour to 2 hour drive. Beach, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Desert, Forest, you name it.
Good Luck,

Mike

 

Mike--that's cool news. Would be great to have another Tifosi in the hood.

 

Hi Peter,

I live in southeastern Washington but have a daughter at Lewis and Clark College near the area the others are talking about. It is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen. My daughter loves Portland and now considers it her home.

One thing that has not been mentioned yet is how great the restaurants are in Portland. I am in Portland on business once or twice a month and I just love the food in this city. Good luck.

Rick

 

I live in NW Portland, quite different from Lake Oswego, but I like it. Personally, I think Portland is a great place to live-- I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

If the weather is a concern for you, you might consider the Medford/Ashland area. True, it is a smaller community, but Medford/Ashland has many of the cultural amenities of a much larger metro area. The climate is drier, and similar to what you are used to in Northern California.

 

Peter

It would be great to have another Ferrari fan around. All will have an opinion based on where they live. Ridgefield is a beautiful place to live. Very laid back. For the amount of $$$ your talking about you can get a one heck of a place here. More so that all the other places mentioned before. L.O is quite expensive, so too can be other places around Portland that will offer that kind of acerage. The taxes in Or. are awful. The property taxes are quite high and they tax your wages too. True Wa. has a sales tax but not on food. I'd rather pay a small sales tax on some items when I actually buy something that have it taken out of my wages. And true if you want to make a major purchace you can pop over the bridge and avoid the sales tax. Just a perc for living so close to the border. The schools in Portland are in trouble money wise and they will have to close some this year. Seems alot of people have moved to Vancouver and the surrounding areas because of that. Portland traffic is hell. I avoid it at all costs. But Portland does have some great things going for it, restaurants, shopping, theaters etc. and are just a short distance away. You need to come back and do some more looking around before you decide. Like to meet you as all the Ferrari folks around will too. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask anytime.

Kurt


There is nothing like a Ferrari, there never has been and never will be!

 

When the sun's out and the air is clean and crisp, with not a cloud to be seen, there's no better place than the Northwest!

Having lived a few years in every geographic area of the country...MA, AL, IL, NM, NV, Alaska, CA and now Washington...I really like the Northwest. A couple things to keep in mind though. Northern California has the best roads and driving conditions one could ever hope for. I was a Chico State Univ. grad, (took 7 years for the B.S. though), those years were a blast for exploring the limits of "racing" on public roads. And I if I had to live anywhere based on the love of driving cars and motorcycles, that part of CA is hard to beat. Hwy 1, 299E & W, Hwy 49, 70, 89, 50 etc, etc.

My current job brought me to the Seattle area and I've been here nearly 9 years. The toughest part for me was getting used to not driving as much. I don't like driving in the rain with my toys. If I've got an important club function or get together, I drive. But to head out for a joyous cruise in the weather, detailing the car after...nahh, I'd rather not. With normal weather up here, the overcast skies DO get old, even for the seasoned "webbed-footer."

BUT, for the areas you're considering, the weather is marginally drier and warmer, and immediate access to twisty roads is far better than up in the Seattle area. Watch out for living in the wind blown areas of the gorge if you're trying to avoid taxes by living across the bridge in Washington, there's an "icy belt" in the winter months.

My wife and I would much rather live in the Portland area than the Seattle area. If it weren't for the Oregon state income tax, we might have elected to live there and commute to Seattle for work! Good luck with your decision, just be prepared for the clouds and wet! PeterB.

 

I understand exactly what you are saying..my wife has family in Portland and Lake O. and I have to say that I fell in love with Portland area on my first visit. I was born and raised in Colorado (Denver suburbs) and Portland is one of the few places that I would consider moving away from Colorado for. Plus, when we visited, the NW Ferrari Club was having a get together at Cannon Beach...wow! Can't beat the beautiful coast and dozens of beautiful cars!

 

Mike,

I went to LOJHS in '76-'77 were you there then?

Randy

 

I just bailed out of 25 years in the Seattle area and moved to Bend, OR.

Why? Sun 300+ days a year, no traffic, lower cost of nice housing, sun, outdoor active lifestyle, sun, ski in the morning, golf, Mt. bike, drive the twisties or fly fish in the afternoon. Great restaurants, vibrant community - I'm thrilled (except for the taxes).

http://www.visitbend.org/

Read this book by the publisher of Forbes: http://www.life2where.com/

 

My wife and I have a second home in Sisters, Oregon (about 20 miles outside of Bend, in the ponderosa pine trees). I love central OR--I imagine we will retire there some day. Deserted roads (gotta watch for deer, though), great fishing, great biking--good stuff. BUT, Bend is still a relatively small town (versus Portland).

 

Randy,
I went to Jesuit high class of 87. You got me beat by a few years.
Mike

 

Bend is definitely the place to go, especially if you are in business! www.edforco.org ,We love it out here!!!

 

If you are looking for a home in the vancouver area, I buy and sell real estate in Ridgefield, Felida, Hazel Dell, Battle Ground,Camas, Washougal,Yacolt, and many other areas in SW Washington....let me know what you are looking for and I will keep an eye out for you. Vancouver is a great place to live and the summers have been great lately.....Kent

 

Medford is located on the sunny side of the state. 750-900 will get you a very nice home with views of the city or a nice spread in the surrounding areas of Applegate, Jacksonville, Eagle point, or maybe Goldhill. Property taxes are incrediblly high and every couple of years some YAHOO up in Salem proposes a sales tax with out any corresponding deductions in other taxes.
Schools are pretty good in southern Oregon but still feel the pinch of poor management of funds for education. We have some good resturants and the summer has lots of entertainers passing through town.

We get pretty hot during the summer months. Winters are pretty mild with snow on valley floor a couple of times a year. Spring and Fall are full of color and we always have a nice long indian summer. Medford offers lots of recreation, boating, fishing, a couple of good golf courses with a couple more planned. I know of only one other Ferrari owner in town and he is pretty anti-social excluding of course the one I am hoping to find.

Paul