Best commuter suburb to live in?

[Ox302B]

I've been looking at my assets and playing around with the idea of moving into my own place within a month of arriving in Portland. As its looking I might have enough cash for 4-5 months which should be plenty of time to find a job.

So that question begs to be asked, which area of Portland do you think is best for a bike commuter to live in, and why?

Some possible reasons I can think of are transportation, shops, events, night life, activities, crime, etc.

[tvhwy]

I'd like to live in Northwest or in Goose Hollow because they're the only close-in neighborhoods boasting a quick MAX + bike commute to the tech farms of Washington County. But I've found it very difficult to find an affordable place down there.

I admire your 0xDEADBEEF avatar, by the way.

[Ox302B]

Originally Posted by tvhwy

I admire your 0xDEADBEEF avatar, by the way.

Cheers. Not too many catch that

[Schrauf]

I voted for SE because of the cool neighborhoods and bike access to downtown and other areas. North or NE is a close second, with better Max access than SE. All have less expensive options, but not sure how inexpensive.

[mike_khad1]

I don't live there but I'd move to Sellwood in a heartbeat. Mainly due to its proximity to the Springwater Corridor. North on the corridor to downtown - east on the corridor to Gresham. Connect with the 205 bike path - after Trimet is finished with it and have access to Marine Drive, Troutdale, Washington, High Rocks Park.

[mizake]

Originally Posted by mike_khad1

I don't live there but I'd move to Sellwood in a heartbeat. Mainly due to its proximity to the Springwater Corridor. North on the corridor to downtown - east on the corridor to Gresham. Connect with the 205 bike path - after Trimet is finished with it and have access to Marine Drive, Troutdale, Washington, High Rocks Park.

i agree. sellwood is the bomb for bikers.

[nuovorecord]

Generally speaking, the east side is where the hip action is happening these days. Plus, it's knitted together with bike boulevards north/south and east/west every 10 blocks or so. Probably the most fun, happening neighborhoods in SE Portland are those between Belmont and Hawthorne, between 12th and 39th avenues. Also, NE Alberta, between Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and 33rd ave is great.

Sellwood is also great, but a little further from downtown - if that matters to you. The upsides are that it has a wonderful small town feel to it, its close to the river and there's a great bike shop - Sellwood Cycle Repair - there.

You're gonna love Portland. Welcome!

[Ox302B]

Originally Posted by nuovorecord

Generally speaking, the east side is where the hip action is happening these days.

What do you mean by hip action?

Originally Posted by nuovorecord

You're gonna love Portland. Welcome!

I have to agree with you, I do believe I will.

[Attornatus_Oregonensis]

As a Sellwood resident (So Tac represent), I'm biased. But it's true that my commute is totally cake. I go four blocks to the Sprintwater (or Springwater) and hammer for 10 minutes until I'm at OMSI, then across the bridge and four more blocks in slow downtown traffic until I get to the office. It's as easy as it could be, and I'm really thankful. My friends in NE envy me as they navigate Interstate Ave and such into downtown each morning.

On top of that, I live two blocks from the best grocery store in town, a block from a pub with Jubelale on tap (NB: Ask about this next X-mas), three blocks from a great coffee house with Stumptown coffee, a 1/4 mile from a wildlife refuge with hiking trails my dog loves, two blocks from a great movie place (Video Lair), the same 1/4 mile from one of the best pubs in town (the Oaks Bottom, with great beer and burgers), lots of great restaurants (literally, too many to list here), and a wonderful neighborhood feel that I intend to do my part to preserve. I'm not too big on the apparently wonderful antique shopping, but some people really dig that.

So, feel free to keep the Sellwood love flowing. I hope this is informative re: the original post, but I have also been meaning to connect with some of my fellow Sellwood residents. Look me up if you care to.

Re: "hip action." I think that's a reference to affordable housing and high biking rates. Certainly, there's not much to NW in Portland proper, and SW is the least bike friendly of the five quadrants at present. That leaves the Eastside.

[nahbois]

I don't live in Sellwood, but I really envy you being so close to a Gravitron!