Live in Portland, Work outside Portland?
I am going to be working near Gresham, but I was just wondering if it is worth it to live in Portland and commute. I have heard some good things about Gresham, but I would rather live in Portland. The cost of living may be higher, but I need to live where there is plenty of stuff to do all the time. If I did live around Gresham, I can see myself constantly going into Portland anyway. So, would it be worth it? Cost of living, traffic, etc. I want to know. And if there are any nice apartments you don't mind recommending, that would be fine to. Oh and what about Vancouver? I'm thinking with the bridge and traffic, it might not be the greatest of ideas. Now I'm going to stop rambling and turn the floor over to you guys.
Portland - 4 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Not worth it. Don't do it. However, if you like to commute, try go to Portland every weekend until...
Answer 2 :
The commute is horrible during traffic hours, so be prepared. You will spend most of your free time trying to get back to gresham. So you might as well live in Gresham, that way you have a quicker turn around time between off work-ready to go out (quicker to get home and get ready), that way you would only have to battle traffic once when you go out to Portland. When its not traffic time, to get to gresham from Portland is fairly fast by car. I would really consider living in Gresham since you will work there. Holly Ridge apartment are nice-nothing fancy, but a fairly good price.
Answer 3 :
If you really want to do that, look into living close to the MAX light rail line. Will you be working close to the MAX light rail line? MAX is slow but it's cheap and reliable. Rush "hour" in the Portland area is about 6AM to 9AM and 3PM to 7PM so it won't be pretty by car.
Answer 4 :
If you were buying a home I would have suggested doing so in Vancouver since the housing is cheaper. But since you are renting I will suggest that you should live in Gresham near work. If you live close enough to work you don't have to worry about traffic at all and ride your bike to work. If you don't ride, then at least the commute won't be as bad. If you want to be Portland for the night life, then go after rush hour traffic and you will save a lot of money in gas while you idle in a traffic jam that is inevitable. Especially if you mainly enjoy the night life on the weekends. And the MAX and transit systems are fairly reliable, and, yes sometimes slow. But sometimes taking the MAX is way faster than commuting and a heck of a lot cheaper, especially if you buy a monthly or annual pass. Just my take on it. Portland commuting is horrible! Unless you work odd hours and will miss rush hour all together, I would highly highly suggest living as close to work as you can manage. Besides, Gresham is so much closer to Mt. Hood where all the sexy snowboarders are in the winter! Can you say snobunny!
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