Portland ‘burbs get National Notice

September 26th, 2007

As I’ve noted over the past couple years (here, here, and here for example), Portland gets its share of plaudits from national writers and reviewers for land use, housing prices, and other livability factors.

Lately though, Portland’s suburbs have been getting some pub.

Recently, Money magagzine rated Sherwood as the #18 in their Top 100 most desirable places to live in the country.

About Sherwood, Money reporters said:

Like much of the Northwest, Sherwood is home to an array of beautiful parks and natural beauty. But the quickly growing commercial sites of Sherwood offer true insight into the town’s character: a juxtaposition of old and new, with reverence toward both the city’s historic past and its bright, expanding future. The community events calendar is always full and the town’s location makes for a fairly easy commute to nearby Portland

Lake Oswego, perhaps Portland’s toniest suburb, gets a mention at #32.

One of the major attractions of this Portland suburb is the 405-acre artificial lake whose banks it sits on. Waterfront properties are highly sought, and many residents take advantage of the lake, either by boating on the weekends or hanging out at one of the parks on its shores. Another big appeal is shopping and dining. Lake Oswego is full of many one-of-a-kind boutiques and unique restaurants. And for arts lovers, the Lakewood Center offers top-notch instruction at its dance studio along with fantastic shows put on by its theater company.

(By the way, the word ‘artificial’ conjures up images of sterile concrete, which is far from reality.)

And today, U.S News and World Report claims Hillsboro as one of the top 10 locales in the U.S. to retire.

About Hillsboro, the U.S. News editors said:

….folks are passionate about preventing urban sprawl and safeguarding its unique mix of suburban convenience and natural beauty. The preservation of agricultural lands (like vineyards) has been a hot topic, and the city promotes its Orenco Station housing development, a concept designed to build community but also discourage the carcentric (and environmentally unfriendly) lifestyle.

A retiree, however, should not live on drink, golf, and public policy alone. Hillsboro offers the usual cultural suspects: farmers’ markets, arts center, library, theaters, and the like, yet for those needing a romp through the urban jungle, its access to the light rail system makes for an easy trip into the heart of Portland. And an hour’s drive west takes you straight to the Oregon coast.

To be honest, I had never thought of Hillsboro as a retirement Mecca, but then again, I spent 15 years of my life preparing for (eventual) retirement by working in Hillsboro’s burgeoning technology cubicle farms. Golf and wine tasting were not high on the daily work agenda.

Perhaps in contrast to most major metropolitan areas, Portland’s suburbs are typically within 30 minutes of downtown PDX, yet have their own identity, events, arts scene, Farmer’s markets, and more. Not a bad way to go if you’re not urban-oriented, but like the proximity to the Big City for occasional outings.

Technorati Tags: Portland, Sherwood, Hillsboro, Oregon, towns, city, rankings, retirement, retire, livability, Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, relocation, homes, houses

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Entry Filed under: Communities, National News, Relocation