Living in Camas/Washougal Vs. Portland (Vancouver, Salmon Creek: apartments, houses, neighborhoods)

[Telesurfer]

An open query to the group: why did you ultimately choose to be across the river versus being in Portland (West Portland, Beaverton, out to Lake Oswego)?

What are the trade-offs and can you find anything comparable to your current house situation in Portland?

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Telesurfer

An open query to the group: why did you ultimately choose to be across the river versus being in Portland (West Portland, Beaverton, out to Lake Oswego)?

What are the trade-offs and can you find anything comparable to your current house situation in Portland?

1. Jobs. My wife and I both work in Vancouver so living in Portland or worse yet, Beaverton and commuting to Vancouver every day would be silly and uneconomical. Although I do know a surprising number of teachers and administrators who live in Portland and commute to schools in the Vancouver area. Mostly they have spouses who work in Portland.

2. Schools. We were more impressed with the schools in Camas than those in equivalent priced neighborhoods in Oregon. WA does a better job of funding public education than OR

3. Colleges. The higher education options are superior and more extensive in WA than OR. With two kids soon to be heading to college, the quality and diversity of public higher education was a consideration. It is nice to have more in-state public university options.

4. Taxes. My wife's employer has locations on both sides of the river. She could work equally easily in Portland, the Oregon suburbs, or Vancouver. Salaries are identical. The biggest difference is income tax which would take 10% slice out of her salary in OR but not WA.

5. Sense of community. We found Camas to be the community in the Portland metro that has the best sense of community and intact downtown of any place we looked at on either side of the river. Downtown Camas is nicer than West Linn, Wilsonville, Lake Oswego Hillsboro, etc.

As for housing and such? Honestly it is the same exact builders putting up the same houses in Camas, Salmon Creek, Washougal, Ridgefield, etc. as in Clackamas, Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro and so forth. There really isn't any difference. Drive around Happy Valley and it looks exactly like Camas or Felida. Same builders, same landscapers, same streets, same everything.

[Telesurfer]

That is a great summary, thanks. To expand on the housing choice question, how about property/land choices between the 2? It seems like you're able to find places with more space (possibly acreage) or a view versus what's available in Portland, which is denser and more of a premium?

[StealthRabbit]

Rural homes with view for life... = CGNSA

3 miles east of Washougal, for WA (to maryhill)
Corbett, Oregon on east to Deschutes River, on Oregon side of Columbia River

At a cost..... Use of your property is restricted, and you will be monitored daily to comply. Beats having 400 apartments pop up next to your farm. BTDT.

Really quiet, 20 min to PDX, 7 min to grocery, more clear days due to wind. More rain due to elevation. Can't see another home within our 50+ mile uninterrupted view.


WA offered excellent school options.... 300+kids in homeschool group, then most went to college for free instead of wasting time in high school. (Running Start). Many of the kids had their own businesses that covered all their expenses and funded their retirement. (My kids since age 12, they were not exceptional. Pretty common)

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Telesurfer

That is a great summary, thanks. To expand on the housing choice question, how about property/land choices between the 2? It seems like you're able to find places with more space (possibly acreage) or a view versus what's available in Portland, which is denser and more of a premium?

I don't know if there is really that much difference. Ultimately it is all one housing market so Vancouver and Camas are not going to diverge all that much from Clackamas or Tigard or Beaverton in terms of prices.

Oregon does have more strict land use laws about developing rural land, so OR subdivisions and suburbs are going to be a bit more dense on average. And if you want rural acreage that is going to be easier to find in WA (along with more exurban rural sprawl).

But if you are comparing actual similar subdivisions in the same price point, the neighborhoods look pretty similar on both sides of the river.

[Procyon73]

My wife and I are on the WA side. I chose WA over OR when I moved here in 2007 because I traveled 75% of the time and Oregon has a 10% state income tax.

For our big dollar shopping, we go to Oregon.

Portland itself is trash now. Bum camps are everywhere and spreading. The southern arc of Portland's Oregon suburbs are nice enough.

If you have school age kids and choose WA, avoid Camas and the Camas school property tax area. Camas property taxes are high and the schools are garbage. They used to be good, but the teachers union has destroyed what was once great. The schools have been exposed for the poor quality that they are. Live outside the Camas property tax area and send your kids to private school instead.

[Procyon73]

Originally Posted by Telesurfer

That is a great summary, thanks. To expand on the housing choice question, how about property/land choices between the 2? It seems like you're able to find places with more space (possibly acreage) or a view versus what's available in Portland, which is denser and more of a premium?

If you're wanting a view and acreage, there's the Woodland area. Former neighbors of mine sold their Camas house and bought some land up on a hill/mountain in Woodland and built a nice house.

It has incredible views.

Similar to this:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...11499090_zpid/

[Telesurfer]

Wow, most people (realtors) like to parade the Camas school district, what's wrong with it exactly? It seems to be highly ranked in the region and compared to Oregon.

Isn't the property tax in Camas around 1% like the other surrounding cities?

Kalama/Woodland seems like great value for lots and property, but it's just too far from Portland for me personally.

What are your thoughts on Washougal then?

[MtnSurfer]

We have friends with kids at Camas High and they like it fine. Our realtor's kids grew up there and they said they wouldn't have them go there now due to overcrowding. Overall, as you begin to research things more and speak with the locals, you'll find many opinions and must take each with a grain of salt as you perform your own due diligence.

IMO, Camas seems to be touted by realtors and Camas residents more than any other city in the area. Its got quite a fan club. But its not without its problems, warts and quirks like most places. It's simply not for everyone, bottom line. Though I wouldn't rule it out until you have a chance to check it out yourself. You can't simply go off of RE marketing slogans and standardized test scores. There is so much more back story to each community in Vancouver that extends far beyond the brochures.

I think like most places in the greater Portland metro area, it can be a really great fit or a poor one depending our your personal preferences and requirements. Good fit is really the most important thing which you must discover, for the most part, on your own. Though listening to local feedback is a part of that discovery process.

For us, while visiting many neighborhoods a couple years ago before relocating, we basically narrowed things down to Fisher's Landing, Camas and NE Vancouver (Hockinson SD). We also have relatives in Fisher's Landing and Hockinson. So, we had some good first hand experiences and stories from them in raising their families here.

ETA: Washougal is really nice, especially in the hills near Lookout Ridge. What a view!! That was probably my personal favorite when house hunting. But I had to consider other factors with a family of 5 including three teenagers. It was too far east for my wife at the time. Though I still would consider it longer term. I really love that section of Vancouver including the beach along the river.

Derek

[texasdiver]

There is nothing wrong with Camas schools and for that matter, they are represented by the same union as the teachers in all the school districts in SW Washington as well as Clark College: WEA-Riverside: https://www.wea-riverside.org/ I'm not sure what Procyon is bent out of shape about. Pandemic closures? They have affected the entire state and nation (and planet). Camas schools were some of the first in the region to get back to in-person classes at the lower grades has moved into hybrid learning at the higher grades.

Over the years I have taught full time or as a substitute teacher in four of the local districts and [counting on my fingers] 11 or 12 local high schools in the greater Vancouver area. Only HS, not elementary or middle school for the most part. I would rank Camas and Union as the two top schools in the region. After that I would say Mountain View, Columbia River, Skyview, Ridgefield, Washougal, and Hockinson are all roughly similar. Honestly it is largely driven by demographics. The more affluent parts of the county have the higher rated schools. It is like that in pretty much every single city in the country.

Camas is growing but the schools aren't nearly as overcrowded as other parts of the country. Class size isn't any higher in Camas than other districts and you will see a LOT LOT less portable classrooms in Camas than any other district. If you want to see overcrowding go to Ridgefield. Count the portable classrooms at Southridge Elementary in Ridgefield (there are 11) https://goo.gl/maps/6HABQA2bVbd4zeyr8 or Union Ridge Elementary in Ridgefield (there are 12): https://goo.gl/maps/iAnRkaCe9BLEKCQt6

Or Hockinson Heights Elementary in Hockinson which appears to have 13 portable classrooms scattered about: https://goo.gl/maps/saxD5fu86iMRczQC9

Compared to say Woodburn Elementary or Lacamas Lake Elementary in Camas (there are none at either one): https://goo.gl/maps/nydiTVqkGz2yo3U86 or https://goo.gl/maps/XX7Px5HNDyr5fqR37 All combined across all 6 elementary schools in Camas I only see one portable classroom at Prune Hill elementary. That is it. https://goo.gl/maps/fNYbf67G7S65CtLA6