# What side of Portland do most cyclist live ?



## Carbonsnail

*What side of Portland do most cyclist live on ?*

Im coming to Portland soon to look at homes . Is there a certain area in Portland that is more accessible to the roads that are most often used by cyclist there? Meaning if most of the good routes are on the North side than that is a good place to look assuming that it's a decent area . Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I am refering to recreational cycling just to be clear. Thanks everyone


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## maximum7

What is your definition of recreational cycling?
Riding a townie around town to local eateries and getting groceries? Or getting on a road bike and cranking out some miles. 

If it's the latter, I think the West Side is probably the most popular area for riding. 
You have the North Plains, the West Hills, and Sauvie Island. All very popular areas for riders. 

I also think that the Oregon City and Canby areas are getting more popular for riding, but maybe not everyone's cup of tea for residence. 

Course then there's Vancouver across the river which has the very best riding....


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## Carbonsnail

Thanks very much for the great info. Im a roadie and plan on enjoying as much of the areas as I can, both Portland and Vancouver. Ive been checking homes online for the areas you gave me and Vancouver had some that I really liked. What are some of the advantages that Vancouver has to offer over Portland ? Thanks again .


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## Wookiebiker

Vancouver has financial advantages over living in Oregon ... Mostly, no income tax if I remember correctly, while Oregon has a flat 9% income tax rate. However, you do pay sales tax in Vancouver which can cost more for services, which is why most people cross the bridge to Oregon, but stuff the go home.

Home prices also tend to be cheaper in Vancouver. 

However, if you are working in Portland ... The commute "SUCKS!!!!!!!" and I can't emphasize that enough! It can be an easy 45 minutes to hour each way on I-5 on most days.

As far as the biking goes ... the west side of Portland is the place to live (I live in Hillsboro) ... I can plan 100 flat mile rides with no more than about 1000 feet of total climbing, or I can plan a 100 mile ride with over 10,000 feet of climbing ... and anything inbetween. It's just awesome out here. most climbs are in the 10 - 20 minute range, but there are plenty to choose from ... and if you head out to Yamhill/Carlton there are a few 13+ mile climbs out there.

Basically better diversity of riding conditions on the west side of Portland than any other area.


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## Carbonsnail

Wookiebiker: Thanks very much for the advice. Im looking very forward to coming there. Thanks for mentioning the Hillsboro area I see that there are lots of nice homes on the market there aswell. Thanks again.


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## Wookiebiker

Carbonsnail said:


> Thanks for mentioning the Hillsboro area I see that there are lots of nice homes on the market there aswell. Thanks again.



The west side has a lot of nice places to live and a lot of newly build homes due to the "High Tech" industry on this side of town (Nike, Intel, Solar World, Genetect, etc.) ... so tons of new homes and lots of "Suburbia" ... but I like it way, way more than Portland it's self.

With that said ... some people hate suburban areas and love Portland for it's older look, close in nature where you can walk to many places, different culture, etc. 

A lot of where you move/buy a house should depend on where you are working ... will you bike commute ... and what is your personality.

West side is more conservative, nearly 50/50 split with political views, has parking that you don't have to pay for, but generally want a car to get around (unless you bike commute, then it's awesome). It's generally considered more of a middle class/upper middle class area.

Portland is more liberal, more of a 60/40 (70/30) political split, has "ZERO" parking or at least seams that way most of the time, is a pain in the a$$ to get around in by car, you can walk a lot of places and has a large mix of wealthy to poor areas.

The south side tends to have the highest concentration of "High Wealth" in the Tualitan, Lake Oswego, West Linn areas. Huge houses, big lots, and lots of $$$ ... at the same time there are some lower end and middle class areas in the area. It's a mix compared to Portland and the west side when it comes o getting around. Some places you can walk around, others you want a car and you can get around by bike but there is much less flat area on that side of town ... though lots of climbing if that's what you like. 

The east side is generally a poorer section of town (Gresham, Troutdale, etc.), but is growing quickly. If you like winter sports it's a better side to live on ... they actually get some snow in the winter and it's only 45 minutes or so to Mt. Hood from there. Lots of climbing, commuting in to Portland isn't as bad traffic wise or by bike and housing is generally pretty reasonable.

The metro area really has different personalities ... so figure out what you are like and go from there.


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## RRRoubaix

As usual, I concur with Wookie's advice. (Then again, we're ex-teammates! )
He's right about most everything. I've been on a a few rides on the East side, and a zillion on the West side. West side has a lot more to offer.
Parking really can be a bee-otch in downtown Portland- and yes, bike-commuting is a great way to go. (You have fenders, yes? You WILL need them :lol.
Where is your job located? That can determine where you want to live. (Plan your bike commute accordingly).

Yep, Vancouver can offer more for your money... but again, the commute is pretty awful. Plus, you live in Vancouver. Bad? No- but it ain't Portland. Portland is chock-full of cool stuff- especially great brewpubs and food, but also a plethora of bike shops, frame builders, wheel builders, etc... the cycling scene is PDX is the best in the nation.
You can tell yourself you'll schlep across the river to all the fun stuff on a regular basis, but you really won't.


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## stunzeed

agreed with the above, I have been living on the west side for over 3 years and the riding is awesome. I live in the west hills so it can be a challenge at time to get a flat ride (sub 1,000 feet climbing).

I am moving this week over to SE, mainly so we have areas to bike from home to and walk to. I am hoping I can find some good riding out this way but work from downtown so can easily take a trip out west before commuting home.


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## the puma

maximum7 said:


> snip....
> 
> I also think that the Oregon City and Canby areas are getting more popular for riding, but maybe not everyone's cup of tea for residence.


I'm an east side/Clackamas County guy (20 years): lived in Oregon City for 10 years now, and West Linn and Clackamas before that. There is definitely a more rural feel here than Portland proper and the populous west side. Where I'm at, there is not as much traffic and a lot of empty country roads to ride with great views.


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## onrhodes

I just moved here from NH about 3 months ago. We first lived in Tigard for about 2 weeks and...well.....it sucked for riding out of there. The commute to Beaverton (where my job is) was nice because of WES.
We found a better location up off Barnes near the intersection of Barnes and Cornell. The riding out of here is much better. I can do wicked hilly or wicked flat like Wookie says.
Coming from NH I find the urban sprawl took a bit getting used to, but once you are outside of the urban growth boundery, it is nothing but farms or hills (or both).
I've only found a couple 30-40 mile loops and then quite a few 20-25 mile options from my front door. I need to get out and explore more though.
As for downtown parking....it's a breeze compared to Boston!


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## Jack9

I ride exclusively out near North Plains, Banks, Verboort. Sometimes up to Skyline. Beautiful roads, no traffic. Helvetia Rd. Pumpkin Ridge Rd and Dairy Creek Rd are some of my favorites. Did 100K out there yesterday by accident, was a great day. Obey all traffic laws in North Plains, for me that's foot down at a stop sign once per ride.


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## Nexx11

I live to the SW in the Newberg/Sherwood area, some great riding out here.


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## Wookiebiker

Nexx11 said:


> I live to the SW in the Newberg/Sherwood area, some great riding out here.


Love that area ... when I win the lottery it will be one place I look at moving ... the other being Bend


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## StubbedMyToeAgain

Hi! My fiance and I are also moving to Portland in a couple weeks! We are going to Portland to look at places to live this weekend. We have narrowed it down to 3 houses. Can you guys tell us which area is best for road cyclists? Portland Heights, Miller Heights, and one on a ridge on the West Hills? Thanks!

Also, do any of you know of good group rides? Or good teams for us to join?


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## tenkerman

I'm in North Portland, St. Johns neighborhood. Good area for cycling. Bike lanes all the way to downtown Portland, easy ride to Sauvie Island, about 80-90 miles out and back to Multnomah Falls, short ride across the St. Johns bridge to Forest Part for mountain biking, 2 miles up Newberry Rd opens up the Washington County/Skyline Rd./West Hills cycling playground that others have mentioned, and there's great beer, 3 season farmer's market, coffee shops, dining, and eclectic neighborhood shops all within walking distance. Housing is comparatively cheap (apartment rental market sucks) and it's enough of a "mixed neighborhood" that there's sometimes entertaining crack-heads at the local grocery store if you're into that sort of people watching. If you are looking for suburban sprawl and McMansions, N. Portland probably wouldn't appeal to you. Schools here are a mixed bag, but we've managed to work around that with our 4 kids so far. We moved here 10 years ago from Lake Oswego (priced out of home ownership there) and I don't regret it for a minute. As far as finding other rides, here's a good place to start: Northwest Butts On Bikes (Portland, OR) - Meetup

Article about St. Johns fron the Washington Post; There?s more to Portland than ?Portlandia? - The Washington Post


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