Best Portland Suburbs: Where Should You Live?

Lake Oswego is not number one on this list. I know that might sound like a hot take, but hear me out. I've lived in Oregon my entire life, and I've watched people relocate here from San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. They all ask the same question: which Portland suburb should I choose? Most lists you'll find online are either pure opinion or pure algorithm. This one is different. I took the usual suspects, schools, safety, amenities, location, and then I injected moving data. Where are people actually choosing to go? The results surprised me, and they might surprise you too.

This ranking covers 15 cities in the Portland metro, plus a few bonus towns that didn't quite make the cut but deserve a mention. Some of these places have been flat in population growth. Others have exploded in the past five years. Some have quaint downtowns where people actually congregate. Others are defined by a highway running through the middle. If you're relocating here and trying to figure out which suburb checks your boxes, this list will give you a fuller picture than the generic blog posts that recycle the same talking points.

The one thing that nudged Sherwood ahead is the downtown. West Linn is a conglomerate of smaller unincorporated areas, Bolton, Sunset, Willamette. Willamette was annexed at some point, and it has a really great little downtown that flies under the radar. It's just one drag, Willamette Falls Drive, and everything sits along that. But here's the thing: it's located in the south part of the city. If you live in north West Linn, up near the border with Lake Oswego, you might end up patronizing downtown Lake Oswego instead of driving down to Willamette. In Sherwood, the downtown is central, so everybody can get there easily. That's the difference.

One funny little thing I've noticed, especially over the last few years since COVID: Californians have their own secret handshake around here. It's called the baseball cap. You see the SF, the SD, the LA. All these Californians that relocate here have their little code, which is that hat. So it's easy to spot the Californians relocating. But there are people relocating from all over, Texas, Florida, Arizona. It's really not that hard to break into friend groups, especially if you go to the right areas. Lake Oswego might be a little tougher.

One thing I want to point out: Wilsonville has a brand new school opening called Frog Pond. West Linn recently closed Bolton, and Stafford, which is unincorporated in the same zip code and serves both Wilsonville and West Linn, also closed. The remaining primary schools in West Linn have been carrying the burden of those two closures. But Wilsonville's new Frog Pond school is picking up the students who used to go to Stafford. When you look at the numbers, Frog Pond's enrollment is quite a bit lower than the other primary schools because it's brand new. That's definitely something to keep on the radar if you're thinking about West Linn or Wilsonville.

Great location. You're close to everything, other neighborhoods, Portland, jobs. Pretty solid schools, though that's going to vary a little bit. Tons of parks, just like a lot of the other suburbs throughout the Portland metro. Tigard has a small downtown, but here's the thing: there's so much commercial in Tigard that there's no reason for people to congregate in the downtown like you might in Sherwood or West Linn. Tigard is defined by Highway 99 running right through the middle of it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean the town doesn't have that quaint downtown feel where everybody gathers.

You won't find an old town quaint downtown like you will in West Linn or Sherwood. What you will find is proximity to shopping. Happy Valley is right next to Clackamas Town Center, right next to Clackamas Promenade. Costco is right there. You've got every grocery store from budget to luxury to health food in the immediate area. The one exception is Trader Joe's, which is about 10 minutes away, so not in Happy Valley proper. But other than that, you've got everything you could possibly want.

Oregon City is number eight. This one has moved up on the list and has probably been lower in some lists in the past. One thing about Oregon City that's going to kind of define it is the courthouse used to be in downtown Oregon City, and that courthouse has since been moved. They are renovating that building. That brought in a lot of foot traffic for businesses. There's a restaurant right next door, I think it's called the Verdict, and I've heard from them online that they've struggled a little bit now that you don't have that foot traffic.

Gresham, you know, it's kind of like Lake Oswego's one, Gresham's last. That's the typical list. But I don't want people to think that Gresham is not a good place. It's going to be a little bit more spotty, kind of like Beaverton. It's typically, just as a general rule, going to be more spotty the further west that you go. The further east, it kind of starts to get a little bit rural. Gresham has beautiful areas and great neighborhoods. It's just going to vary more than some of the other towns on this list.

So how do you choose? Here's how I think about it. If you want the best overall package and you don't mind tight inventory, Sherwood is hard to beat. If you want local schools and you're a middle-aged family looking to make friends, West Linn is a great choice. If you can afford Lake Oswego and you're not worried about the social dynamic, it's a great town. If you want residential with a brand new school, Wilsonville is solid. If you want underrated and close to everything, Tigard is the answer.

If you want new construction and fast growth, Happy Valley. If you want proximity to jobs at Nike or Intel, Beaverton or Hillsboro. If you want rural options with an up-and-coming downtown, Oregon City. If you want a quaint university town close to the coast, Forest Grove. If you want great location and low crime, Milwaukie. If you want value going west, Cornelius. If you want access to the Columbia River Gorge, Troutdale. If you want a mountain town, Sandy. If you want a small growing town, Estacada.

One other thing: we didn't include every single town that exists in the tri-county area. There are unincorporated areas like Cedar Mill, Bethany, Raleigh Hills, Garden Home, Oak Grove, Oakfield, Jennings Lodge that would rank high if we included them. But we're just going by cities on this list. Johnson City is technically a city with only 539 people. It's the most densely populated town in Oregon. Gladstone is also a city, but it doesn't feel much different than the Milwaukie area to me.

FAQ

Why isn't Lake Oswego number one on this list?

Lake Oswego is a great town, but it's very expensive and not a great value. You can get the same quality of life in West Linn, Sherwood, or Wilsonville for less money. The demographic also skews older, which can make it tougher for middle-aged families with kids to break into social circles.

Which Portland suburb has local schools?

West Linn and Wilsonville share a school district and both have local schools. Sherwood also has local schools across the board. Lake Oswego is known for strong schools as well, but you'll pay a premium to live there.

Which Portland suburb is the best value?

Cornelius and Hillsboro are two of the better values, especially if you're going west. You're in Washington County, so you avoid Multnomah County taxes, and your dollar goes farther. Gresham is also less expensive, but it's more spotty depending on where you are in the city.

Which Portland suburb is closest to the Columbia River Gorge?

Troutdale is the closest to the gorge, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world and ranked number three for hiking in the country. If you're a gorge person, Troutdale should be on your list.

Which Portland suburb is best for mountain access?

Sandy is the mountain town. It's about 10,000 people in town, 30,000 to 40,000 including the rural surrounding areas. If you want access to Mount Hood for skiing and snowboarding, Sandy might be your number one place to look.

Which Portland suburb is growing the fastest?

Happy Valley is one of the fastest growing places in the Portland metro, with a lot of new construction and new commercial. Estacada has had the most growth in the past 5 years, exploding from 3,500 to 5,100 people, but it's 45 minutes outside Portland.

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