In our case the line should say, "Moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of cookies."
As Jeff and I began the hunt for a new house last summer, we decided to try and find something in the North end of the district where we work. The area is where many of our colleagues live and is considered a desirable part of town. We crisscrossed North Vancouver for several weeks while preparing to put our Portland house on the market. By the time we had an offer, and a deadline to move, we had crossed most of the available homes off our list, for one reason or another.
One thing we noticed as we toured homes in many different kinds of neighborhoods around Vancouver, is the absence of a strong sense of community or identity. We had been spoiled living in Portland, where each neighborhood had it's own identity or lifestyle. Vancouver itself was established as a result of settlement related to the Fort near downtown. Downtown Vancouver does have some charming older homes much like our former Portland neighborhood but it was too close to my school (a teacher has to get away some time). Vancouver proper is not huge. But the "metropolitan" area of Vancouver stretches West towards Camas, and North along I-5, engulfing communities like Fisher's Landing, Orchards, Hazel Dell, Felida, Salmon Creek, etc. These communities were once independent towns that are technically unincorporated, but are commonly considered part of Vancouver. The Downtown area, with parks, museums and the Fort seems so detached from these other areas. As potential transplants to the area, it was hard for us to see a clear sense of community when there are so many grouped together.
A second problem was our budget. Jeff and I had a very strong sense of what we wanted to spend and unfortunately, it left us under the median home price for the North end areas we were searching. As a result, the homes we looked at were often older, needing a significant amount of work. I think we found four homes that we wanted to put an offer on. The first two were on the same cul-de-sac in Felida. But we saw both before our house had an offer and were snatched up within days. The third was a nice home along a green belt in Salmon Creek. We toured it twice and directed our realtor to make an offer. He called back minutes later and learned another offer had been accepted. Bummer. The fourth was a short sale that needed a lot of work, but had huge rooms and tons of light. Again we intended to put an offer on the house only to learn we were too late. Double bummer.
Back to the drawing board.
Jeff and I spent our evenings playing with MLS websites, looking at photos, wishing and hoping the next great house would magically appear. One evening, Jeff suggested expanding our search a little further out and I agreed. We contemplated Camas, as it has good schools. After driving around town and past houses for sale, we both knew it wasn't the place for us. Which led us to head North. As hesitant as Jeff has been all these years about moving to the suburbs, it was hard to deny the benefits of such a move. We both started to feel hopeful about Battle Ground, a city northeast of Vancouver. I have several colleagues who live there and all had great feedback about the city.
When we first saw pictures of our new house, I think we both had a good feeling. Whether we admitted it or not, I think we both knew that if the real thing matched the pictures, we were going to want it. Almost the second I set foot inside, I felt at home. We loved the house and the neighborhood, which includes a series of duck ponds and a playground/park. In our weekends working at the house, I always see tons of people walking, cycling or playing around the neighborhood. Battle Ground reminds us both a lot of Maple Valley, where I grew up. There seems to be a clear sense of community.
Certainly, it's a another ten miles further from Portland and we worry about attending the church we still love in Portland. We worry that our Portland friends may not come to our house. Jeff thinks my vision of the suburbs is stuck in the 1950s. I tell him he didn't grow up there, so he doesn't know. But, we still feel like this is where we should be right now. Reaffirming that sense, some neighbors came over to introduce themselves bearing a plate full of delicious cookies. As soon as I shut the door, I turned to Jeff beaming. Yep; we're moving to the country, and it comes with cookies.
Don't know the reference for the post title? Click here: Presidents of the United States
Curious about the name Battle Ground? Read a brief history here: BG History
One thing we noticed as we toured homes in many different kinds of neighborhoods around Vancouver, is the absence of a strong sense of community or identity. We had been spoiled living in Portland, where each neighborhood had it's own identity or lifestyle. Vancouver itself was established as a result of settlement related to the Fort near downtown. Downtown Vancouver does have some charming older homes much like our former Portland neighborhood but it was too close to my school (a teacher has to get away some time). Vancouver proper is not huge. But the "metropolitan" area of Vancouver stretches West towards Camas, and North along I-5, engulfing communities like Fisher's Landing, Orchards, Hazel Dell, Felida, Salmon Creek, etc. These communities were once independent towns that are technically unincorporated, but are commonly considered part of Vancouver. The Downtown area, with parks, museums and the Fort seems so detached from these other areas. As potential transplants to the area, it was hard for us to see a clear sense of community when there are so many grouped together.
A second problem was our budget. Jeff and I had a very strong sense of what we wanted to spend and unfortunately, it left us under the median home price for the North end areas we were searching. As a result, the homes we looked at were often older, needing a significant amount of work. I think we found four homes that we wanted to put an offer on. The first two were on the same cul-de-sac in Felida. But we saw both before our house had an offer and were snatched up within days. The third was a nice home along a green belt in Salmon Creek. We toured it twice and directed our realtor to make an offer. He called back minutes later and learned another offer had been accepted. Bummer. The fourth was a short sale that needed a lot of work, but had huge rooms and tons of light. Again we intended to put an offer on the house only to learn we were too late. Double bummer.
Back to the drawing board.
Jeff and I spent our evenings playing with MLS websites, looking at photos, wishing and hoping the next great house would magically appear. One evening, Jeff suggested expanding our search a little further out and I agreed. We contemplated Camas, as it has good schools. After driving around town and past houses for sale, we both knew it wasn't the place for us. Which led us to head North. As hesitant as Jeff has been all these years about moving to the suburbs, it was hard to deny the benefits of such a move. We both started to feel hopeful about Battle Ground, a city northeast of Vancouver. I have several colleagues who live there and all had great feedback about the city.
When we first saw pictures of our new house, I think we both had a good feeling. Whether we admitted it or not, I think we both knew that if the real thing matched the pictures, we were going to want it. Almost the second I set foot inside, I felt at home. We loved the house and the neighborhood, which includes a series of duck ponds and a playground/park. In our weekends working at the house, I always see tons of people walking, cycling or playing around the neighborhood. Battle Ground reminds us both a lot of Maple Valley, where I grew up. There seems to be a clear sense of community.
Certainly, it's a another ten miles further from Portland and we worry about attending the church we still love in Portland. We worry that our Portland friends may not come to our house. Jeff thinks my vision of the suburbs is stuck in the 1950s. I tell him he didn't grow up there, so he doesn't know. But, we still feel like this is where we should be right now. Reaffirming that sense, some neighbors came over to introduce themselves bearing a plate full of delicious cookies. As soon as I shut the door, I turned to Jeff beaming. Yep; we're moving to the country, and it comes with cookies.
Don't know the reference for the post title? Click here: Presidents of the United States
Curious about the name Battle Ground? Read a brief history here: BG History
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