Relocation to OHSU Portland, What is it like around the OHSU campus?
View of OHSU on Marquam Hill from south waterfront campus.
If you are planning for relocation to OHSU, you are moving to a wonderful area!
OHSU Science University is a huge complex nestled up in the SW Hills of Portland, right above the downtown area. It is on the cutting edge of medical research, and was rated #3 Best Medical School in the country by US News and World Report as far as training primary care physicians! It is constantly adding new clinics and research facilities. It is a University, Hospital, Children’s Hospital, VA Hospital, Psychiatry Center, Brain Trauma Center, Cancer Center, Casey Eye Institute, Knight Cardiovascular Center, and many more. You can find a link to the main OHSU programs here http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/index.cfm.
It is also a Teaching Hospital- which makes it unique. It is constantly doing research and trying new things, and provides some of the most innovative treatments in Oregon, even the United States. This is how it describes itself: As the state of Oregon’s only public health and research University, OHSU is a unique resource for Oregonians and the place where healing, teaching and discovery come together.
The Marquam Hill area is the oldest area, where most of the Hospitals and Schools are located and is one of the best choice of
relocation to OHSU. It sits high above downtown Portland in the West Hills, surrounded by forest, with gorgeous views of the city below, plus Mt Hood and maybe even the Willamette River! The houses that are around this area are set in the winding, hilly streets of the West Hills of Portland- all different styles and age homes- the mid 1920’s all the way through Mid-Century- to modern! Most of the houses have larger lots, in comparison to the inner east side of Portland, with larger yards, many times territorial views or even city and mountain views. The older homes are closer in to the downtown area, and as the hills go up and out to the west, the mid Century is more prevalent, and then the 70’s as you get farther out. Some houses have trails that you can actually walk to OHSU through the forest!
There are huge, lavish, ornate historic homes, 4 Square, Bungalow, a lot of English Cottages, Colonial, Tudor, Arts and Crafts. Some of the little streets take you back in time and make you feel like you are in a little English village! As time went on, lots were split, or places were found to put newer homes- some sitting on stilts, others firmly planted! You can find amazing contemporary homes set in among the older homes, some with glass walls that look out on Forest Views, City Views, Mountain and or River! You can also find smaller homes that are more affordable – some older, some newer. It is a beautiful area- reminds me a lot of where I lived in the suburbs just north of NY City. People actually get out and walk, and bike riders commute into the city and relocation to OHSU. There are trails all through the forests- just minutes to downtown- sometimes with peek-a-boo City, River or Mountain views, but you feel like you are way out in the wilderness!
The lower OHSU South Waterfront area is a really awesome area too. It is
right on the Willamette River- with trails that go along the river into downtown or south to John’s Landing, parks and natural areas, and also lots of cafes, restaurants, shops and Happy Hour places to stop at! You can walk, ride your bike, take the Street Car into the rest of downtown, or take the Pedestrian Bridge up to the west. The South Waterfront was started just before the crash in 2008, so it got stopped in it’s tracks and flailed for awhile. Now it is back going strong! There are several high rise condos, some with awesome views of the River and Mountains- Mt Hood, and Mt St. Helens. You can find small studios of 400 SF and huge penthouse units with 2 or 3 bedrooms, large decks and spectacular views. The South Waterfront is very environmentally conscious and has put into practice many green features and designs that are ground breaking- including Bioswales- where water runs through a series of landscaped gardens full of gravel and plants, that cleans rainwater before it feeds into the Willamette River/ EcoRoofs follow the same principle, Solar Panels. Many of the buildings are LEED
Gold- there are very few buildings in the country that are this green! You can read more at www.SouthWaterfront.com
In conclusion, if you would rather live down in the heart of the city, close to restaurants, shops, cafes, the South Waterfront may be what you are looking for! If you like the beauty of the forest, windy roads, views and cool old houses, the West Hills would be better. You can learn more about all the different neighborhoods of Portland in our Portland Neighborhood Guide which is here on our website! We do Custom Tours for people who are interested in relocation to OSHU Portland from other areas, or people who live near Portland but aren’t sure where they would like to live! Just email, text or call us for more information or to set up a time to tour Portland! If you want to search for homes by neighborhood and price, go to our page that is named that! It will send you listings by neighborhood and price as soon as the house is listed! Then if you have questions about a house or would like to see it, just let me know and I will help you!
