Moving to Portland, OR 鈥?what areas should I look at for reasonably priced apts?

We're moving to Portland in a couple of months and was looking for something reasonable to get started there. Gresham? Beaverton?

The areas I really like are probably too expensive right now.. Any ideas? What should I avoid?

There are some really cool, inexpensive areas in the Belmont neighborhood and also Hawthorne. The area around Laurelhurst Park is really cool -- lots of trendy shops and older homes, many of which have been converted into cheap rentals. If you'd like something cheaper and more alternative, the Alberta neighborhood is really up-and-coming. It used to be a high crime area, but it has really turned around over the last few years -- but still hasn't become quite as yuppified as many of the other areas of Portland (like Broadway near Lloyd Center, for example).

I'm an apartment manager, so maybe I can help. The cheapest area right now seems to be around between East Burnside and NE Columbia between 90th and 130th. That's the area between Portland and Gresham. I'm not a big fan of that area.
Today I saw a large 2bd for rent at SE 28th and Gladstone for $750, and that seems like a pretty good deal. I guess it depends on where you'll be working or going to school. I just rented a 1bd on 20th and Hawthorne for $825 and a studio on Hawthorne and 17th for $600.

Don't go to Gresham!, It has a reputation for gang related crime. Go to the websites of Willamette Weekly and/or The Oregonian Newspapers, they have classified ads for apartments. Beaverton is nice, but overpopulated, maybe check out Tigard (Washington County), or Clackamas County.Craigslist also has a Portland,Oregon list, by the county.

If I had never lived in the Portland area before, and I was
young, I'd no doubt find an apartment in Beaverton, where
there are alot of apartment complexes. And there is handy
shopping and trendy restaurants galore too. I haven't been
downtown in a couple of years, and that was only to go to
Powells' bookstore. I tend to live in areas that provide me
with several choices for grocery shopping, and other
outlets for clothing and household goods. And you'll find it
all in Beaverton. And what you can't find, isn't too far away
at Washington Square Mall. With gas as high as it is, I don't
want to drive far and burn up gas, if I can have everything I
want in my community. The downtown core is for those who
like to walk and go to school at Portland State University.
There are also people who like to live close to where they
work, so there are more updated apartments, as well as
relatively newer ones, than there used to be. You won't find
reasonable rent near the university or immediate downtown
area that I know of. There are still apartment buildings on
W 23rd and Burnside and a couple of blocks up that have not only old apartment buildings, but trendy boutiques and eateries to attract the younger set.
It really depends on where you plan to work,and how far
you want to commute. In the downtown core, you would not
have a large grocery store, but there are some small ones
with prices higher than in the suburbs. So it would pay to
drive further to get decent pricing. When I was young, the
apartments in downtown Portland were old but really not all
that cheap. People did all of their shopping in downtown
Portland, and now the majority go to the malls, and don't
have to worry as much about traffic and finding a parking
space. Downtown you can drive around and around to find
an open parking meter. But the Max rail does go to all the
suburbs from downtown, and more people ride the Max
and then walk to work. It runs across the Willamette River
and drops workers off in the Lloyd Center area every day.
My girlfriend takes it to work now, rather than driving, to
avoid all of the headaches of traffic and congestion.
Check out the Oregonian. com, and OregonLive. com for
info about the city and suburbs. Hopefully you can find out
more info from those sites.

If you can find a nice, inexpensive apt. in Gresham or Beaverton, I say go for it! Those are the best, safest areas I know. Also Lake Oswego, which is even MORE expensive.