Seriously considering returning to Portland; need input [View all]

Hi, Everyone.

I lived in Oregon from 1984 to 2003 and moved back to my home state of Minnesota largely for family reasons. However, those family reasons are no longer a concern, and the last two winters have just about driven me mad. Walking is my major form of exercise, and when the day's high temperature is -15°F or the snow is up to my arthritic knees, I end up staying home, and exercising at the gym just isn't the same. Today I fell on the ice trying to board a bus. (Yes, I know the Willamette Valley and Portland have ice storms, but the ice doesn't last for months at a time.)

In addition, although Minneapolis has improved from its previous status as what I thought of as "Los Angeles with blizzards," the whole Twin Cities area is so spread out and I so hate to drive that I look nostalgically upon the compactness of Portland and the ease of getting around. Yes, I know that Tri-Met has cut service and raised its prices, but a look at the schedules online tells me that it's still miles ahead of the Twin Cities' Metro Transit, which still thinks that it's only job is to take people to work downtown and keeps adding lines that have nothing to do with one another.

While there are a few things I would miss, there is nothing that I would find absolutely wrenching to leave.

So here's my question. I lived in Corvallis (nice, but a bit isolated), McMinnville (a "good place to raise kids," not so good if you're single), and Portland's Hawthorne and King's Hill districts (both of which I loved). My inclination is to move back to Portland, where I lived from 1993 to 2003 and still know quite a few people. I was back for a visit in 2011 and hated to leave. However, I've noticed that Portland has suffered the fate of all popular cities, namely, sky-high rents, like those places in the Pearl that charge $1200 for a studio.

What I'm looking for is a walkable neighborhood with groceries, other kinds of stores, and attractive coffee shops and restaurants, with good Tri-Met connections that may be on its way up or holding steady but isn't totally gentrified. I can't afford to move right now--I work free-lance, so my income varies from "Oh no!" to"Oh wow!"--but I'm definitely working toward at least leaving my current neighborhood, which is another one of those "good places to raise kids," a virtual small town in the midst of the city, isolated by being between two lakes. If I don't move to Portland, I'll move to downtown Minneapolis.

So, what are the good-but-not-too-expensive neighborhoods these days? Hollywood? Sellwood? (I think Multnomah Village and the area along Barbur are be too car-oriented--my goal is to give up driving), Irvington? St. John's? Belmont Avenue? The Lloyd District? Upper 23rd Avenue near Food Front? Are any of the suburbs developing interesting little enclaves?

Input from people on the ground who can tell me things that aren't evident from the Internet would be most appreciated! I hope to make an exploratory trip out there late in the summer or early in the fall, hopefully with an eye toward leaving Minnesota before it gets ugly.

Thanks in advance.