Hi everyone!
If you are anything like me 3 years ago, you are looking to
find a place to live in Forest Grove while you are living halfway across the
country. Believe me, this is no easy feat! After living in Forest Grove for the
last three years, I have some recommendations and tips for you on how to find
the best housing in this cute little town!
First of all, and I know this is probably THE HARDEST thing
to do, especially if you’re accepted early in the year, but you should WAIT!!!!
Don’t forget that us third years are leaving the places we’ve called home for
the past 3 years in May. Many of the
landlords in Forest Grove love optometry students because they know that we’re
responsible and will stay here for 3 solid years. So often times in the month
or two before we move out, we send out emails to the incoming class (on behalf
of our landlords) looking for people that may want to take over our house. In
the past, some incoming students have even been able to snag a fully furnished
apartment because the third years that left sold them all their couches, beds
and miscellaneous items that they would need! It’s a sweet deal! Even if you
can’t take over someone else’s fully furnished house, often times the house
itself is a prime location or space because us third years know where all the
good places to live are-we have lived here for 3 years! J
Often times what else happens in the spring is upperclassmen
send out emails looking for a roommate or two to live with them, because their
current roommate is moving out (probably because they’re a third year). These
are ALSO often ideal situations because you move into a practically fully
furnished place and have upperclassmen to live that can show you the ropes!
Befriending upperclassmen can only benefit you so that you’re better prepared
to know which classes to study for, which books to buy, etc.
One more tidbit I wish I knew when moving out here is that
you don’t have to buy everything new! I mean you totally can if you want,
there’s no sales tax in Oregon so it’s a great place to shop, but the
upperclassmen sell everything they don’t need before they go on rotations! The
couch currently sitting in my living room is from a now graduated optometrist,
and I got it for a steal! So keep your eyes peeled for those types of emails in
the future too.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you may have
to rent starting in the spring to reserve a quality place. Its possible to find
something you can start renting later in the summer, but the odds are unlikely.
But of course there are exceptions to every rule so don’t swear by that one,
just be prepared to build that into your upfront expenses of your move here.
If I haven’t convinced you to not look for housing yet, here
are a few recommendations on places optometry students notoriously live.
Parkview Apartments are very common; I’d say optometry students occupy the
grand majority of their apartments.
The company that manages Parkview Apartments also manages
Meadowlark Apartments, located near Safeway. Both apartment complexes have the
same 2 BR, 1 BA internal design. Here is one picture to give you an idea of
what they look like on the inside:
Another seemingly popular place to live is in the Sherwood
Manor Townhome complex just north of the school. It is a 2BR, 1 BA 2-story
townhome that is probably about a ten-minute walk from school. Here is a
picture:
If you lived at the Sherwood Manor complex, there are a TON
of students that live within just a few blocks from there because there are a
lot of optometry renters in the houses in that area.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can live in
Hillsboro. Some students really enjoy living a little closer to the city,
either to shorten a spouse’s commute time or for easy access to the finer
things that Portland has to offer. A few students have had good luck with the
Jackson School Village apartment complex. They have a pool that is quite lovely
in the summer! Here’s a picture of the inside:
And here’s a picture of the outside:
This is by no means a complete list of the housing
opportunities available in Forest Grove and the surrounding areas, but
hopefully it can get you started! Good luck and happy house hunting!
