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As you know if you’ve been reading my blog, I have been on my “platform” so to speak against large homes and about the need and 
desires of the boomers wanting to stay in their communities as they age.
After I published my critical post about the City, the Lake Oswego Review had a story about how its officials are rethinking the future development here in Lake Oswego and had this to say:
“Before the current recession, the trend in Lake Oswego was to replace older bungalows and ranch homes with large, expensive houses. In addition to Lake Oswego’s attractive parks, schools and other amenities, high land prices and easy access to credit contributed to the tear down trend locally. The small, relatively affordable homes that were removed for upscale housing were never replaced. What was once entry-level housing quickly disappeared, and middle-income families and young adults are now essentially shut out of the Lake Oswego market. This, of course, creates a problem for the Lake Oswego’s public schools, which are experiencing an overall decline in the local school age population; the school district is now seeking tuition-paying students from outside the district, which is not a sustainable solution. The trend is also a problem for empty nesters and other long-time residents who wish to stay in Lake Oswego.”
The First Addition neighborhood is one of the areas referred to in the above. The small cottages were torn down in favor of the larger McMansions much to the disgust and anger of residents living there. Now, that quaint and award-winning community is stuck with those larger homes crowding out the remaining smaller houses.
I also read recently on the Heritage Council’s website that many of this town’s architectural landmarks have been torn down, lost or have disappeared. Since I started my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog, I’ve been researching landmarks and photos I want to take. There’s a lot of history here in town that can never be captured. It’s a shame that everything in favor of and to benefit its citizens is always done after the fact and not with forethought like saving those historic sites. We’ve got to do more. This is a great community and it can get even better.
You sometimes hear critics call this quaint town “Lake Ego”. Frankly, I love living here and I for one don’t want to leave.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No 
Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Check out my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog later today, there will be a new photo posted. Every Monday a new one will be added.
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This Fall must have been the prettiest we’ve had in a very long time. At least, I don’t remember having one this nice where all the leaves
were in their finest colors.
were in their finest colors.Here’s a list of some places you can drop off your leaves. By now, hopefully with the rain all the leaves have fallen off the trees. I had already loaded up 15 trash cans of leaves and the other day had around 7 more. I think I’m done raking now. However, I have a compost pile and it will love my leaves! If you don’t have a compost pile, here are some sites locally for you to take your leaves:
2009 Leaf Depot Locations
- Lents Park – SE 92nd and SE Holgate, in the eastside parking lot
- Stanton Yard – 2929 N Kerby, west of Emanuel Hospital
- Westmoreland Park – SE 22nd and SE Nehalem, in parking lot next to the baseball field
- Gabriel Park – SW 42nd and Vermont, in the upper parking lot
Only leaves will be accepted. No other yard debris will be allowed. Please contact Metro Recycling at 503-234-3000 or use your curbside yard debris container for this material.
2009 Leaf Depot Fees
- $5.00 per car load
- $10.00 per truck, SUV, or trailer load
- $20.00 per truck and trailer (5 cubic yard maximum)
- No commercial loads – these individuals will be referred to small local businesses, commercial recycling centers, or Metro.
SOME ADDITIONAL SITES
Metro South Transfer Station, Oregon City (503) 234-3000
Pacific Land Clearing & Recycling Center, Oregon City (503-656-7793)
S&H Landscaping Supplies, Tualatin (503-638-1011)
LAKE OSWEGO
The City of Lake Oswego does not have a leaf drop off program. Residents should use compost bins, take leaves to a drop off site designated by METRO or use the yard-debris containers provided by Rossman Sanitary Service. Rossman customers who require additional collection can also use “Kraft” bags available at most home improvement stores.
WEST LINN
Leaves may be disposed of in your yard debris container provided by your garbage hauler or you may take leaves and other yard debris to the Dan Davis Recycling Center located at 4001 Willamette Falls Drive. Call Dan Davis Recycling for hours, rates, and information (503) 655-1928 or visit their website http://www.plcrecycling.com/dan-davis.html Call West Linn Refuse & Recycling for curbside recycling information (503) 557-3900.
TIGARD
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
With the Tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding throughout the world, and our chances of rain increasing daily here locally, I thought it might be a good idea for you to check your insurance policies regarding coverage for flooding if you live in Lake Oswego.
At the end of 2007, FEMA completed a study of the Lake Oswego area and gave the City of Lake Oswego until June 2008 to adopt maps and codes necessary to change the flood zoning for properties surrounding the Lake, canals, Tualatin River and Spring Creek. The City’s map includes the area along the Willamette River that was inundated by water during our floods in February 1996. The new maps identify the areas as “Special Flood Hazard” areas that have a 1% chance of flooding in any given year, or what is more commonly known as the 100-year floodplain. These are also areas that are subject to what is known as a “base flood”.
More properties may need flood insurance. Federally-backed home loans require flood insurance if the property is located within an area that could be subject to the base flood. Although the new maps result in a higher base flood elevation, they also make it much easier to see if a house or other structure is actually located within the floodplain. If a house is not within the floodplain, a property may file a letter of map amendment with FEMA. If accepted, the letter would then eliminate the need for flood insurance. Lenders and underwriters now are becoming increasingly more cautious when making home loans.
In the 1980s, I remember an underwriter questioning a house sale of mine with a Canal address in Lake Oswego. The underwriter was requiring that the new buyer obtain flood insurance based merely on the address. However, the house was perched high on a hill overlooking the canal and there was absolutely no way the house could ever get flooded. Ultimately, we did succeed in getting that requirement waived. However, I am sure there will be future situations like this occurring with the new stringent lending/appraisal requirements.
Here are some issues as a result of those newer Lake Oswego changes:
- the value of property could be affected due to new elevation requirements
- you may be required to carry flood insurance even if it wasn’t required at the time of your original purchase or if you now refinance
- if a substantial remodel is planned, the entire structure will now be required to be at 104.5 feet elevation compared to the prior 103.5 feet
- new construction if it was built after 6/18/2008 will be required to be at that new 104.5 feet and subject to the new zones
If you are a buyer or seller of a lake or waterfront property, it is important you know about floodplains and insurance requirements.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Copyright Michael Mahlum and used with permission
ANNOUNCING….my new photo blog…..Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog…..starting today, October 12th.
When you have as many hobbies and interests as I do, it becomes difficult to choose one from the other. And, now I have a new interest and challenge. Photography. My skills are frankly zilch. Precisely because I am not a good photographer is why I started a photo blog and took on the challenge to begin with. I want to learn.
It will be a companion to this blog ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate and will be a photographic journal of living in Lake Oswego-Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog. For the time being, photos will be posted weekly on that blog. Hopefully, as time passes, you will see my photographic skills improve. I have always cut the heads off people and the roof tops off houses when taking pictures. This photo blog will force me to step up my game. Are you ready for this? I am looking forward to the challenge (for me it’s a challenge) and taking the pictures getting better with time.
Any comments, questions or contributions will always be appreciated. I hope you enjoy it as I’ve already had fun with it. Check it out when you have a chance.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Picture of Autumn in Lake Oswego (City-data Website)
Autumn declares its arrival with leaves turning bright crimson, vibrant orange and vivid yellow and it’s one of my favorite times of year. We here in Oregon are fortunate to experience all four seasons and Fall is now in full swing. With schools in session, there is a brief lull before the holidays. Take a trip on some of Oregon’s winding roads that loop and twist through shades of dark green evergreen trees, amid the colored leaves of big leaf maples, alder and mountain ash sometime this week as it’s supposed to be sunny pretty much for the next seven days.
There are some great sites throughout all of Oregon to view the fall leaves. I have a Fall video link on my side bar under my new videos category for viewing. Pretty much anywhere in Oregon you’ll see the changing of colors, however, here are some places of particular interest:
- A drive thru Oregon’s Coast Range
- Forest Park (southwest Portland)
- University of Oregon (Eugene)
- Oregon State University (Corvallis)
- Lewis and Clark College (southwest Portland)
- Marylhurst University (Lake Oswego-West Linn-southwest Portland)
- Reed College (southeast Portland)
- Tryon Creek State Park (southwest Portland)
- Mary S. Young State Park (West Linn)
- Highway 242 – the old McKenzie River Highway from McKenzie Bridge to the top of McKenzie Pass
- Hoyt Arboretum (southwest Portland)
- Japanese Garden (southwest Portland)
- The western section of the Columbia River Gorge (between Portland and Hood River).
- Cook Park (Tigard)
If you want to bring the fall into your own yard, here are some trees recommended for planting:
- Autumn Blaze Maple
- Autumn Flame Maple
- Autumn Purple Ash
- Cascade Snow Cherry
- Chantileer Pear
- Dawn Redwood
- Emerald Queen Norway Maple
- Frontier Elm
- Japanese Stewartia
- Milky Way Kousa Dogwood
- Red Sunset Maple
- Scarlet Oak
- Seiryu Japanese Maple
- Tamarack or Larch
- Vine Maple
As they say on a popular TV show – “Take some time to enjoy the view!”.
Source: In part – Off the Beaten Path – Myrna Oakley
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
From attending classes, lectures, art exhibits to dances, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting this campus on many occasions. The grounds are beautiful and boasts a commanding presence, Marylhurst University , sits on the banks of the Willamette River with a marvelous view of Mt. Hood. The
University is situated between two towns recently named by Money magazine as part of their 100 best small towns – #69 West Linn and #74 Lake Oswego. Marylhurst University has its own post office:
- Marylhurst University
- 17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy. 43)
- P.O. Box 261
- Marylhurst, OR 97036-0261
- Phone: 503.636.8141
- Toll-free: 800.634.9982
- Fax: 503.636.9526
HISTORY OF MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY (Watch all these YouTube videos)
From Montreal 12 nuns, the youngest was 18, set sail on a ship to journey for the frontiers of Oregon. The voyage took five weeks and was not without adventure. They had to transfer vessels two times as the ships were in poor condition to set sail, there was a violent storm on sea which threatened to destroy two of the ships but the third – the Northern – landed in Portland October 1, 1859.
On the dock it seemed as if all of Portland’s citizens were there to greet them and they arrived with the boom of a canon. The Sisters had come prepared to educate its children. However, from the moment the doors opened to their new school, they were called upon to care for orphans, the poor, the sick and the despairing. Babies were frequently abandoned on their doorstep. By 1950, there were 800 Sisters and their 18,000 students. Motivated by a deep love of God, and an absolute passion for educating young people, they brought with them from Quebec, what is so deeply integral to their French heritage, a love for the beauty of music and art, and the gift for finding and celebrating God in the natural beauty of creation.
The “Twelve” started St. Mary’s Academy that first year in downtown Portland. Soon the Academy housed a school to educate teachers.
A track of land was purchased in 1906 in Oak Grove and 50 acres on the site of the current Marylhurst location. In the early 1900s, the Sisters’ Province Administration and the Teacher’s College moved to this site on the banks of the Willamette River. Marylhurst University was born. In 1930, it was renamed to Marylhurst College from Saint Mary’s Academy and College. The school and college were combined in 1950. Marylhurst only became co-educational in 1974 and added graduate level programs in the mid-1980s. The name was one again changed to Marylhurst University in 1998.
For more than a century, Marylhurst University has been dedicated to delivering academic excellence in an environment that supports student success. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, knew how important it is to educate the “whole” person. They created an engaging learning atmosphere at Marylhurst that fuels the imagination, broadens intellectual horizons and strengthens professional expertise still today.
Sources: As recalled by Sister Jane Hibbard, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and Marylhurst University Trustee, at the dedication of Knight’s Green on October 17, 2007, Oregon’s Iron Dream by Mary Goodall, and The Oregon Companion by Richard H. Engeman.
Now these traditions of educating the whole person, ensuring the development of spiritual and artistic growth, cultivating and delighting in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty: all of this is the heritage and pride of Marylhurst
ADULT EDUCATION
With the economy such as it is, many adults are not only needing to go back to school in order to advance in today’s business world, many are needing to change careers. The other day I wrote a post saying Oregon has high ranking college towns. Here are some of the colleges and universities around Portland, Oregon:
- Art Institute of Portland
- Clackamas Community College
- Concordia University
- Lewis and Clark College
- George Fox University
- Linfield College
- Mt. Hood Community College
- Oregon Health Sciences University
- Oregon State University
- Pacific University
- Portland Community College
- Portland State University
- Reed College
- University of Oregon
- University of Portland
- Willamette University
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Did you know that Lake Oswego once had a covered bridge? According to an out-of-print book I refer to many times in my blog, Oregon’s Iron Dream by Mary Goodall, in the 1900s there used to be a covered bridge from Lake Oswego to West Linn over what the Native American Indians referred to as Waluga Creek, later called Sucker Creek by early settlers a
nd referred to today as Oswego Creek, near the main highway to West Linn. The creek flows into Palisades Pond and Lake Oswego, then pours into the Willamette River. The covered bridge was close to or in what today is George Rogers Park. There’s a picture of it in my book that’s different from these, but here are the pictures from the City of Lake Oswego’s Historic photo gallery. I’ve tried to reproduce the one I have but it is old and haven’t been able to
do so.
Image from Covered Bridge Society Website
Although the Lake Oswego covered bridge is long gone, there are still many covered bridges remaining from a bye-gone era in Oregon. I’ve been to many of them. My favorite, however, is the one along the McKenzie River. On road trips, I’ve tried to see as many as I could and I know of families who have taken the kids as a summer vacation to see all of them.
Now you can see at least five of them at the Covered Bridge Festival next weekend. I think I’ve seen at least that many so far.
COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL – SEPTEMBER 21:
For some Fall fun, this September 21st, the Covered Bridge Festival takes place with a tour of 5 bridges, music and more:
Where: TimberLand Park, Albany, Oregon
When: Third weekend of September
Saturday, September 20th, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 21st, 9:00 to 5:00 p.m.
We feature a passel of old fashioned FAMILY FUN; from Guided & Self-guided tours of 5 beautiful covered bridges & their folklore, (reservations preferred, 503-399-0436) $10.00 fee, Live Music, Living History Displays and information, Vintage Cars & Bicycles, Lots & Lots of Children’s activities, rubber tired train rides $2.00 ea, hand crafted arts & crafts, drawing for the new Covered Bridge Quilt, one of a kind.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Farmers Markets are extremely popular not only in Oregon but throughout the United States. Fall’s just around the corner and if you thought you’d only be able to pick up fresh produce in the spring and summer months in Oregon, think again!
I’ve written past posts (one last year in May and this year for Mother’s Day), on the spring and summer farmers market but with Oregon’s mild climate, there are plenty of local farmers that can provide you with the freshest and best throughout the year. In addition, some of the farmers markets are open year-round so you can stock up whenever you want.
The Oregon Farmer’s Market Association provides listings of those farmers markets throughout Oregon and the Portland Farmers Market website provides Portland information. Here’s a list of farmers markets around Portland that continue beyond September:
- Hillsdale Farmer’s Market - open thru November
- People’s Farmers Market - open year-round
- PSU Portland Farmers Market - open through December 19
- Downtown Market - open through October 28
- Ecotrust Market - open until September 24
- Eastbank Market - open until September 24
- King Market - open until October 25
- Beaverton Farmers Market - open until October 3
- Cedar Mills Farmers Market - open until October 24
- Hillsboro Winter Market - open until December 12
- Lake Oswego Farmers Market - open until October 10
- Wilsonville Villebois Farmers Market - open until October 18
- Gorge Grown in Hood River - open until October 3
- Gresham Farmers Market - open until October 31
- Hollywood Farmers Market - open until November 21
- Montavilla Farmers Market - open until October 25 and on November 8 and 22
- Parkrose Farmers Market - open until October 31
- Hood River Harvest Festival - October 16-18
- Canby Farmers Market - open until mid-October
- Clackamas Farmers and Artists Market - open through October 28
- West Linn Farmers Market – open until September 29 503-550-7133
- Sunnyside Grange Farmers & Artists Market - open until October 25
- Milwaukie Farmers Market - open until October 25
- Oregon City Farmers Market - open until October 31
Updated 9-25-09
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
A “tear down” is a house that is uninhabitable or deemed unsafe. Houses are also torn down to make way for a new project, i.e. shopping
mall, subdivision, freeway, roads, etc. Perhaps you’ve read about the cities throughout the U.S. who are also bull-dozing foreclosures that have been vandalized and completely ransacked thereby reducing their values.
The City of Lake Oswego occasionally finds itself in possession of a house whose useful life is over, usually in a park or natural area. In the past, the City has torn these houses down and trucked the remains to a landfill. More recently, the City has adopted the practice of house deconstruction.
From the City of Lake Oswego’s HELLO LO! community newsletter comes word that our local government jurisdiction contracts with private firms who provide deconstruction services. They may disassemble the house on site, or push it over and truck it to a sorting warehouse. In either process, usable items such as fixtures, appliances, and windows are removed. Some items can be sold, others are donated. Even plants can sometimes be transplanted and “reused” in a new landscape. After the reusable items are salvaged, remaining materials are sorted for recycling. Wood, brick, glass, ceramic, metal and carpet can all be given new life.
What’s the coolest thing the City of Lake Oswego has ever recycled? Carpets from the library were removed by a carpet vendor, washed, re-stamped and sold for reinstallation in a public housing project. For similar residential recycling services, it’s actually become cheaper than the costs to dispose of the material at a landfill.
In addition to recycling building materials, the City buys recycled goods for its own buildings. The City uses refurbished furniture instead of buying new whenever possible. For example, the City refinished City Hall lobby furniture instead of replacing it. In addition, the City constructs employee cubicles with re-covered panels rather than buying new ones.
Oregonian staff writer for the Homes & Gardens Section, Shannon Quimby, used recycled items and reused everything she could for her house. She had been documenting it on her blog. And, years ago at a Street of Dreams here in Portland, I can’t remember which one, a house was totally decorated using items purchased from Goodwill that they painted, reupholstered, reused etc.
If you don’t have your own tear-down to use and recycle, there are several places in Portland where you can buy salvaged material:
- The Rebuilding Center. 3625 N Mississippi Ave. (503) 331-1877
- Hippo Hardware. 1040 E. Burnside St. (231-1444)
- Habitat for Humanity Re-Store 66 S.E. Morrison (503-293-6247)
- EchoHaus. 819 SE Taylor St. (222-3881) (New materials made from recycled products)
- SCRAP 2915 NE Martin-Luther King Jr., Blvd. (294-0769)
If you’re not building or remodeling with recycling materials, many of these places are just fun to go and visit. In fact I’ve visited most of them.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Oregonians love their dogs. There are many local parks around Portland that welcome dogs. As summer is winding down and the “dog days of summer” are coming to an end, many people are staying closer to home this year for vacations and holidays. Labor Day’s just around the corner, so you might want to take your dog out for his/her day in the park. If you have friends visiting who have dogs over the upcoming holiday weekend, or if you’re new to our area and aren’t familiar with all the local dog parks, here’s a list of places to take your pooch.
PORTLAND
The City of Portland’s website has their off-leash areas, dog parks, maps, and the rules for their parks. Here’s their list of “dog friendly” parks:
- Alberta Park - Portland
- Arbor Lodge Park - Portland
- Argay Park - Portland
- Brentwood Park - Portland
- Cathedral Park - Portland
- Cherry Park - Portland
- Chimney Park - Portland
- Couch Park - Portland
- Council Crest Park - Portland
- Creston Park - Portland
- Dakota Memorial Dog Park - Portland
- East Delta Park - Portland
- Fernhill Park - Portland
- Frazer Park - Portland
- Gabriel Park - Portland
- Grant Park - Portland
- Hazeldale Park - Portland
- Hillsdale Park - Portland
- Hondo Dog Park - Portland
- Irving Park - Portland
- Laurelhurst Park - Portland
- Lents Park - Portland
- Lynchwood Park
- Memorial Park - Portland
- Mt. Tabor Park - Portland
- Normandale Park - Portland
- Overlook Park - Portland
- Sacajawea Park - Portland
- Sellwood Riverfront Park - Portland
- Sewallcrest Park - Portland
- Wallace Park - Portland
- West Delta Park - Portland
- Willamette Park - Portland
- Wilshire Park – Portland
- Woodstock Park – Portland
TIGARD
The City of Tigard has their dog parks as well:
- Ash Street - Tigard
- Potso Dog Park - Tigard
- Summerlake Park - Tigard
LAKE OSWEGO
The City of Lake Oswego’s recent Hazelia Field Dog park has won a national award in 2008.
- Hazelia Field Dog Park – Lake Oswego
WEST LINN
West Linn’s Parks and Recreation site have their dog parks/rules listed as well.
- Mary S. Young State Park - West Linn
Many of the parks have special “doggie” events such as Woofstock in West Linn that is held in the summer.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
The Oregon Department of Education is required to post an Oregon Statewide Report Card. It is an annual publication required by law (ORS 
329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Report Card is to monitor the trends in Oregon schools concerning achievement, special program offerings, student and staff characteristics, funding, and other significant information.
School Report cards are available for every district and every school throughout Oregon. Click here for a sample for the Lake Oswego School District. In addition, you can check on each individual school and here is the latest report for Lake Oswego High School. You can check further for stats as to: total population, gender, ethnicity, special ed., economically disadvantaged, migrant, TAG, CLRAS, and extended assessment.
If you’re thinking of moving anytime soon, it’s not too early to be thinking of schools and how they rate. The website has lots of information to see if a particular school would meet your child’s needs. I know it’s only mid-July, but the start of school is just around the corner. The most recent report card is for 2007-2008. The Portland Monthly Magazine did an article on that most recent Oregon Statewide Report Card. Here’s that article.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter – JUNG’S JOURNAL – on my website www.bettyjung.com).
Copyright Betty Jung - Westlake Park
Copyright Betty Jung - Westlake Park
CNN’s Money magazine just rated West Linn #64 and Lake Oswego #79 out of its “Top 100 Best Places to Live”. You can read it here.
One of the wonderful features of living in this small city – Lake Oswego – is its accessibility to parks. My house sits within a couple of blocks of Westlake Park – one of the many parks within the City of Lake Oswego. Besides a play area and picnic area, there’s a softball field where summer concerts are held. Here’s Westlake Park’s Summer Concert schedule.
I’d have to say my favorite park is one of the City’s newest parks – Foothills Park. (See photo below). It sits along the Willamette River which makes it an ideal place to watch the boats pass. There’s a large covered picnic area, plus a small pool of water circling part of the picnic facilities. As with the Westlake Park, concerts are also held in Foothills Park during the summer months. Here’s the Foothills Park Summer Concert Schedule.
If you’re looking for a place to go this summer with the kids, there are a multitude of parks in the City of Lake Oswego’s system with each one offering something different:
CITY PARKS
- FOOTHILLS PARK
Foothills Park (City of Lake Oswego Website)
Located on the Willamette River, north of Roehr Park. “Views of the river from a covered platform; a ring of basalt columns engraved with the poetry of William Stafford (the Stafford Stones); a timber and stone picnic pavilion with a stone fireplace; pathways, a reflecting pond, and a grass amphitheater.” 199 Foothills Drive.
- FREEPONS PARK
Hemlock Street and Bickner Road
- GEORGE ROGERS PARK
Baseball/softball and soccer fields, picnic shelters, access to the Willamette River, a memorial garden area, rest rooms, playground and outdoor tennis courts Ladd and South State Street in Old Town
- GLENMORRIE PARK
Highway 43 at Brookhurst Drive
- GREENTREE PARK
Carter Place and Greentree Road
Located on Oswego Bay and in the heart of downtown Lake Oswego. Open fireplace, reflecting pond, sculpture, trees, tables, plaza
200 First Street and Evergreen. Here’s the Summer Concert Schedule for Millenium Park.
- PILKINGTON PARK
19043 Pilkington Road
- ROEHR PARK
5065 Oswego Pointe Drive in the Foothills Area
- ROSSMAN PARK
Fourth Street and C Avenue
- WALUGA PARK
53 acres of active and natural passive areas, including two lighted baseball fields, picnic shelters, playground and open play areas, and nature trails. 15533 Quarry Road and Waluga
- WESTLAKE PARK
Melrose Street and Fosberg Road
- WESTRIDGE PARK
3400 Royce Way
- MCNARY PARK
Kerr Parkway
- RED FOX HILLS PARK #3
- RED FOX HILLS PARK #1
- PENNINGTON PARK
Boones Ferry Road
- SOUTHWOOD PARK
62nd and Pamela Street
Stafford Road and Rosemont Road in the Stafford-Tualatin Valley area
- CAMPBELL NATIVE GARDEN
Upper Drive in the Lake Grove area
NATURAL AREAS + OPEN SPACES
- WOODMONT NATURAL PARK
Atwater Road
- COOKS BUTTE PARK
Delenka Lane in the Palisades neighborhood
- IRON MOUNTAIN PARK
Natural area and wetlands with a system of informal pathways and wildlife viewing
Iron Mountain Boulevard adjacent to the Lake Oswego Hunt Club in the Lake Grove neighborhood
- BRYANT WOODS NATURE PARK
Childs Road and Canal Road
- SPRINGBROOK PARK
Among Lake Oswego’s oldest and largest natural areas. Informal trails, native plants, trees and wetlands, two miles of newly-constructed park trails connect surrounding neighborhoods, schools and indoor tennis center. Friends of Springbrook Park on Diane Drive in the Uplands neighborhood
- CANAL ACRES
Childs Road and Canal Road
- KERR OPEN SPACE
Off Kerr Parkway
- SUNNYSLOPE OPEN SPACE
Childs Road and Hilltop Road
- ELLEN BERGIS NATURE RESERVE
Hwy 43
- CORNELL NATURAL AREA
Cornell Road in the Hallinan Heights neighborhood
- IRON MOUNTAIN CREEK
- BETH RYAN NATURE RESERVE
- LAMONT SPRINGS NATURAL AREA
Lakeview Blvd
Stafford Road and Rosemont Road in the Stafford-Tualatin Valley area
- RIVER RUN PARK
- SOUTH SHORE PROPERTY
South Shore Boulevard off McVey-South Shore
- FIRELANE PROPERTY
Rosemont Road
- BROCK PROPERTY
Rosemont Road
- PALISADES RESERVOIR
Bergis Road
- HART PROPERTY Hwy 43
Enjoy these wonderful parks in Lake Oswego and concerts this Summer!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter – JUNG’S JOURNAL – on my website www.bettyjung.com).
Newspapers and print media in many cases have folded. The one thing I enjoy is reading our local newspaper the Lake Oswego Review. Although it can be read on-line, there’s something about thumbing through its pages. And, there’s something else I’ve noticed lately in reading The Review, businesses coming into the retail core area of downtown Lake Oswego.
In one case, a popular locally-owned store and one I frequent regularly,
is currently in a somewhat hidden location at the south end of town. It is now moving into a prime retail site in the heart of Lakeview Village into the vacant retail space formerly occupied by a national chain. Another very popular locally-owned store that previously closed is once again opening and moving into a prime spot formerly housed by a small bank and a third is a service-related storefront new to our area.
Green shoots in Lake Oswego? It is nice to see the “For Lease” signs disappearing and local stores thriving. Because vacant “hot” locations have opened and rents on spaces dropping, it’s making it possible for these businesses to move to the forefront. Congrats to them!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter – JUNG’S JOURNAL – on my website www.bettyjung.com).
If you thought money from President Obama’s 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was earmarked for larger states or cities,
you can look at Lake Oswego’s “shovel ready” street rehabilitation projects scheduled for this Fall and into 2010, and know those projects are a result of stimulus funds.
Two inches of existing pavement will be replaced with two inches of new pavement at 37 different locations in Lake Oswego. All work will be accomplished between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. When you find yourself sitting in traffic as a result of those scheduled projects, just know your tax dollars are at work.
If you want to know specific project information and which streets to avoid this Fall, you can go to the engineering pages of the City’s website.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Here are some local family-fun celebrations you can attend around July 4:
Waterfront Blues Festival at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, downtown Portland.
July 2nd – 5th live music everyday and on Friday the 4th watch the spectacular, “Feel-the-Thunder” display of fireworks, twice as large as any display in Oregon, at 10:05 pm.
More info at: http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com
Fireworks at Blue Lake at Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview, along the river.
Spend the 4th at the park with entertainment starting at 6 pm and fireworks at dusk.
Get details at: http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=149
Fireworks Spectacular at Oaks Park in Portland – Sellwood. Annual 4th of July Celebration.
Rides start at noon and you can stay and play to midnight! Live entertainment throughout the day and fireworks begin at 9:55 pm.
More info at: http://www.oakspark.com/upcoming3.html
The Big Bang July 4th Celebration in Estacada.
This is an all day event with music, food, and fun, then fireworks starting at 10 pm.
Get more details at: http://www.estacada4thofjuly.com
St. Paul Rodeo in St. Paul.
Experience the exhilaration of rodeo with the world’s greatest professional cowboys and cowgirls. In addition to rodeo there will be barbecues, dancing, parade, carnival, and fireworks.
See all the info at: http://www.stpaulrodeo.com
Parade and Fireworks – Lake Oswego.
July 4th Star Spangled Parade @ 10 a.m. at “A” Avenue and 10th Street and ends at Evergreen Road and 3rd Street around 10:45 a.m. Fireworks display at the Lake Grove Swim Park. starting at 7 p.m. and fireworks start at 9:45 p.m. Here’s the info:
http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/cal/wc07042009.htm#2491
Fourth of July Celebration – Tigard.
On July 4th at Tigard High School Soccer Field, Corner of Hall and Durham Roads, Tigard. Gates open at 6 p.m. with fireworks at dusk. Clowns, live music, kids’ games, police and fire vehicles + concession stands w/light snacks. Info:
http://www.tigard-or.gov/community/fourth_of_july/default.asp
Mollala Buckeroo – Molalla
July 2-5. Fireworks July 2-4. For more information here’s their website;
http://www.molallabuckeroo.com/2009Rodeo.aspx
General Canby Days – Canby
July 4th includes music, parade, fireworks and more. Check it out here:
http://www.generalcanbyday.org/
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter – JUNG’S JOURNAL – on my website www.bettyjung.com).
There’s a great place for a hike that is conveniently located at the north edge of Lake Oswego but situated in SW Portland. A great time to enjoy Tryon Creek State Park is this coming Spring or any time for that matter. Plan a day trip!
Tryon Creek State Park is a 645-acre forested gem
that features more than 14 miles of interconnecting trails designed for hikers, runners, and equestrians. Picturesque Tryon Creek wanders through the heart of this park. Many single track trails follow the course of the creek and take you over rolling terrain past immense red cedar, Douglas fir, and big-leaf maple trees.
Before you venture out on a hike make sure, however, that you stop at the Nature Center for a trail map. I’ve gone hiking at the park without a map only to get lost and wound up at the opposite end of where I wanted to be.
Located only minutes from downtown Portland, Tryon Creek State Park is Oregon’s only state park within a major metropolitan area. Here are the directions to the park:
Directions
from Salem, Tualatin, Wilsonville (I-5 Northbound)
from NW Portland and Vancouver, WA (I-5 Southbound)
from East Portland/Gresham
from SE Portland, Milwaukie
from Beaverton, Tigard, and points west
from Canby, Oregon City and points southeast
Contact
11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.
Portland OR 97219
Phone: 503-636-4398
Every day, visitors come to hike or stroll Tryon Creek State’s Park’s nature trails located between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevard in SW Portland. Cyclists of all ages bike along the paved trail on the park’s eastern edge yet stopping to admire the trilliums. Even before Spring arrives, there are always events you can attend. In addition, the Friends of Tryon Creek State Park also have a website for additional information.
OWL FEST – FREE EVENT
This Saturday, March 7, there will be an Owl Fest at the Park from 4-7 p.m. and it is free. There will be activities for the entire family including owl pellet dissection, book reading and signing by a local author, snacks and guided hikes. Appropriate for all ages.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Recently my post on graffiti “Let’s Get Rid Of It”, spoke about Clackamas County proposing a new program to rem
ove graffiti.
In a Lake Oswego Review article it said that the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners towards the end of December did adopt a Graffiti Code and Graffiti Abatement Assistance Program to reduce the negative impact of graffiti in the county.
The new code identifies graffiti as a violation and requires property owners to remove graffiti on their property. When a violation is identified, county staff will send the property owner a notice asking for the graffiti to be removed within 15 days. If that isn’t done, the property owner will be issued a citation and forfeiture of up to $500.
Just the other day, I again saw graffiti on public property in Lake Oswego. The article states removal of graffiti would be the the responsibility of the public entity that maintains that particular property.
The Graffiti Abatement Assistance Program will help residential property owners who are willing but unable to remove graffiti from their property. Qualified participants may be asked to sign a release of liability form and staff will coordinate removal of the graffiti. Services range from free or discounted supplies from local home improvement and paint stores and county-sponsored labor.
SURPLUS FORECLOSED PROPERTY AUCTION
There is a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Land Sale Auction scheduled on March 17, 2009 of surplus foreclosed properties. For more information, click here. Additional information can be obtained here as well. Here is a list of the property that will be auctioned. All properties are in Clackamas County and most are vacant land.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
NOTE: No computer and no BlackBerry™ yet again. Working on getting those fixed – this is from my supply of pre-written posts! Hope to be back reporting on stats and the Portland Real Estate market soon.
____________________________________________________
Thank goodness for computers as I check my bank statements on-line frequently. Twice now I’ve been charged money for things I did not authorize my bank to do. First off, let me explain that my bank is not one of those in trouble nor are they a bank that has merged with another. In fact, they are on the top 5 list of “safe” and secure banks.
Granted the fees they charged me weren’t exorbitant, but in both cases they weren’t fees that were part of my accounts. The first instance was a $35.00 a month charge and certainly not a huge amount. My bank placed me in an account that now had a fee. I hadn’t requested that account, I hadn’t used nor requested the additional services that account offered such as free checks and a credit card, and I requested my account be switched back to my initial basic account. Secondly, they charged me $6.95
(again not an enormous amount) a month for a service that I again did not authorize such as bill pay. It was an additional feature that I’ve never used in the past, nor had I been using recently, nor did I want. Again, I canceled the service and had them credit back the amount they charged me.
I am getting concerned that banks can just decide to do whatever they want with my funds and accounts, without asking me, without me authorizing any changes, and also without even notifying me. Had I not been checking on-line regularly, I would not have even known about those changes and charges that were made by them.
Banks are trying to make up for losses and have now started charging fees for either services they hadn’t in the past or are setting up a new structure of fees for accounts. Here’s a link to a story where banks are charging extra fees for withdrawals at ATM’s now too.
This is just a “heads up”. You might want to pay a lot more attention to your accounts these days. With people in financial distress, I know banks are feeling some pain as well, but they don’t need to change my accounts without my knowledge. It “pays” to pay attention.
FREEBIES FROM LAKE OSWEGO
Lake Oswego, in an effort to cut water consumption, is handing out “freebies” to residents within the City of Lake Oswego.
Shower timers, water-efficient shower heads, kitchen and bathroom sink aerators and toilet dye pellets, used to determine if a toilet leaks, are available on the third floor or at the citizen information desk at Lake Oswego’s City Hall, at 380 A Ave., 
Lake Oswego.
Rain sensors can also be purchased for $5.
Kevin McCaleb, the city’s water conservation specialist, will also be conducting free audits of your home to give recommendations on reducing your water use. He can be reached at 503-675-3747.
The city is developing a rebate program to encourage residents with toilets made before 1996 to purchase water-saving models.
All this to encourage and assist residents in Lake Oswego to cut their water use.
FREE TAX PREPARATION SITES
From February 1 through April 15th each year, the AARP Tax-Aide program offers free one-on-one counseling, as well as assistance on the telephone and internet to help individuals prepare basic tax forms, including the 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ and other standard schedules. You can search by zip code to find AARP Tax-Aide sites (see link below) near you.
There are more than 50 places around Portland and several in Lake Oswego that offer free tax preparation. Here’s a link to find some of those places.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
If you haven’t been following this project and own a home here in Lake Oswego, you need to know about Lake Oswego’s Interceptor 
Sewer Project.
This will have a significant impact on Lake Oswego real estate over the next several years. At one point the lake will be drawn down 18′ as the new interceptor line is installed. Sewer costs will be paid by issuing revenue bonds that will be repaid through your utility bill. This could double the cost of sewer bills for all Lake Oswego real estate owned by you over a 10-year period. A 10% increase per year will be taking place.
According to the City’s website;
“The LOIS system will replace the interceptor sewer line, the backbone of the City’s waste water system, located in Oswego Lake. Replacement of the interceptor is critical to ensuring the environmental protection of Oswego Lake and maintaining sewer service for residents. The existing interceptor is undersized, resulting in overflows during heavy rains, and is vulnerable during an earthquake.
Our promise to residents:
- Minimizing impacts to residents and the environment to the greatest extent possible during the construction process while
- Constructing a fiscally responsible project within a set time frame; and
- Ensuring no disruptions in sewer service during construction.
We know that this project will be more disruptive to some residents than others. We will seek solutions that are fair and equitable and are respectful of the project time-line and budget that affects everyone.”
My company, RE/MAX equity group, inc. is recommending that we Real Estate Brokers provide a disclosure to anyone purchasing property in Lake Oswego of these new sewer fees. If you’d like more information on this project, here is the website.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
If you’re not in line yet for the 6 a.m. Black Friday sales, think local instead.
In years past, I’ve tried to support our local retailers whenever I go shopping. One year, I never left Lake Oswego but did all my Christmas shopping locally, never even going near a “big box” store or mall.
The other day I got to thinking, now more than ever, our stores here in town need us to support them. We have an abundance of stores and shopping opportunities right here in our small town. Besides everywhere else there’s long lines and hard-to-find parking.
A couple of days ago, I met a client for lunch in downtown Lake Oswego’s Lake View Village and some of the local stores I used to shop at now have “FOR LEASE” signs in their 
windows. Recently, I read in the Portland Business Journal that the large shopping malls are having financial problems and are close to bankruptcy (Clackamas Town Center for one) and I can only imagine what the smaller retailers are going through. Small businesses struggle most times and now, in particular, they are hurting.
I encourage you to shop your own small areas of town as much as you can, I’m sure the local economy and the small business owners would appreciate it.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
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