PORTLAND, Ore. — The list of Oregon's best places to live is out, and it has a very distinct Portland flavor.
Indeed, the top 27 areas on the list — which takes into account neighborhoods and cities alike — are all Portland neighborhoods. The list was compiled by Pittsburgh-based researcher Niche.com and includes 451 Oregon locales. (Story continues below)
SLIDESHOW: The 21 best places to live in Oregon
The full methodology for Niche.com's best places to live ranking can be found here. See the complete list for Oregon here. Because of the way the grades are weighted, some areas may rank higher than spots with seemingly higher ratings.
"So, although a place like Arlington Heights may have a lower grade for Cost of Living, its overall high grades in the other factors balance it out," explained Jessica Hair, a Niche.com spokesperson.
There are 16 categories rated in the survey. The highest-weighted categories are:
- The percentage of residents who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Cost of living
- Housing, based on home values, property taxes, housing costs and other factors
- Public schools, based on the average Niche K-12 Overall Grade for every public school serving the area
- Diversity, based on ethnic, generational, and economic diversity
Of note from the 2018 survey:
- The first non-Portland neighborhood to appear on the full list is Cedar Mill, which landed at No. 28
- Lake Oswego ranks 33rd
- Corvallis is the first spot outside of the Portland metro area on the list, landing at 47th
- The top 38 areas on the list received overall "A-plus" grades from Niche.com
The bottom spot on the list is held by New Pine Creek, a town of 39 people south of Lakeview near the California line. The ranking was likely impelled by a lack of information on the town.
Click through on the link above to learn which Oregon locales are, by one measure, the state's best places to live.
