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When my family was looking to buy our first home in the Portland metro area, we weren't sure where we were going to land. We were newlyweds with a 10 month old (who would soon have a sister!), and affordability was a significant concern. We had a hard time finding a neighborhood in the Portland area that had everything we were looking for within our budget:
Easy access to biking and walking trails
Access to nature (lots of trees, not a lot of buildings over 2 stories)
Resources for families
Good schools
Small town feel
We viewed homes all over the metro- North Portland, SE Portland, Oregon City, even Troutdale! Everything we were finding was either out of our price range, or didn't have the community vibe we were looking for.
I found a listing for a home right behind Gladstone High School, and asked my husband, "Have we ever been to Gladstone?". We decided to check it out, and left a few hours early for the open house so we could explore the neighborhood.
Our first stop was Happyrock Coffee on Portland Ave. We ordered coffees and sat down at the family-style table to give our 10 month old a bottle while we drank our coffees. Two retirement-aged gentlemen made funny faces at my son while we got his bottle ready, and he was having so much fun laughing at the strangers that it was hard to get him to focus on his bottle.
We started chatting with the men, and mentioned that we were considering a possible move to Gladstone. They were kind and welcoming, and let us know a little background on the town. The young woman across the table chimed in and let us know that she was the children's librarian, on her lunch break from right across the parking lot. She told us all about the resources and events for kids at the library. We spent a few minutes talking together, and the vibe was awesome- it felt just like talking to your friends in the living room. Another woman who was waiting for her coffee overheard us and jumped into the conversation. She was raised in Gladstone and had left in her early adulthood, but had come back when it was time to raise her own children. "It's a great place to raise a family," was the message we heard from all the new people we met in the coffeeshop that day.
We left for the open house totally on fire for Gladstone, and that feeling hasn't left me. The house we viewed that day wasn't right for us, but we narrowed down our search to the 97027 zip code, and a few weeks later found the perfect home for us in lower Gladstone.
Gladstone still feels like a secret. So many people living in the Portland metro drive past Gladstone on the 205 or McLoughlin and have no idea that there is a small city tucked away back here. When I tell people I live in Gladstone, the most common response I get is, "Where the car dealerships are?".
Nestled between two rivers, we're so lucky to have found this gem of a city.
My goal with this website is to be a resource to other families in Gladstone and nearby, and to uplift the good things happening here.
It's nice to have a secret, but it feels even better to share good news with others.