Clackamas Oregon is a large city in the eastern outskirts of Portland.
Clackamas Oregon has a population of about 5000, has Clackamas Town Center, which is a huge mall complex, and then all kinds of strip malls and businesses that have sprung up around it. Clackamas grew like crazy during the years before the crash, and myriads of housing developments sprung up all over. Some were mcMansions, others were middle income and there were also condos and townhouses. The builders just couldn’t build enough houses! Then, in 2008, came the crash. Housing prices plummeted, foreclosures and short sales were rampant, and building came to a complete halt. It has taken a while for Clackamas to spring back, but spring back it has! And the building has begun anew!
One asset that Clackamas Oregon has that makes it great for commuting, is that the Max light rail stops at the Clackamas Town Center, making it easy to jump on the train and get where you have to go.
If you want to be in a nice safe suburb, with shopping close by, good schools, and many family oriented neighborhoods, Clackamas may be a good place to be. There still is open countryside, but the actual town where everyone lives, feels like it has been invaded by stores. But, you are close to the Mt Hood National Forest and all it offers, so if you like the mountains, yet want to live in a city, this might be a good place to be.
I tend to like older historic neighborhoods with lots of charm and character, established trees and close in little downtown areas, plus trails to walk and bike on. Clackamas is mostly newer homes, build in sub divisions that are neat, clean, well kept, and full of families- with sidewalks to walk on and quiet streets to teach kids how to ride their bikes. Some of the subdivisions are in the valley so are flat, others are up on the hills around, and have views of the valley below! But there are quite a few older neighborhoods that were built in the 1940s to 1980s with smaller houses, some a little run down, especially as you get closer to Portland and the SE neighborhoods like Lents, Johnson Creek etc. One thing that I do like about Clackamas is that The Springwater trails runs through part of it, and I will write about it down below under parks.
The thing I think of when I think of Clackamas Oregon is the Clackamas Town Center Plus Clackamas Promenade, and all the huge office buildings, stores, and businesses that are in Sunnyside. There are big banks, big escrow offices, huge stores, just about anything you could ever want! The area is easy access because it is right off 205, and it is also close to most of the housing around it.
One other thing, there is a military base in Clackamas Oregon, Camp Withycombe, which serves as a training facility, supply depot, and equipment repair facility for the National Guard, plus there is a military museum there. And Kaiser Permanente Hospital is here in Clackamas too, which is good for people who use it!
Here is the Trimet map
