Best neighborhoods to move to?

[alex1]

My fiance and I are trying to avoid moving to nYc now that I'm done with school. The only part of the country I haven't lived is the northwest, so, we're both interested in perhaps moving to Portland despite never having visited.

The question becomes; where should we look to find and apartment? She likes vintage neighborhoods and a dog friendly park for the little black lab. I like vibrant, well knit communities that have rail transit, a good mix of non-chain establishments and haven't been destroyed too much by urban renewal. So basically a cohesive environment. We're both artists, so being around other artists is a plus but not necessary.

Obviously, as a recent grad (and she's transfering schools to downtown Portland) we're looking for something relatively inexpensive. $1400 max and with at least 2 bedrooms.

Thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!