HowardGirl TExas Lady: Good news! You will not probably not have an hour’s commute! The city of Portland is divided by a river, east and west side. Bordering Portland are several cities and suburbs (on east and west side) such as Milwaukie on the east side and Hillsboro on the west side. I would avoid downtown Portland located on the west side (near the bridges, river, OHSU) because though it is not a super large area, it is expensive, and traffic is bad. Some of the highways that you would take from Portland/near Portland areas to Hillsboro can become really slow during rush hours. Hillsboro is on west side, downtown Portland side, about 20-30 minutes from downtown via freeway if you have good traffic. I would advise to try and find a place in Hillsboro, maybe look on craigslist? Or if not Hillsboro another nearby area. Hillboro is a nice size city, its like the suburbs with costco and store really close. The area is up and growing because large companies like intel are located out there, so the area is newly developed.
When is snows in the portland area, everyone is super excited then the snow sticks (not very often) and schools close, many companies close, and the world shuts down because many people are not used to the snow, or used to driving in it. This year we had 1-4 inches of snow, but on most years almost not enough to cover the ground, doesnt stick, and is usually under 4 inches. If you like snow, go to mount hood for recreation snow sports, lots of fun!
Do you know where you will be working?