NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE
ELECTRICITY
Columbia River PUD 503-397-1844
West Oregon Electric 503-429-3021
Clatskanie PUD 503-728-2163
TELEPHONE
Qwest
Centurytel
800-244-1111
800-637-9843
Charter 877-728-3121
Comcast Res 503-318-7329
Comcast Business 503-616-1704
GARBAGE
Hudson Garbage 503-397-1534
Waste Mgr Scappoose 888-323-2307
Columbia County Transfer 503-366-2613
Columbia County Drop Box 888-323-2307
Rainier Sanitary Services 503-556-8791
Clatskanie Sanitary Services 800-422-9998
WATER/SEWER
McNulty Water Assoc 503-397-1301
Warren Water Assoc 503-397-3280
City of Scappoose 503-543-7146
City of St. Helens 503-397-6272
City of Columbia City 503-397-4010
City of Clatskanie 503-728-2622
City of Rainier 503-556-7301
TELEVISION
Comcast 800-824-8264
Charter 877-728-3121
Direct TV
COLUMBIA COUNTY USEFUL CONTACTS
800-280-4388
Dish Network 800-581-4599
St Helens Office
2534 Sykes Road Suite C
St. Helens, Oregon 97051
Out of Area: 888-442-1427 UTILITIES, WATER, GARBAGE & RECYCLING, MUNICIPALITIES, AND OTHER HELPFUL CONTACTS
NATURAL GAS
NW Natural Gas 800-422-4012
NEWSPAPERS
Chronicle & Sentinel 503-397-0116
The Spotlight 503-543-6387
Clatskanie Chief 503-728-3350
Vernonia Independent 503-429-9410
Oregonian Distributor 503-397-1515
Columbia River Reader 503-556-1295
Vernonia Voice 503-367-0098
HIGHER EDUCATION
Portland Community College Columbia County 503-397-1311 503-244-6111
Oregon Health & Science
University Portland 503-494-7800
Lower Columbia Community College - Longview, WA 360-577-2300
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
St. Helens School District
474 North 16th Street
St. Helens, Oregon 97051
Scappoose School District
33589 SE High School Way
Scappoose, Oregon 97056
Rainier School District
305 West 3rd Rainier, Oregon 97048
Clatskanie School District
P.O. Box 678
Clatskanie, Oregon 97016
Vernonia School District
475 Bridge Street
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
Phone: 503-397-3537
Escrow Fax: 503-397-4851
Out of Area: 800-243-2304
503-397-3085
971-200-8000
503-556-3777
503-728-0587
503-429-5891
HOSPITALS
Legacy Good Samaritan Portland, OR
Providence St. Vincent
Medical Beaverton, OR
St. Johns Medical Center Longview, Washington
POST OFFICES
St. Helens
800-277-5726
503-216-1234
360-423-1530
503-397-2613
Scappoose 503-543-7768
Columbia City
Vernonia
503-397-3800
503-429-3501
Rainier 800-275-8777
Clatskanie
MISCELLANEOUS
Poison Center
State Police
Non Emergency
City Hall
800-275-8777
800-452-7165
503-397-3131
503-397-1521
503-397-6272
DMV St. Helens 503-397-3515
Employment Office
503-397-4995
St. Helens Library 503-397-4544
Scappoose Library 503-543-7123
Animal Control
503-397-3333
Senior & Disabled 503-397-5863
Scappoose Office
51669 Col River Hwy #110 Scappoose, Oregon 97056
Phone: 503-543-6177
Fax: 503-543-6188
SCHOOL INFORMATION
Moving How to make it easier for them Movingwith children
Before: Preparation
Tell your children about the move as soon as you can. The more time they have to think about and prepare for the move, the easier it will be for them.
Give your children a chance to express their feelings, and try to be honest about your own feelings. Most children will feel some anger, sadness, or worry about the move. These responses are natural, and kids who have a chance to express them will work through their doubts more easily.
Help older children prepare a list of phone numbers and addresses of close friends, relatives, and other important people in their lives. Knowing they can stay in touch with these people is an important part of a successful move.
If your kids are old enough, let them participate in decision making. Have the kids keep a notebook of potential new homes with positives and negatives listed.
If you are able before you move, take your children to your new home and explore the new neighborhood and town or city together. If that isn’t possible, take pictures of your new home, the schools your kids will attend, a nearby park, and anything else that would be interesting to them.
Make a scrapbook containing pictures of your pre-move home, friends, and other mementoes of your life together.
Call the principal of your children’s schools and set up a meeting with their teachers or guidance counselor. The new school may even be able to give you names of students in your child’s class who live near your new home.
If you can, try to meet families in your new neighborhood before you move. Being familiar with people when you move in will help your children feel more at home.
Try to line up some activities your child can participate in after the move; A sports team, music lessons, art classes, a scouting troop. Not only will activities like these keep your children involved; they’ll also help them feel like part of a group - an important aspect of settling in.
During: remember what’s important
Throughout the move, stay as upbeat and calm as possible. Your own mood will impact other family members. With older children, it is important to be honest about uncertainties you may have, but also to be generally optimistic about the move and the positive ways it will affect the family. Involve your kids in the packing. Older kids can put their own belongings in boxes, and kids of all ages will enjoy decorating the boxes containing their things. Doing so will also make finding your children’s thing easier once you are at the new house.
Try to stick to your routines. Have meals at the same times as always. If your kids nap, encourage them to lie down at the usual time. Keep their normal bedtimes. Don’t pack the things that your children treasure. Take blankets, beloved stuffed animals, favorite books, and other prized items in a separate box or bag that you can bring with you in the car or on the plane when you go to your new home.
Help your children say good-bye to the important people in their lives. For
their friends, a pizza or make-your-own sundae party is a fun way to celebrate the friendship. With neighbors or other special adults, you may want to set up a time to stop by and say good-bye as a family.
After: getting settled
Don’t spend too much time unpacking, at least not right away! The essentials are important to unload and you want the house to feel settled, but wait on the less important stuff. In the first few days, take time to enjoy your new home with your family. Take walks. Check out local restaurants and take-out spots. Introduce yourselves to your new neighbors. Spend time at the park.
Be on the look-out for neighborhood kids, and help introduce your children to them. If it’s comfortable for you and your children, invite some of the neighborhood kids over for pizza and a movie.
Let your children have some input in planning the new house, especially in choosing things to buy for their rooms. Even if you don’t follow through on their ideas, it is important to listen to what they think. Be tactful if you choose another option, and let some decisions be entirely up to them - for example, the placement of their bed or the color of the rug or paint in their bedroom.
Get involved: church groups, synagogues, YMCA and activity clubs, etc. Enable socializing. If a couple of months have gone by and your child seems unusually troubled, ask a doctor or guidance counselor. Signs that your child may need help: unusual academic difficulty; ongoing irritability; trouble with peers; changes in sleep or eating habits; a generally despondent mood. Give them time, this behavior can last 4 - 5 months for teens.
Above all, listen. Try to be there when your kids get home after the first day in their new schools, even if it means having to leave work early that day. Regularly ask how things are going, and take time to listen. Sometimes kids have a hard time opening up; spending relaxed time together may help them to bring up whatever is on their minds.
For children and adults, it takes time to feel at home. With your understanding and patience, your children will be reassured that, after awhile, things will get easier; everything won’t feel so new; and a home is, after all, wherever the family is.
TITLE & ESCROW
ESCROW PROCESS
12-STEPS TO CLOSING
Escrow is an arrangement in which a neutral third party (escrow agent) takes instruction from buyer and seller to process documentation and handle funds in the real estate transactions. The chart below is meant to be a general overview of the process. Individual transaction steps may vary.
