Susan Marthens

Principal
Real Estate Broker
GRI

Phone
(503) 497-2984

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Custom "Oregon Trail" plate - the last "Trail" plate was issued in 2001.

Oregon standard "tree" plate that has been issued since 1989.

This blue-on-yellow baseplate was introduced in 1975 and was issued through 1987 - you still see the plate on a few Oregon vehicles today.

Custom salmon plate.  The extra proceeds from sales are used for the following: Litter Patrol Fund, Governors' Watershed Enhancement Board, and State parks.

1947 Oregon plate.

Custom Crater Lake National Park Centennial plate - released in 2002.  The extra proceeds are distiributed to the Litter Patrol Fund and National Park Foundation.


Susan's Online Guide to Portland

Let me Help You Find a Home and a Neighborhood

Welcome to my Web site about the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area.  It is my way of helping you become acquainted with the neighborhoods and communities of the city and to inform you about the Portland area housing market. Your comments and suggestions about my Web site are always appreciated.

If you have questions or if you are interested in buying or selling a home in the Portland area, contact me online or call me at (503) 497-2984.

Susan Marthens

Principal Real Estate Broker/GRI


Neighborhood and Communities News

Get a Life band marches in Obama’s big parade   January 6 − Portland’s wacky Get a Life Marching Band has been selected to march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Jan. 20 inauguration parade. The all-adult group will join about 100 other bands from across the nation for the national event. Get a Life Marching Band includes members in their 20s to their 60s from Portland and Southwest Washington. For the inauguration event, other members will travel from several states to perform. “Our members have three things in common,” said band founder and Executive Director Bob Pulido. “We were all in high school or college marching bands, we still haven’t gotten over it, and we’d rather miss a note than a meal.”  Read the full story...

Not so summery in Oregon's Summerville   January 6 − Snowmobiles and chained-up four-wheel drives were the only vehicles getting around Monday in this snowbound hamlet. "We are locked in," said Samantha Danel, 64, operator of the Summerville Store -- a combination market, post office, tavern and cafe for the town of 120, just north of La Grande. "It's been blowing and snowing for three days."  Read the full story...

Portland wins almost all arguments in David Douglas urban renewal case   January 6 − The city has -- mostly -- won a legal challenge to its decision to divert urban renewal money from downtown to east Portland. The Portland City Council in June approved spending $19 million from the River District to build an elementary school and community center 10 miles away. The idea, pushed by former city Commissioner Erik Sten, was to use some of the money generated in the downtown district, which includes the Pearl, and invest it in the city's outer east area. The city has -- mostly -- won a legal challenge to its decision to divert urban renewal money from downtown to east Portland.  Read the full story...

STEPHANIE YAO/THE OREGONIAN       Portland Mayor Sam Adams talks to Jake Shivery, owner of Blue Moon Camera and Machine in St. Johns, about what the city can do to help the area's businesses prosper.Portland's new mayor tour neighborhood shops, businesses   January 6 − Newly minted Mayor Sam Adams left the stump and headed to the street to make good on his promise to put out the city's "welcome mat" to businesses and to work to expand Portland's economy with new companies focused on green building and alternative energy. Adams repeated the theme throughout his campaign for mayor and the long run-up between the May primary and last week, when he took the oath of office as the first seconds of 2009 ticked away. He sounded it again Monday during a symbolic swearing-in ceremony at Parkrose High School attended by family members, political supporters and City Hall staffers.  Read the full story...

Snow is gone, and Portland-area schools start shoveling   January 6 − Admit it, parents. When it started snowing Sunday, you thought, "They'd better not cancel school again." Don't worry, superintendents throughout the metro area thought the same thing. But the rain arrived, the snow melted and the kids were back at school Monday morning after a three-week break. "There is no way we could afford another day," said Lake Oswego Superintendent Bill Korach. "There is a tremendous amount of angst about missing that many days and having finals coming." A series of snowstorms before a scheduled two-week winter break forced most schools to close a week early, but teachers plan to review past material and district officials are already discussing options to make up the lost days.  Read the full story...

Portland agencies pull in property taxes   January 5 − Although property tax collections in Multnomah County only increased 2.5 percent last fiscal year, the growth was much greater in two Portland agencies — the Portland Development Commission and the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Plan Commission. In the fiscal year that ended on June 30, property taxes for both these agencies increased around 10 percent, according to the annual report recently released by the Multnomah County Tax Supervising & Conservation Commission.  Read the full story...

ROSS HAMILTON/THE OREGONIAN     Annabella Scholl (center) plays with Tristan Trusty at her YMCA child care center. Annabella's weight puts her at the top of the growth chart, but her mother and Kaiser Permanente doctor say she doesn't need to lose weight, just maintain as she grows taller.Oregon could set standards for diet and exercise at day cares   January 5 − When parents call Desiree Newberry of Knappa looking for day care, they ask about her hours. They ask about her rates. But they never, ever ask about the food. With children joining the ranks of the overweight and obese before they're old enough to recite the alphabet, public health and child advocates say it's time working parents across Oregon wonder whether day cares should shoulder some of the responsibility. Closer regulation could be on its way. statewide obesity prevention task force has recommended that the upcoming Legislature require state agencies to study child care and develop minimum standards for physical activity, healthy foods and time in front of a screen.  Read the full story...


House and Home

Two for the money: Fewer bedrooms uncork a real estate home run  January 4 − As recently as last summer, former pro baseball player Given Kutz and his wife, Katie, a nurse, weren't in the market to buy a house. Kutz was transitioning to a law enforcement career, while his wife was preparing to graduate from nursing school. "We had talked about an investment, a house we knew would appreciate if we put a little work into it," said Kutz, a former University of Portland baseball pitcher who had played for the Great Lakes Loons, a Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. "We originally thought about buying something larger -- three bedrooms, two baths. We had some savings, but with the market doing what it's doing and the money we had, we were forced to look at smaller homes."  Read the full story....


Green Zone

OIT expands degree with sustainable technology   January 6 − Faced with a growing demand for graduates versed in sustainability and engineering, the Oregon Institute of Technology is offering a new interdisciplinary emphasis in its Environmental Sciences bachelor's degree program. Students in the new environmental sciences/sustainable technologies program will take courses in renewable energy engineering, mechanical engineering technology, civil engineering and business management. Courses have titles like "The Built Environment" and "Fuel Cells."OIT officials say the sustainable technologies emphasis will give their students an employment edge over others with environmental science degrees.  Read the full story...


Sports and Outdoors

Oregon ski areas' snow mojo is working against them   January 5 − First, there wasn't enough snow on Mount Hood. Then, there was too much snow to get to Mount Hood. Last week, Oregon's ski industry took another hit when a landslide forced the closure of U.S. 26, blocking one of the main routes to Mount Hood. The road wasn't fully cleared until Sunday afternoon, providing the latest setback in a difficult season on the mountain, for skiers and the businesses that rely on them. Business owners and managers say a late start to the season and a crippling snowstorm in Portland made for an unusually slow December. Rentals and lessons at Mt. Hood Skibowl in Government Camp have been down because many beginners have stayed home, said Troy Fischer, the night operations manager. Business is "down considerably" at Meadowlark Ski & Sports in Sandy, according to owner Dave Livermore.  Read the full story...


  • Burnsider  Stories and pictures from the Burnside Bridge, Portland, Oregon.  The e bloggers live near the bridge and walk across it as part of their commute every day.

  • Documented Lifee  Planet Earth as seen from Portland Oregon.

  • Community & Parents for Public Schools in Portland  They seek to redefine parent and community involvement in Portland Public Schools.

  • Discovering Portland  Two women flee California for Oregon to ask if Portland is the city they've dreamed of.

  • Ever Day is a Miracle  A blog about families, kids, politics and current events, travel, books, and living in Portland.

  • Good Stuff NW  Kab is a  writer and designer who loves living in Oregon with its combination of urban style and down-home friendliness.  Lots of excellent recipes on Kab's blog.

  • Home Ownership  A blog about the "Neighborhood Housing Program" sponsored by the Portland Development Commission.

  • Kids in Portland   This site provides a resource for parents to come together and find out all of the attractions, restaurants, activities, ideas, issues, art, music, for kids in the area.

  • Oregon Fly Fishing  Fishing reports, conservation news, fishing advice, and hot fly patterns.

  • The Oregonian Neighborhoods  Covers Portland metro area neighborhoods and communities.

  • Pat's Blog  Whatever ticks Pat off or tickles his fancy: politics, news and society, music, movies, books, cooking, autism, and anything else bright and shiny in the world of ideas. And Pat does it with humor.

  • Portland Architecture  If you're interested in buildings, this is the site to visit.  RSS feed and newsletter.

  • Portland Blogs  A complete list of all the bloggers who call Portland home.

  • Portland Dog Blog  For people who exercise their dog at Portland parks.

  • Portland Metblogs  Written from the perspective of people who live, work, and play here every day.

  • Upper Left Coast  Thoughts on politics, faith, sports and other random topics from a red state sympathizer in indigo-blue Portland, Oregon.

  • Walking in Portland  This blogger walks around Portland with his wife and dogs taking photos and making notes about living in Portland.

  • inPortland  A magazine, published every Thursday, has stories about neighborhoods and communities.

  • Portland Tribune  Published on Thursday, one of the Tribune's strength is their neighborhood news.

  • Oregon Newspapers  Links to over 100 newspapers in Oregon. This includes community weekly papers - check out the stories in smaller towns like Astoria and Pendleton.


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(503) 819-0011
Fax (503) 224-9083


6443 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Suite 100
Portland, Oregon 97221
(503) 297-1033

Susan Marthens
Principal Real Estate Broker, GRI
(503) 497-2984
Fax (503) 220-1131

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