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Where do you think overall would be a better place to live and raise a family? In Colorado we would be looking in the Boulder area and in Portland a suburb called West linn.
We are currently living in Las vegas and just cant stand the rush, fast paced work your butt off attitude anymore. We want more family time and less concern with money.
If you have been to either of these two places. why do you vote one or another. thanks
Well, metro Denver is by far much, much more family friendlly than most anywhere in metro Portland. I'm not so sure about Boulder, though. Why don't you look at Littleton, Lakewood, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, etc. in Denver? Boulder is just not much of a family town--certainly not much into family values. Try Denver.
You should also know that just about everywhere in America these days is about working your butt off. That's every bit as true for Denver and Portland and Pittsburgh as it is for Vegas. (Though, truth be told, I definitely can't blame you for wanting to leave Vegas. I would NEVER live there).
I guess a lot of it depends on what it is you're looking for in a city, what you can afford, and what you family is like. Portland would work for some certain sorts of folks and Denver works for the exact opposite sort of people.
I've been to Boulder before and it's a great place to hang your hat. Very family friends, many young couples and a pretty good education system. I don't think you could go wrong with either though. I personally think Boulder has the better scenery and weather. Either way I'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.
Agree with SpeedyAZ. Boulder has a rep, because of CU, of being a town of drunken college kids. They are in the minority and they mostly live close together near campus. The rest of Boulder is pretty family oriented. The schools are excellent. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, and IMO, Highlands Ranch is over-rated and suburbia USA! I don't know much about Portland, only was there once. It's pretty.
Agree with SpeedyAZ. Boulder has a rep, because of CU, of being a town of drunken college kids. They are in the minority and they mostly live close together near campus. The rest of Boulder is pretty family oriented. The schools are excellent. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, and IMO, Highlands Ranch is over-rated and suburbia USA! I don't know much about Portland, only was there once. It's pretty.
There's nothing wrong with suburbia--and Highlands Ranch. That is Americana pure and simple! Good ammenities for families, good schools, good churches, etc.
I think with how expensive Boulder is, the weirdness of the town, the college, the hippies, the severe lack of family values, how hard it is to find a job there, and the high taxes make Boulder an aweful choice. But Portland is pretty much the same way. So it's really the better of two evils...
I would just choose suburban Denver--which is everything Boulder is NOT--and call it good.
Portland and its suburbs (including West Linn)are nice,BUT you have to be able to handle a GREAT amount of grey,clouds,chill and constant rain/drizzle.It is not unusual to have this go on for months and it does affect some people a great deal(I used to live there),but summer is great.The schools in Portland and surrounding areas have really gone down hill,lack of funding.Not sure about West Linn schools,but overall,Oregon is suprisingly poor scholasticaly(wasnt always like that)
Portland and its suburbs (including West Linn)are nice,BUT you have to be able to handle a GREAT amount of grey,clouds,chill and constant rain/drizzle.It is not unusual to have this go on for months and it does affect some people a great deal(I used to live there),but summer is great.The schools in Portland and surrounding areas have really gone down hill,lack of funding.Not sure about West Linn schools,but overall,Oregon is suprisingly poor scholasticaly(wasnt always like that)
When I was there PDX schools actually held class for four days a week due to lack of funding for about a month or so. Can you believe that? Parents were really upset, as you can imagine.
They did a study on Portland's schools--though I forget where I saw this--and it talked about how so few PDX couples are having children that schools are emptying out. A lot of these families are sort of liberal, seize the day, San Francisco type couples who just aren't into family life much. If you're a liberal single I think PDX would be fine. But families? I wouldn't do it.
The problem for the OP is that Boulder is basically the same way--just a much smaller town. It's a college town and it's sort of a fancy-pants liberal sort of place--not terribly family-geared. What makes Boulder different is that, unlike Portland, it is surrounded by a state that is extremely family-oriented. Portland is a very blue city in a very blue state. Boulder is a small blue dot in a family values-type red state. If I were the OP I felt the necessity to be close to Boulder I would probably just move to suburban Denver within commuting distance of Boulder. Broomfield, Westminster, Arvada, and maybe Louisville are all good options.
Rawlings, do you remember what Mike from Back East said about red state/blue state crap? (His words) Just because you are on a different forum, doesn't mean the same rules don't apply.
Back to the topic. Lots of people are raising families in Boulder. The school system is not falling apart. In fact, Fairview and Boulder Highs, much as it pains me to acknowledge this, are highly rated schools. 5A schools, which means they have pretty large student bodies, larger than Monarch (Louisville) or Broomfield Highs.
If the OP chooses Colorado, s/he should take a look around and find a place to the family's liking, not yours or mine.
Rawlings, do you remember what Mike from Back East said about red state/blue state crap? (His words) Just because you are on a different forum, doesn't mean the same rules don't apply.
Back to the topic. Lots of people are raising families in Boulder. The school system is not falling apart. In fact, Fairview and Boulder Highs, much as it pains me to acknowledge this, are highly rated schools. 5A schools, which means they have pretty large student bodies, larger than Monarch (Louisville) or Broomfield Highs.
If the OP chooses Colorado, s/he should take a look around and find a place to the family's liking, not yours or mine.
I think they're both bad choices--and a lot of that has to do with the cultural environments prevailing in both cities. That's totally legit. I'm I were the OP I wouldn't even flinch: pick neither, choose Denver.
we would most likely look at broomfield, lafayette or maybe the fort collins area. We would also consider the Denver area.
In Portland we will be in the West linn area. It looks like the schools are very highly rated. My husband is a physician and we have three kids.
It really depends were the job market is good.
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