of course the move to oregon (Portland, Eugene: low crime, home, job outlook)

[skylani79]

Hello Community
I would like to know if anyone would be so kind to help me with some information. Those who make have negative things to say please hold the delete button no need to post it.

My family and I are planning to move to oregon in six months. I have read many different forums and seen a lot of answers. I know everyone needs a job of course though my concern is mainly about my children. First of all I am from Hawaii and I love the green, rain doesnt really bother me because my home town always rained, and the other thing my family is laid back not so much city type all. I am looking for a good area to live. I know there is a wide places to live so let me help on narrowing it down. My daughter is going high school and she is disabled so i need a good school for her and programs that she would be able to receive. My son has a high sereve of asthma cause by allergies. My youngest will start kindergarten when we move so any school with good education is great. Low crimes, activities for children to do around the area, family tyoe environment, like i said of course jobs, affordable housing, must have a great medical center and hospital around.

I can say more but I want to keep it simple. Thank you for the input

[hamellr]

Jobs are going to be more available in the large population centers, which is pretty much Portland and Eugene. If you can't stand living in the city, then you're going to be looking at a 45-60 minute minimum commute to get to those jobs.

There are good hospitals in some smaller towns like Roseburg, but the job outlook tends to be pretty dismal in places like that. Also smaller towns have less kid friendly activities then the bigger cities do. Small town schools tend towards not having as good as education due to repeated budget cuts over the past couple of decades.

Your son's Asthma maybe a wash. We don't have as much pollen year round like in Hawaii, but I think we may have more severe seasons. It's also possible that your son isn't allergic to anything here and will be fine, or could be worse. Unfortunately you won't know for sure until you come and experience an entire year.

Two things you may not be aware of, is that communities here do not tend to be as close as they are in Hawaii. Instead of being family or neighborhood based, community groups tend to be based around jobs, school or interests. I will grant that perhaps my perception of that is that I always seem to get nosey neighbors (when are you going to cut your lawn? Uh... when I'm not working 70 hours a week?)

The other thing, is that here it's cold rain here. Your kids can't/won't go outside to play in it, and it can drizzle off and on for days. Add in continuos cloud cover with only small sun breaks during the day and the rain is much different then it is in Hawaii.

So I guess the real question is, is how important is your need to stay out of a city?

[skylani79]

hamellr
Thank you for your respond. I forgot to mention that I have been living in Las Vegas for the past 6 years so I am use to living in the big city since Las Vegas is a 24/7. I think I would be ok living in Portland though I do not want to live right in the heart of it. Hospitals and Schools are very helpful. My sons asthma had increased when we have moved here in Las Vgeas though we are trying to control his allergies through meds that is the cause of his asthma. Every where there are nosey neighbors...lol...I do wish people are friendly and considerate of others especially for disabled children. My children are kind of use to not going outside to play since Las Vegas has bioploar weather. Do you have any suggestion? I really dont want to live in the land of nowhere....lol

[hamellr]

My apologies, it sounded like you were coming directly from Hawaii.

You might look at Beaverton, Hillsboro. Also parts of South East Portland, the population density is about the same so the neighborhoods may be what you're looking for.

[jamielynn81]

Congratulations on your upcoming move! I have lived in Astoria for almost 4 years with my husband and two young sons. Astoria is 2 hours from Portland. I think this is a great community for young families. The hospital here is Columbia Memorial and I had my younger son there via planned c-section 9 months ago. It is a small hospital and I think they do a good job with the resources they do have. The parks and rec department has lots of events and activities for the whole family to enjoy. I live near downtown Astoria and am able to walk to restaurants, the library, post office, shops, indoor pool...it is a nice downtown with friendly people.

[hamellr]

Here is a link to information about Oregon Hospitals: Oregon Hospital Quality Indicators

It's a bit hard to parse at first, and there is a lot of data missing, but it gives a good over view of each Hospital in Oregon.

[Minervah]

I am sorry I know you said "no negatives" but as an asthma sufferer I have to chime in. Please, before you move here have your son take the NW Panel bloodtest for allergies and asthma. I don't know if you can obtain this where you are but you can come to Portland for it and it would be worth the trip.

This test includes the most common allergens to be found in parts of Oregon like mold, grass, trees etc all to be found here. If your son tests positive, you will probably want to head for the more desert like areas. The doctor can give you the best advice.

I go to a pulmonary specialist for my asthma who has told me that Oregon is one of the worst places for asthmatic and allergy sufferers. For the well being of your son, I think you should look into this first and foremost.

[Steve Pickering]

If you can't take the negitive, maybe you should reconsider what you plan to do. There is good and bad with every move and it ain't gonna be all sunshine and roses. The bad can outweigh the good and should be a part of your decision.

Having said that, you need to reconsider as asthma is a major life threatening issue in Oregon (Much of it anyway). For your childs sake, give it some serious thought and don't be so negitive about negitive responses.

[skylani79]

@hamellr- thank you for all the information.

@jamielynn81- thank you for letting me know about your hometown.

@minervah- yes my son already took the test. His asthma started from an incident that had happen in hawaii and stuck with him. Most of the test leans to food allergies and yes some environment as well. I understand the concerns because i was a child with asthma who couldnt do anything and somehow out grew it when i moved to vegas. i was told if we could control his allergies, then he would not have asthma. so happy that so far its been a year his asthma is well controlled, as for his allergies its ok improving. It was so weird to see Oregon to be the best places to live.

@steve Pickering- this was what i meant by NEGATIVE. First of all you need to spell it right NEGATIVE. i have read many forums where people get personal with other people. Everywhere you move there is a good and bad OF COURSE it is how the person makes their LIFE at that location. AND I AM NOT A NEGATIVE PERSON. So please DONT SAY THAT I AM. Others have responded with good and bad. You are the ONLY ONE with a BAD respond. it goes to show that YOU are the NEGATIVE ONE. But I will take your response into consideration and thank you for your input.

[Minervah]

The test I am thinking of has mostly environmental allergens and just a few foods. This is an example of what I am talking about. It lists all the allergens typical to the PNW.

Inhalant Allergy Testing Panels (http://meridianvalleylab.com/food-allergy-testing/inhalant-panels/ - broken link)