Lesbian family relocating (Portland, Eugene, Salem: high schools, pharmacist, live)

[Smiled]

Oregon is liberal in Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, Ashland, and the coast to some extent. Outside those areas, it's pretty "conservative." I use the quotation marks because I've never been quite sure what is being conserved .

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Smiled

I use the quotation marks because I've never been quite sure what is being conserved .

Ideas from the past...even when they didn't work well.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

Ideas from the past...even when they didn't work well.

Hummmm...............Like redistribution of wealth?? USSR 1918?

[esya]

I think Salem would be good also simply because it has a large percentage of government workers and those systems tend to have (at least policies) that require acceptance of gays/lesbians who are out. The issue really is are they going to be forced into the closet by intolerance? Many rural areas take the term "small town" a bit too literally and apply it to the space between their ears. In doing a class the other day, I was asked if the US Constitution required the person to work amicably with someone who was Wiccan. The answer is, yes. Same thing with politics: local governments must respect the right of their employees to be socialist as long as it does not impact their job duties. Same thing with gender identity/sexual orientation.

[West Coaster]

My partner and I are also considering moving to Oregon from the East Coast. We are planning to have kids in the next few years, so have been looking for a good place to raise them. After looking at Portland, Salem, and Corvallis, we have selected Salem as our top choice.

Some of the reasons we chose Salem had to do with our job and school outlook and won't apply to you, but here's a list of some things we looked at that you may find helpful.

1. Cost of housing - Based on viewing a number of homes with a realtor in each community, I'd say Portland and Corvallis are slightly more expensive and Salem is a little less expensive for an equivalent house in similar neighborhoods.

2. Gay friendliness - We heard from the local folks that Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis were the most L/G friendly, but after talking to a lot of people in Salem, we got the sense that Salem would be fine. There seems to be a decent sized gay community and active LGBT groups.

3. Schools - all the cities seem to have better and worse schools, so take a close look at scores. Salem has a bilingual elementary school that seems pretty good and we like the idea of our kids learning Spanish at an early age. I don't know if the other cities have that, so if that appeals to you, ask about that in any city you're considering.

4. Amenities - Portland of course has the most amenities, from museums to restaurants to stores. Salem has more stores, restaurants, etc. than Corvallis, although Corvallis has a cuter downtown area with good little cafes and restaurants. Salem's downtown is bigger and not as cute, but there is a concerted effort by the City and its boosters to improve it.

5. Recreation - All the cities seem to have great options nearby for outdoor recreation and all seem to have parks in the city where you can take kids to play. Mountains and beach are close to any of the three cities and lots of people bike. Salem has a reputation for being very family oriented and we liked that.

6. Closeness to airports - Since we want to visit family and hope they'll come to see us, access to an airport is important. Portland and Eugene both have commercial airports, although you'll pay significantly more to fly out of Eugene to most destinations. Salem had commercial flights last year but Delta cancelled them when the economy headed south. For now, you can park at Salem's airport and catch the shuttle to Portland's airport for a reasonable fee. I suspect that as Salem continues to grow, it will eventually see a return of commercial air service. Corvallis is a 2 hour drive from Portland and less time to Eugene.

7. Traffic - Salem and Corvallis have much less traffic than Portland. Of course, Portland has a far better public transit system, so you might be able to avoid some of that traffic by taking light rail.

Overall, we heard a lot of comments from Oregonians about Corvallis and Portland being more fun and trendy, but Salem being a good community for raising kids. Anyway, I'd be happy to send you the links to some of the LGBT groups in the area or to share any other information I have. Just PM me.

Good luck with your decision.

[GIbornNBred]

I think you made a good choice ! I lived in Fl for years ( single ) but would NOT take my now 4 chiildren back there ! Between the hate groups , SPLCenter.org: Hate Groups Map
And The PetiFiles no way. I have friends in Medford Or and my partner and I would be better off there. There schools are more geared towards special needs than where we are in WA State. It is hell up here.
The whole country is upside down right but you and yours are in a good field , I don't think you will have a issue in OR.

See you there...........

Originally Posted by momto6

We are considering relocating to Oregon from Florida. We are a lesbian family with 6 children ages ranging from 14years-7months. Ideally we would like to live in an area with good schools, affordable housing (with some land) that is diverse. Finding secure employment is also a consideration. My partner is a home health administrator (RN) and I am and administrator in a human service organization (MSW.)
I have just started my research and would appreciate any suggestions. Also, how do taxes and insurance (property and vehicle) compare.
Thanks

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by momto6

We are considering relocating to Oregon from Florida. We are a lesbian family with 6 children ages ranging from 14years-7months. Ideally we would like to live in an area with good schools, affordable housing (with some land) that is diverse. Finding secure employment is also a consideration. My partner is a home health administrator (RN) and I am and administrator in a human service organization (MSW.)
I have just started my research and would appreciate any suggestions. Also, how do taxes and insurance (property and vehicle) compare.
Thanks

Portland, Salem, or Eugene are probably your best bets. Oregon is not very diverse as a whole, it's really "white", but those are the larger towns where you will find a wider array of people.

Affordability is relative - depends on what you are used to and where you're coming from. With 6 children, I would venture to guess that you would need a rather large home - 4 bedrooms? 5 bedrooms? In Eugene, where we live, you could probably find a good home, on a bit of land, for around $400? This is for something that's not too shabby... you could probably find something for less that might need a bit of upgrading, and something also a little less if it wasn't on a large lot.

Portland and Eugene both have some great schools. My kids are very happy in Eugene. We also have language immersion schools here as well as Montessori, Waldorf, and International schools. We also have the Oregon Virtual Academy and Connections Academy which are sort of a cross between homeschooling and public school.

Eugene is very lesbian-friendly. I hope that's not offensive - I'm not very politically correct most of the time, I just say what I feel but I do try to be respectful. Anyway - You see a lot of rainbow flags and gay pride stickers on cars and windows here. We have a lot of Tibetan prayer flags and FREE TIBET signs around our town, too. We also have the mysterious "Happy Yellow Signs" in Eugene. Someone, for many years, has been putting up these yellow signs with positive messages on them all over town. They just pop up mysteriously and no one knows who does this. Occasionally there's a news story about them. They are so awesome. Eugene is a very positive place. We have people here with many different kinds of beliefs, and yet it seems most people keep their beliefs to themselves and try to be respectful towards others. I know in the public schools they emphasize being respectful. They spend a lot of time talking about civil rights and how to treat people and what to do if you see someone being treated unfairly. There's bad apples in every bunch of course, no place is perfect, but overall I feel Eugene is a great place to raise kids. We have lived in 4 different states, and even moved away from Eugene at one point, and came back and plan to stay because we love it so much and are so happy here.

Good luck with your search!

[Redrover]

My comment isn't specifc to the question posted by this thread's author so much as it is an observation that she was looking for, "...good schools, affordable housing (with some land) that is diverse. Finding secure employment is also a consideration." Is there anyone on this or any other forum that wants anything less than those attributes for a place for relocation?

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by Redrover

My comment isn't specifc to the question posted by this thread's author so much as it is an observation that she was looking for, "...good schools, affordable housing (with some land) that is diverse. Finding secure employment is also a consideration." Is there anyone on this or any other forum that wants anything less than those attributes for a place for relocation?

Well... in Oregon. Which is why she posted this in the Oregon threads... to get advice on places that might have these things in Oregon. And not everybody needs those things. In a few years my husband and I will be looking for a nice place without caring whether the schools are good or not as our kids will be out of school. And not everybody needs some land, many are happy in condos or on small lots. And retired people wouldn't care about finding employment...

[Todd.LA]

Originally Posted by Lootmeister

Can I ask you a question without your firing off at me?

What does any of your request have to do with being a lesbien?

Why do you feel that you need to announce that?

Just curious.

Some people don't like gays and lesbians very much. Most gays and lesbians find these people to be unpleasant neighbors. I suspect the OP mentioned her having a same sex partner so that those giving advice could mention whether or not a particular Oregon community tends to have a lot of folks who don't like gays and lesbians or whether a particular Oregon community has lots of gays and lesbians living there, without anyone caring about their sexual orientation.

You might not care about the OP's sexual orientation, but not everyone is as enlightened as you, and most gays and lesbians do take into account how "gay friendly" an area is when deciding whether to move somewhere.