might Portland be a good fit for me and my son

[Twilighter]

Compared to where we moved from (suburb of Phoenix, AZ), this area definitely has offered my kids a more laid back, enriching environment. My son was 9 and my daughter 11 when we moved here nearly five years ago. Both kids commented early on that the kids here were nicer. That's a generalization, of course, and they may not say the same now that both will be in high school, although I think there is still more awareness and acceptance of individuality than they would have faced had we not moved. Mine have always been a little...less mature? more naive?...than some other kids, and there are more kids like them here, kids who are just nice responsible kids. It's safe here for them to walk to a friend's house. It's temperate enough for them to play in the park. The primary school my son entered when we moved had 300 kids, not 900, like the school they moved from. Etc.

Moving during the school year is not necessarily a bad thing, because it allows your son to meet kids right away which may be harder in the summer. FYI many districts here have 6th grade as part of middle school, not primary school. Your son is probably still a year away from that, but something to consider with timing your move, that it might be nice for him to have a year in the new place to make friends before moving on to middle school. Also, lots of kids here play soccer; mine never had(not a popular activity when it's 110 outside), and were not willing to jump into it as beginners with kids their age who had been playing since preschool. But if your son is so inclined, it would allow him another way to make friends.

[JamesCher]

thanks so much, Twilighter, that is very helpful. He will be entering 4th grade this fall.

[Minervah]

If you depend upon public transportation where you are in Boston now you will find it lacking in Portland unless you live in very specific neighborhoods where it is okay for the morning commute to work but that's about it. If you plan to supplement it with car or bike it will be okay. Were you thinking of city or suburban living? The city has wonderful older homes with decent size yards in older neighborhoods that are walkable to everything you would need. These are the ones that will have the most amenities. The suburban areas have their merits too. They differ in the older and newer areas.

Portland itself has a lot to offer in regard to activities for both you and you child. Especially outdoors. I can't tell you about schools but you can look that up on the Internet regarding ratings. There are also some good Portland neighborhood websites that will give you ideas of what each neighborhood is like. They tend to be almost like little towns unto themselves with their own business areas and neighborhood associations.

Regarding the job, that's a tough one. There is an overabundance of attorneys. It is not uncommon for newly graduated attorneys to take paralegal jobs in order just to have a job but then you have experience and time and you have an opportunity to test the waters.

[JamesCher]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Were you thinking of city or suburban living? .

I could go either way. I might have a slight preference for city for the walkability factor, but only if the public schools are good. I would be fine in something more suburban, too. It might depend on cost, too. I will rent for a while, but I would like it to be cheaper than I pay now. I am willing to give up proximity to the city for price and schools

[Yankeemama]

Hi JamesCher,
I am sorry for your loss. I have family in Boston area and I ave spent some time in NE most of my life. Portland, OR actually reminds me of much of NE in the sense that there is a reserved quality to the Portland population. I find Portland to be different than most West coast cities. I think you would like it here if you are looking for a change from Boston. I have kids in the public school system here in Portand proper(PPS) and we have had very good experiences so far. We moved here almost four years ago. The schools vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and the schools with foundations tend to be in wealthier neighborhoods with higher test scores. You can find school demographic information on the PPS web site. There is a link that allows you to input a potential address and find out what school your children will attend. You then should call the school to verify the information. There are so many great neighborhoods in Portland that I think you woud be surprised. You can message me if you like. Portland is a great place to rear kids IMO and my kids love it here!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by JamesCher

I could go either way. I might have a slight preference for city for the walkability factor, but only if the public schools are good. I would be fine in something more suburban, too. It might depend on cost, too. I will rent for a while, but I would like it to be cheaper than I pay now. I am willing to give up proximity to the city for price and schools

Yankeemama gave you a great response. She is more knowledgeable about those things than I. I don't know if Portland will be cheaper rentwise than Boston but I am fairly certain the 'burbs would be. It is pretty common knowledge though that as she says, in the city, the better and more expensive neighborhood, the better the schools but in the burbs, you can find more modestly priced homes and still find more decent schools.

My knowledge regarding the legal profession comes from the time I was studying to become a paralegal about nine years ago. That was awhile ago I know but from what I understand it hasn't gotten much better. At the time I was looking for work in 2004 as a newly graduated paralegal, my competition was actually newly graduated and some out of work attorneys. There is just an over abundance of attorneys here. But I have seen some successful ones who have opened up their own practices and you never know of course about who will get the jobs that become available. It's just that you should probably be prepared for a lot of competition.

I would up not actually working for a law firm but was hired by an insurance company to work drafting contracts because I had a lot of insurance background.

[Yankeemama]

Thanks, Minerva! Also would like to add that yes, Beaverton( the West suburbs) has some very good schools. The Beaverton district passed a school levy recently so looks like the voters there intend to keep putting money into public education. However, many good private schools are located in SW Portand which is close to Beaverton. The private schools, with exception, have lower tuitions than the Boston area. I just looked at tuition for elementary school child at Jesuit and it was less than $15,000. I believe. I will reiterate that PPS has some great schools and the school communities here are tight knit. That's a big reason I have been pleased, from a parent's perspective. My kids have made great friends. I think there is something for everybody here in the PDX metro. I have friends who moved last year from the South Bay of the Bay Area to Beaverton and they are doing well. There is no shoveling of snow but we have close to four seasons. You can easily wear a down jacket and hat during Winter but no snow. Perfect Summer... hands down. Our Fall is still warm and doesn't cool until Halloween. Then the grey starts. That's when we drink our wine/beer and eat our sweets.