Portland for new family? (Eugene, Corvallis: jobs, housing, college)

[AtomicSilicon]

Hello,

I moved my wife and newborn daughter to Ashland, OR last year. I had lived in Ashland 10 years earlier and thought it was the perfect place to raise a child.

Which, in many respects, that is still true. The big failing with Ashland is that the combined lack of high-paying jobs and overly-expensive housing has basically driven out the 25-40 age range. Ashland has some younger people from the college and there are still families here, but that is becoming less and less and it seems 1 out of 3 families are I know are planning on leaving in 6 months or so.

Alas, as much as I love Ashland, my wife and I want to live in a community filled with other families. So we have been discussing the possibility of Portland. The other smaller towns in Oregon can be quite beautiful - with most of them facing the same as Ashland where they are converting to retiree towns.

Also, my wife and I both teach/act/direct in theater and film, so Ashland was attractive on that part.


If we were to move to Portland - what areas should we check out? As I mentioned, we both love theater and the arts and after we get settled we would probably rent/open our own small theater. We both perfer not to drive and love the freedom of being able to walk everywhere. We lean more to the liberal mind-set (yet stay open thinkers to ideas from all directions). And, of course, we would prefer to be in an area with good schools and others in our age range (30).


Thanks for the advice!

[wohelo]

Portland Neighborhoods: Where in Portland should I live?

This a great site that explains some of the neighborhoods in Portland. You will find your cohorts in Portland, Corvallis or Eugene.

[totinette]

You might enjoy the Hawthorne or Belmont areas in SE Portland. There are lots of young families around and plenty of things to walk to.