What do you LOVE about raising a family in Portland? (Beaverton: waterpark, crime)

[jessysunshine]

What do you LOVE about raising a family in Portland?

[tiffela74]

EXCELLENT medical care. Top Notch doctors who not only are very up to date on all the medical stuff, but also are warm caring and loving people as well.

more parks than you can explore with your family in a lifetime.

OMSI (so cool!!! ever changing exhibits with something for everyone, plus all the other stuff that never gets tiresome)

Oregon Zoo...Personally, I cant get enough of the train! LOVE IT! It was one of my fav. parts about the zoo as a kid, my kids agree!! The bird shows on the big lawn are awesome, the animals are well kept in as nice of cages as can be and appear to be happy and healthy. Staff is always friendly and informative, and again, ever changing exhibits are cool.

Indoor parks for the really really rainy days. Theres more indoor play stuff than there are miserable days!

Kid friendly book stores! A huge step in my kids love of reading.

Free outdoor concerts in the summer/spring. My sons love of Jazz started out at one of these.

Family friendly neighborhoods. Many which have family walks. Where a batch of moms/dads/kids get together for daily walks. Exersize and bonding. cool

Family friendly weather. Truth here people. I would NOT want to be raising my child somewhere that is so hot for most of the summer that its not safe to let your kids outside. Or where youre literally snowed in for months on end. Ya, it rains. But how many kids actually melt? Or..... how many of them would have a ball going outside to dance in raindrops and stomp mightily through puddles? My kids dry off pretty easily. And have never experienced frostbite or heatstroke. And for those really hot days, there are the neato fountains on waterfront to play in and wheres that, by the bank? the outdoor free waterpark type with the pools/fountains/waterfalls/etc? anyone know where thats at?

okay, theres a few......its a start.

[juggler]

Good schools (we're actually in the Beaverton school district) where strong parental involvement is encouraged, expected and realized.

A huge variety of parks to satisfy every need. We like to go biking as a family at some of the parks with hike/bike trails. Hiking in nearby Forest Park or the Hoyt Arboretum is fantastic.

The Oregon Zoo, OMSI, the Children's Museum, Oaks Amusement Park

The Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec Department is one of the best, well-run parks-n-rec departments I have ever seen. My kids have been in all sorts of classes & programs via this organization.

Plenty of recreation opportunities. We have a popup camper and like to take the kids camping to all sorts of nearby places - national forests, Mt. Hood, the Columbia Gorge, state parks, the beach, etc. etc. etc.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I don't like raising my kids in a crime ridden big city. We moved to small town Oregon where my kids could grow up without fear of the night and knowing the simple things of life.

[jessysunshine]

Thanks, Juggler and Tiffela74! Those are awesome things! I would love to hear more and more from people. I've read so many negative things, on several state forums, that it is wonderful to hear what people LOVE about where they live. We may be moving to Portland, so I LOVE hearing what you LOVE about raising a family there. Keep 'em comin'!

[Neal2009]

I think what is great about raising a family in Portland is the kids learn to appreciate nature. There is so much access here to wonderful outdoor activities, be it hiking or biking in forest park, hiking the waterfalls at the columbia river gorge, taking a stroll down canon beach and admiring haystack rock, biking along the wilamette, skiing at mt hood. The list goes on. On a clear day there is nothing better than going to Washington Park and taking the train to the zoo, which is located on a large hill where you have a wonderful view of Mt. St Helens and Mt. Hood. You can drop the kids off there with their friends and then go to the arboretum, which is right next to the zoo and admire the views and majestic douglas fir trees, which never fail to captivate me.

Yes, it is gray some of the time, but temperatures never get too low and the rain is never too heavy, so there is no reason a family cannot enjoy the wonderful activities Portland has to offer. That is not to mention the indoor places, however, I gravitate towards the outdoors rain or shine.

[babycoleslaw]

What's NOT to love? I love that there are so many parks and trails connecting all parts of the city together. We live near the Fanno Creek Trail and we can walk to (literally) 6 playgrounds in a very short distance.
I have one child with a disability and he is included 100% with his peers in the general ed classroom. Not many districts in the country offer this without a fight (even though they should, by law).
The close proximity to the coast, mountains, Seattle...we drive up to Bremerton and take the ferry across so the kids can see what that experience is like.
Riding the MAX...one child is obsessed with Thomas so the fact that he gets to ride a 'train' is absolutely thrilling for him!
Although there is not a huge cultural diversity, there is enough where my kids question other peoples' cultures and have also expressed an interest in why homeless people are homeless and what we can do to help them.
It really is a breathtaking place to be in and in my mind, if families are bored here, they'd be bored anywhere...there is an incredible amount of things to do!!!

[tiffela74]

hey babycoleslaw...i dont know if they still do it, but the rail road (think it was MtHood railroad) used to do a Thomas the Train theme ride every year. They get pretty into it from what i hear and the kids seem to love it.
And i agree, i cant see how anyone with kids could be bored here. We've never been. And Ive got three picky kids! lol

[pdxscott09]

Originally Posted by tiffela74

hey babycoleslaw...i dont know if they still do it, but the rail road (think it was MtHood railroad) used to do a Thomas the Train theme ride every year. They get pretty into it from what i hear and the kids seem to love it.
And i agree, i cant see how anyone with kids could be bored here. We've never been. And Ive got three picky kids! lol

Here is the website ~Thomas and Friends~