African American Mom coming to Oregon?? (Portland, Beaverton: fit in, rent, crime)

[jrzygirl1969]

After having lived in NJ all my life I have decided I need a change. I currently live in Montclair, NJ. Montclair is an ultra liberal, metro, NYC commuter town people call little Manhattan. So, I was wondering if Oregon would be a good place for us. My oldest son 8 has been learing Mandarin Chinese for 4 years and I wanted to find a school or program where he could continue his lessons. He absolutely loves it so whatever school I put him in has to offer Mandarin. My search for a place to live must revolve around my school choice. I am also unemployed at this time and am hoping to find a job there. The Errol Hassel School in Aloha, Or has a Mandarin program but I'm not hearing good things about the area. Can someone tell me more about this area? Also, how friendly is this area? I come from a very diverse town but I'm not sure how we might fit in.

[ak.nessa]

Anywhere in the Portland area would be fine. And if you don't like Aloha, there are so many other suburbs of Portland that you can explore after you move. Have you visited this part of Oregon before or can you not afford to visit first? Be prepared for a lot of rain and cloudy weather most of the year. And LOTS of traffic in/around the whole Portland metro area, especially Tigard and Beaverton. Crime and drugs do exist, but you will find that just about anywhere in the U.S., except for maybe parts of Utah!

I love Oregon - there are so many things to do. We have the beaches (nice to visit in the summertime), the mountains, and east of the mountains we have the desert. But the valley (where Aloha is) is very green and rainy.

There are not very many jobs in Oregon right now. So make sure you have a job lined up before you move! Some cities have over 25% unemployment in Oregon right now...it's really bad!

[davefr]

Originally Posted by jrzygirl1969

My search for a place to live must revolve around my school choice. I am also unemployed at this time and am hoping to find a job there.

I hate the tell you this, but you don't pick an area and then pick a school and then expect there to be a job awaiting you. (unless you have some professional skill that's always in high demand)

If you're unemployed then you need to accept a job wherever it may be and then optimize where you live based on that job.

Thinning down your options at this stage is foolish and will simply extend your unemployed status.

Get on a plane and spend a few weeks out here seeking employment and see what you can come up with.

[PrincessJoyce]

I agree. Your son has a chance to do great things with his skills. Why hinder this by moving with no employment? You need to some productive thinking. Map out a plan. I wanted to move in 2005 out of California. Yet I had no steady employment. So I did my research. Then I relocated. I am working and back in college. Moving without a job is a tragedy. Moving to a state with no jobs is a disaster. When you are stressed children can tell. It will come out in your actions and speaking.

[Rob Allen]

I live within walking distance of Errol Hassell School, and the area is a very pleasant suburb of single-family homes. There is a section of Aloha that's less desirable, but it's miles away. The area is fairly diverse by Portland standards - there are relatively few African-Americans in Portland generally, but there are some here - and Mexicans, Hawaiians, Indians, even some Irish.

I have to join the other posters in cautioning you about moving here without a job. The unemployment situation here is seriously bad. Do not come "hoping to find a job" unless you are prepared to live off your savings for a year or two.

[Klassyhk]

Originally Posted by jrzygirl1969

After having lived in NJ all my life I have decided I need a change. I currently live in Montclair, NJ. Montclair is an ultra liberal, metro, NYC commuter town people call little Manhattan. So, I was wondering if Oregon would be a good place for us. My oldest son 8 has been learing Mandarin Chinese for 4 years and I wanted to find a school or program where he could continue his lessons. He absolutely loves it so whatever school I put him in has to offer Mandarin. My search for a place to live must revolve around my school choice. I am also unemployed at this time and am hoping to find a job there. The Errol Hassel School in Aloha, Or has a Mandarin program but I'm not hearing good things about the area. Can someone tell me more about this area? Also, how friendly is this area? I come from a very diverse town but I'm not sure how we might fit in.

jrzygirl,

Assuming you have done some research on Oregon and understand the demographics? Because this will have an effect on how comfortable you will feel in OR coming from Montclaire, NJ, if you're unaccustomed to being in areas where there is no or very little African-American presence and culture. Friendliness is subjective because it depends on many other factors. Some people will find it very friendly and open while others won't. I have never lived in Oregon so I will leave specifics for other posters but I have been in the PNW and would suggest an urban area to you, Portland. There you have a better chance of possibly getting the qualifications you asked for regarding your son's education. As the other posters have suggested, work on getting a job in the are first before your move. As it is, you will be in a new area with a child and you won't have family or personal friends to fall back on there. There are many financial issues that come up. Have you planned for his after-school care? Because it's unlikely that you'll get a job that works in tandem with his school hours. Considered the cost of moving across country, have enough money saved up to live in a hotel/motel/inn until you find a place, security deposit or down payment and first month's rent or mortage? It's not impossible but it takes a lot of planning and looking at all issues associated with moving from all angles. Best wishes in your decision.

[Minervah]

I am only going to add to the others: DO NOT come here unemployed "hoping" to find a job unless you are a doctor or highly skilled person in an area that may be hiring. I qualify that "may be" because even the medical facilities are experiencing layoffs. You can google the larger companies that usually have job postings to see if anything is available.

Aloha is like any other suburb. I used to visit a friend there pretty frequently. She lived in an older section where the houses had large yards. It was really nice. Her yard was a showplace. The newer areas look like a typical cookie-cutter like suburb. Like any other area there are good places and not so good places to live.

I also agree with the suggestion to have enough money to live on when you come here but also keep in mind that the cost of living is not cheap and your savings might not go as far as you would like. Be sure to budget carefully if you decide to go that route. This is true because even if you are lucky enough to secure a job before moving, companies are still closing their doors and downsizing so there is no guarantee that the job will last. This is something many of us already living here have to deal with.

If you are seeking to start fresh in a new city, why not choose one that has a better employment rate?

[Steve Pickering]

Without a job don't expect to live in a good part of any town in Oregon.

[jrzygirl1969]

Thank you everyone for the great responses. The job issue is really something I need to seriously think about. There is nothing here in NY either and I'd be willing to take a job a just about anywhere. Its so bad here I might have to go on some kind of emergency assistance so I figured I'd rather be somewhere that I'd really like to be.

[Steve Pickering]

Problem is you aren't going to find jobs elswhere any easier and what you spend to find that out will put you living under a bridge.