Reviews & Comments
Eugene, OR
fix funding and I'm there -
7/23/2006Eugene, really all Oregon, is a study in contrasts. Most of the state is rural and leans way to the right. Eugene, along with Portland, leans far enough to the left to create either a balance or a stalemate, depending on your way of looking at it.
It doesn't really rain all the time, folks - that's something we made up to keep all the people who like mild climates from cramming in here and obstructing our views. Summers are warm, sometimes hot, gorgeous clear blue skies but with zippo humidity - nice. Fall, winter, spring, there IS rain, but 90% of the time it's not so bad that you can't be out in it - more mist than anything else. (People elsewhere imagine constant downpours with thunder and lightning - not here. Actually, I only heard thunder twice in the past three years.) Winter is mild - not much need for a heavy coat unless you're going up into the Cascade mountains to ski (sometimes you need a winter coat at the coast, too, an hour due west - breathtaking, unspoiled natural rocky coastline, where the wind can whip the hair off your head). And spring! Spring starts in February; that's when you start to see the daffodils, and the tulips aren't far behind. In this climate, it's hard NOT to have a green thumb - plant life is lush and abundant.
Now, because, I suspect, of the mild climate (and the liberal leaning), Eugene does have a high homeless/transient population. However, (back to the contrasts) it also has a very high percentage of community and charitable activity, along with high rates of volunteering. Interestingly, this contrasts Eugene's low religious observance and church attendance.
Lots of educated people here, and excellent university, but also increasing meth production and use. Friendly folks who let you do your own thing. Walkable city with great dining and entertainment; progressive zoning has kept the heart of the city a desirable place to be.
Another statewide contrast - Oregon, surprisingly, give its high hippie population, does have the death penalty. But it also is the only state with "death with dignity" physician-assisted suicide. Death on both counts - maybe that's not a contrast after all.
I chose to leave Oregon, however, because the government is failing its children. Due in part to Oregonians' pride in lack of sales tax ("we've voted 'no' on it six times in the past 80 years!") public funding is unstable and insufficient, resulting in woeful school settings. Some of the highest class sizes in th
Newburgh, NY
diversity a plus -
7/23/2006My experience as a student in Newburgh schools has contributed greatly to my development as a person. What many may not know about Newburgh is that it encompasses both a town (suburban feel, many whites) and a city (inner-city feel, beautiful historic homes, high poverty and everything that goes with poverty, mostly black and hispanic). This makes for an eye-opening education, as the two halves of Newburgh attend the same schools. You want diversity outside of a major city? Here it is. Even the white population is diverse - higher-than-typical percentages of Catholic and Jewish religious observance. Teen moms, Harvard-bound, black, hispanic, italian, jewish, african-american literature class, orchestra, gospel choir, ski team, football team, cosmetology classes, AP classes. Newburgh schools offer their students a real-life education that cannot be demonstrated with test scores or graduation rates. Superficial, small-minded divisions that exist in other towns - jock, geek, cheerleader - fade away and become virtually non-existent as students grapple with bigger issues of life.
Newburgh can be gritty, no doubt about it. But it's a real town with real history, and has been independent and unique for a long time. The waterfront area, along the beautiful Hudson River, has had a recent revival, with new high-quality, independent restaurants, drawing people from all over Newburgh back into the city. Nature is nearby - you don't have to go far for a good hike in the Catskills or Shawangunks. But sadly, the big-box retailers have also discovered Newburgh in the past ten years, diminishing its character as each Wal-Mart and Friday's moves in. Home prices have also sky-rocketed in recent years, as all of Orange County becomes more and more a suburb of NYC.
But in closure - Forced to relocate several times since living in Newburgh, I seek out the kind of diversity found in Newburgh - that's what I would want for my children's education.
West Hartford, CT
CT's middle ground -
7/23/2006As a relative newcomer to WH, I see it as a middle ground in CT - not an NYC suburb(Greenwich etc), not a sprawling, McMansion, cars-only "town" (Farmington), not city, and not country.
What's nice is that there are actually sidewalks and a town center here, unlike in other parts of Connecticut, where people live in giant homes on giant lots, turning farmland into giant suburbs. There is also a fair amount of ethnic and religious diversity, a good school district, and three major natural/organic grocery chains.
Downside - I don't know if I'll ever be able to buy a home, even in WH's housing market, where the housing stock is more divers than other parts of CT.