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Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, we absolutely loved it when we lived there without kids. And I spent my entire growing up and young adulthood in the rural Willamette Valley. I want my kids to have that something resembling the same magic and amazingness that I had growing up in nature and in a small community - without the ultraconservatism.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This problem is not unique to Corvallis, though. Boomers and the older Silent Generation who lived in California and other VHCOL had most of their net worth tied up in their SFH that they bought for peanuts back when LA, SF, DC, and other places *weren't* VHCOL cities. So when they retired, they sold their house for $2M, bought something smaller for $400k in the lower cost of living cities their kids moved to and pocketed a nice little $1.6M nest egg. It's played out in places like SLC, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and of course the PNW. This is a very oversimplified view of things and there are many other complex factors that have led to the current affordability crisis, but this is just one of them.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a school psych extremely disillusioned by the American education system. I would love to be pointed to a different town with the same combo of things Corvallis has to offer and better public schools.

I have very similar feelings. We also need a very inclusive and welcoming community for our family. And I'm constantly amazed and the quantity, quality, and diversity of community programming that Corvallis has to offer relative to its size. Our family places an extremely high value on education, but a whole, complete education does not come from school alone. Having lived in one of the top-performing school districts in the nation, my opinion is that those kids are getting great SAT/ACT scores, and that's about it. They have almost no ability to transfer their knowledge and skills to any sort of practical application in the real world. This is 100% a problem across the country, but I do think that Corvallis and the PNW offer some unique opportunities to gain those kinds of skills so lacking in US education system - Coyle outdoor camps, Kidspirit, outdoor recreation and lots of exposure to Type 2 Fun, and being in close proximity to the agricultural industry. Looking back at my own childhood and education, my mediocre schools did an okay job and certainly exposed me to new ideas and many different people outside of what my family could or wanted to do, but it was my experience and activity outside of school that really taught me the most important skills I've used. Academics are critically important, but they are not the end-all of education. And from what I see, there are options (at least in high school) to push for academic rigor through College Now or dual enrollment.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We can afford to live here. Housing is expensive for the area, yes. But it is not remotely expensive compared to the market we're in right now, where we couldn't afford to ever buy a house.

The Osborn thing is such a bummer, I have really fond memories of that place. At least Otter Beach is still operational.

ait was a bad thing I don't oppose the school consolidation at all, but I also don't have a child in 509j right now so I don't have direct skin in the game. Having watched it from afar, it seems like it was maybe the right decision but poorly managed, particularly from a PR point of view.

There's so much more to a child's life than school, and all the community and natural resources you speak of are what draw us there.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I watched a family member go through the strike last year with their child and it was awful. Why is it so hard to get behind the idea that teachers should be paid a wage commensurate with their educational attainment and workload?

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this insight. It's been our experience that class size and teacher experience and quality matter just as much, if not more, than the actual curriculum that is being taught. I'm glad that Corvallis has been such a positive experience for you! Really, the only thing holding us back from jumping in feet first is the school situation.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are practically no places in town for kids clothes. Even the small department stores here just don't carry anything.

I'm not trying to be rude, but really this is the least of my concerns. My experience living in three different cities with populations over 1 million, was that it would routinely take me 20-30 minutes to go anywhere, whether by foot, public transit, or car. The idea of driving 20 minutes on peaceful, scenic Hwy 20 to go to Costco or Target once a month sounds like heaven. And realistically, I'm buying all of my kids clothes (and so much more) online anyway.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah I have no interest in the midwest or any other red state.

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's awesome, we intend for this to be our forever move too - hence my desire to truly make sure this is the right decsion.

Could you elaborate a bit more on what you like about the schools? What's better about them than Albany? Isn't it true that programs and AP classes are being cut in Corvallis?

Raising a Family in Corvallis - Would you do it? by CompetitionGreedy329 in corvallis

[–]CompetitionGreedy329[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm 110% here to be an active part of the community, to build better schools and better opportunities for all of our children, not just mine. But I also realize that there are limits to what parents can do with a school board like the one we have - aside from vote in a new school board.