where is a good place to raise children in Oregon?

If you want a city environment, then its easy... Portland is the only choice. I suggest you consider Corvallis and Eugene Oregon. Both are nice places. Both are medium-sized college towns - Corvallis (OSU) and Eugene (U of O) which provide a lot of sports and other entertainment options in addition to the education opportunities. Corvallis is more conservative, quiet and has a small town feel. Eugene, while not big by some standards is more metropolitan. Eugene is also more liberal with a bit of 60's retro attitude. You might say it is the Berkeley of Oregon. Both are about an hour from the ocean and both are close to lots of camping, water skiing, hunting and fishing. School wise, Corvallis is better. Both universities are good. U of O is a good liberal arts school. OSU is a good science and engineering school. Corvallis has a slightly stronger economy than many other towns in OR due to the university and local technology firms like Hewlett Packard. Corvallis is probably the better place for young kids and is probably the safest of the 4 biggest cities in OR. Weatherwise, all three cities (Portland, Corvallis and Eugene) have pretty much the same weather... rainy 6 months a year, 4 months of great summer weather (July thru Oct) and two transition months.

Portland.