Inspired by New Neighbor Welcoming Project packets “greeting and treating” them to Beaumont-Wilshire, courtesy of BWNA and the local business community, several newcomers have responded with thank-you emails that include their impressions of the neighborhood as well as personal information about themselves. Here’s a happy sampling:
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Growing up in Eugene and most recently residing in Portland’s Piedmont neighborhood, Jenna, Jeff, and daughter Maggie moved to their home on Alameda: “After having our daughter and transitioning to work from home, we were ready for a slightly bigger house. We love this neighborhood and can’t wait until it’s safe to meet more neighbors in person! Thanks for the warm welcome!”
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After a move from Texas “prompted by securing a great job at a local Portland software company,” followed by a few years of apartment-dwelling in The Pearl, Jason and Katie moved to their home on 47th: “This is the first house for both of us, and we are excited by all the new homeowner things that we couldn’t have in a one-bedroom apartment downtown. Specifically, the parks and quiet neighborhoods to walk around, enjoying the fresh air and family atmosphere… We have met a handful of neighbors, and everyone has been very nice and helpful even in these times of the pandemic. They have done a wonderful job of making us feel at home… Thanks for making us feel welcomed and for your time and effort on the BWNA newsletter.”
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Living on César E. Chávez Boulevard, Bob and April enjoy walking their dog around the neighborhood and taking son Colin to play in Wilshire Park. “So far we have loved having the ability to walk to get take-out tacos, bagels, dog treats, sports gear, hardware store things, smoothies, and a nice little market open until 11 p.m.!”
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Carrie and Scott, a Nurse Practitioner and Columbia Sportswear employee, respectively, moved from the Portsmouth neighborhood to their home on 45th: “We are happy to be here… excited to explore and be a part of this new (to us) neighborhood… have two dogs… and from our walks it looks like most B-W residents are dog people as well. Look forward to learning about our neighbors.”
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Dineen and Tom moved to their home on 45th after having lived in the Montavilla, Sunnyside, and Brooklyn neighborhoods for almost four years and “are so excited to be first-time homeowners in this lovely neighborhood…” and …“really excited about getting to know our neighbors and … grateful for the community you all are creating and fostering at the Neighborhood Association.”
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Brooke-Lynn and Ivan on Skidmore: “We used to live in the Roseway neighborhood and didn’t have any intro to that neighborhood. So this is a nice surprise. We have also had neighbors stop by and say hello, which is also a lovely welcome. We are already in love with the neighborhood and look forward to meeting more people once the pandemic is under control. Thanks again. Very thoughtful.”
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Laura and Alastair on Alameda: “Just wanted to say thanks for the welcome letter and BWNA Newsletter that was delivered to us as new residents… We moved in just before the holiday, so it took us a bit to get settled, but I did want to say how lovely and unexpected the welcome was. We have two little boys (ages 4 and 7) and moved from San Jose, CA., so are really enjoying the weather (seriously), the ability to walk everywhere, and how neighborly everyone is.”
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Mary and Dan on 37th: “Thank you so much… we are very glad to be here. We moved from California to Portland and are loving the change of scenery and refreshing pace of life. We both moved around a fair bit in the last two decades (Ed: Dan growing up in Oregon, Mary in Minnesota), and Beaumont-Wilshire feels, for both of us, like a return to our roots.”
Inside the New Neighbor Welcoming Project packets are letters of welcome from BWNA President Tim Gillespie and Beaumont Business Association (BBA) President Andy Frazier, a discount card good at 31 BBA businesses and organizations (mostly located on Fremont Street), and a gift card from Backyard Bird Shop (just east of 14th on Fremont).
Editor’s Note: If you know of a B-W newcomer or are one yourself, please email me a tip at editor@bwnapdx.org. Packets are mailed due to COVID, so names and addresses are needed.