We're here for the kids! (honest)

Coming of Age in the Gorge: The Next Generation Gets Online

By Tomi Owens, 11-20-06

Several years ago I read (in a ‘top ten best places to live’ list in some glossy, outdoorsy mag or another) that status in Hood River was determined “by the size of the rack on the top of your Subaru.” The implication was that Gorge folks are both obsessive adventure junkies and spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing our adventures.

Well, the same is true for our kids. Many people move to the area expressly to raise a family (that was my excuse.) Not only do Gorge children live large and play hard in the outdoors, but there are dozens of youth appropriate entertainment and cultural events available every month. The only problem was that our region, divided as it is between two states and comprising several distinct townships, lacked a unified source of information and event listings.

Web designer Dee Holzman saw a need for a family oriented, Gorge-wide information clearing house and in 2000 launched the gorgekids.com website. I interviewed Dee about her hugely successful, ongoing project which is probably the most recognizable regional online community in the Gorge…

New West: How long has the GorgeKids website been in existence?

GorgeKids has been in existence since August of 2000. I had two small children in 1996 and 1998, and spent lots of time researching activities, childcare and educational resources for them. I thought it would be great for local parents to have a collection of parenting resources in one easy to find place on the internet. It turned out to be an excellent resource for the large numbers of visiting families to the Columbia River Gorge, also.

Was there a particular moment of inspiration for GK or did the idea for a family website evolve over time?

The inspiration came when I spent so much time researching activates for my kids. At the time, I was learning how the internet was leveling the playing field for the distribution and accumulation of information. After much help from Gorge.net, who was extremely accommodating and patient, I managed to publish the first pages, which included information on family service organizations such as new parent services, local events, local classes for children and adults, and a free classified ad section for parents to buy and sell items for their kids. I also featured a page where local babysitters could post their services and a listing of local childcare providers. Information on local school districts was added. Q-104 Radio was also an enthusiastic early supporter, promoting the website from it's beginnings.

The response from local parents was very enthusiastic, so I added more educational resources and a Family Health Page sponsored by Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital. This page contains very helpful seasonal health information, as well as childbirth education, immunizations and more. The Health Page also contains a large searchable archive page which includes articles on subjects ranging from colds and flu, activates for teens, depression and much more…Over the years I continued to make improvements to the backend portion of the website, which improved the classified ad and babysitter sections of the website. Improvements were added such as a search tool and category listings.

Visitors to the website increased from around 1000 visitors per month to over 15,000 visitors per month presently and as high as 47,000 monthly visits during the peak summer season, according to GorgeKids.com's website visitor tracking software provided by Gorge.net.


You have many sections on your site, which are the most popular?

Holzman: According to reports on GorgeKids.com's visitors, the most popular pages include the 'what's new' section on the home page, which features information on upcoming events and activities for families with children. The classified ad section is also very popular - it's a very easy to use section that makes it possible for parents to post their items for sale and search for items they need. The babysitter section is also heavily used by both parents and babysitters posting their services.

Another popular section is the childcare page. Some childcare providers have told me repeatedly that they receive the most referrals from the GorgeKids.com website. Families also appreciate the local events page which features family happenings from Stevenson through the Gorge to Hood River, The Dalles and Goldendale.

What are the difficulties (if any) of maintaining a community website made up of several different towns and two states?

I rely on local people to send me information on their events and activates. For example, the Hood River County Library is extremely reliable and will send me information on events and kids reading programs for all libraries in the County.

Mid Columbia Childcare Partners is also a great resource that provides me with local childcare information. Both the Hood River County and Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation Districts also provide valuable information. Hood River County Community Education is also a great resource for content on the GorgeKids.com website.

There are several newspapers in the Gorge, each covering a town or very local region. do you feelthere is a need for a more comprehensive, Gorge wide news source?

Families are definitely interested in events & activities happening throughout the Gorge, and are willing to drive to another location to participate in something that their kids will enjoy. I definitely feel that there is a need for a gorge-wide source for family oriented information, whether it be news or information on actives and events.

There are so many families with young children in this area, and they are typically very busy, so any easily accessible source of information they can quickly check between changing diapers and driving the kids to activities is certainly appreciated.

What are your plans for continued development of the GorgeKids website?

In the future I would like to add a section where local parents can communicate with other parents online. The GorgeKids.com classified ad and babysitter sections do allow people to connect, but I think a more in-depth section where parents can express their opinions on local issues would be very popular.

I would also like to expand the website's content to target parents of pre-teens and teens. I need to find a good resource that can provide information on local teen actives, issues, etc.

I'm always open to suggestions from visitors, who can send comments and ideas to info@gorgekids.com.

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