Is Brooklyn New York a nice place to live-how does it compare with living in other parts of New York City?

I have lived in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Seattle is really nice but I just got tired of it--been there done that. Portland is quite nice too. Winter time is a drag here but not as bad as back east. At any rate, is Brooklyn a nice place to live or is it a downtrodden, crime ridden place with steel bars on windows, newspapers blowing around in the streets, etc. Is it safe--a good place for kids, etc? Basically I just am looking for some characterizations of the place. Thanks!