Portland is divided into 5 basic sections- not counting the suburbs. The Willamette River divides east from west. Burnside St. divides the north from the south- and North Portland is a little peninsula that is between the Willamette River and the Columbia River- west of I-5.
Each area has it's own personality, flavor and lifestyle. It's important to understand how Portland is laid you if you want to find the best place for your personality to thrive! I'll do a blog about each different section of Portland- and some of it's suburbs. I have the full Portland Neighborhood Guide on my website. It has a full write up of each neighborhood and suburb- with maps, descriptions, photos, collages, links to parks, trails, schools, history and more. But I can give you a little bit of an idea what each area is like- and then you can go to my website if you want to learn more!
This article will concentrate on SE Portland.
SE Portland is east of the Willamette River- it's north boundary is East Burnside- it's east boundry is around 160th, the west boundary is the Willamette River and Milwaukie is the suburb that borders it on the south. This is one of Portland's hottest areas. Close in to the city the prices are kind of high-but there are lots of really cool houses....Craftsman, Bungalow, Victorian, Mid Century- all with lots of character, hardwood floors, quiet tree lined streets- and a wonderful neighborhood feel. Most have neighborhood cafes and gathering spots-Community is important in Portland! I'm going to write just a little bit about a couple of the east neighborhoods- you can go to my website for more indepth coverage-http://www.portlandcreativerealtors.com/main_Portland_east_neighborhoods.php
Brooklyn is right up close to the Willamette River- It is a quaint up and coming highly desirable neighborhood that is super close to downtown- just go across the Ross Island Bridge- which borders Brooklyn- and you are in the south part of downtown Portland. So access is awesome! There are quiet streets lined with trees and cool old well kept restored homes- some of the streets are really narrow- it almost feels like a little bit of Europe in Portland. There is lots to do- Theaters, restaurants, cafes, parks- all walkable. The community is close and warm!
The newly built Eastbank Esplanade and the OMSI-to-Springwater extension allows the Brooklyn Neighborhood to embrace the Willamette river front once again. In addition, the riverside trail will link the Brooklyn neighborhood to the entire 40 Mile Loop trail system. The neighborhood board has been working with city officials to design a more direct access to the Springwater Trail from Brooklyn .
Tri-Met is in the planning phases of The South Corridor transportation system. Current options being studied include building light-rail in the Brooklyn neighborhood adjacent to the existing railroad system. This project will hopefully re-work some of the existing traffic trouble spots and would help to better link the Brooklyn Neighborhood to downtown Portland , the inner Eastside area, and the communities of Sellwood , Oregon City, and Clackamas.
Sellwood/Westmoreland is the next neighborhood to the south of Brooklyn along the Willamette River and is the farthest south neighborhood on the east side. The Sellwood Bridge connects John's Landing to Sellwood, so it is easy to get into downtown SW Portland . The bridge is a really cool old concrete bridge- really narrow and picturesque- bike riders, joggers and walkers are always going across it. Starting under the bridge and going north is Oaks Bottom Wildlife Preserve- which is a long wide stretch of wetlands and beach that is teeming with wildlife. A trail goes along the river to Oaks Park- which has a carnival ride system, and an awesome roller rink-with wavy wood strips you can skate on. There is an off leash dog park too.
SE Bybee splits Sellwood and Westmoreland- and as it heads east it becomes a bridge to Eastmoreland- across the wide valley of RR tracks. There are only 3 ways to go east, across that area of tracks from Sellwood to Eastmoreland- You can take either SE Tacoma, SE Holgate, or SE Bybee. It's a good thing to remember when you are trying to get from the river to the Reed College area.
Sellwood is full of funky cottages, cute little bungalows, Craftsman with big front porches to sit on in the summer, and gorgeous restored Victorian homes- most setting on quiet tree lined streets. From Tacoma Rd , heading north, the residential area runs west into Sellwood Park- a big park that is set high above the river. As you continue going north, you run into Westmoreland There are lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, antique shops and other cool places to explore. As you get towards Westmoreland, the climate is a little more mainstream.-and the houses a little bit bigger- but the atmosphere isn't quite as unique, original and creative as Sellwood! There is a real neighborhood-community feel in Sellwood- with the community center, community pool, and the New Seasons Store. If I was going to live in the city, I would choose Sellwood- just because of the feel and proximity to the river!
One excursion I love is to take the trails all the way into Portland and back. Here is how you do it! Go across the Sellwood Bridge , along the river, and head north. You will come to my favorite park in all of Portland- Willamette Park . It is huge- there is a big boat launch, picnic areas, sports areas, trees and a trail that goes all the way into Portland- through the downtown along the river, past the big fountain-(which you can ride your bike through or run through on hot days!) and on through the city. You can continue on to the Steel Bridge- go across the river on the jogging bridge and ride back on the east Esplanade- which is a floating bridge that floats on the river all the way to the Hawthorne Bridge. Go across the Hawthorne Bridge , and go back along the trail to Willamette Park- and on to Sellwood! There are lots of restaurants and cafes you can stop at for a snack or drink. Then you can wade in the river on the way back.if you are hot! There are a couple of places that the trail breaks up- but will be completely finished soon.
There are 4 parks right in Sellwood, 3 of them are along the River- and a couple of more in Westmoreland- plus the beginning of the SpringWater Trail system which goes, (or will soon go!), from the Willamette River all the way out to Clackamas area and beyond. It connects to the Johnson Creek area, and will become part of the 40 mile loop of trails that go around Portland . Sellwood Riverfront Park is right down on the water, and has a boat dock, disabled access restroom, dog off-leash area, paved and unpaved paths, picnic tables, and an outdoor stage for concerts etc. Oaks Bottom Wildlife area has all kinds of birds- Hawks, eagles, quail, pintails, mallards, coots, woodpeckers, kestrels, widgeons and even the great blue heron can be seen standing at the edge of the water, looking into it's depths-suddenly grabbing a fish and swallowing it whole. You can look across the water and see downtown Portland and the Willamette Park . Westmoreland Park Includes baseball field, basketball court - outdoor, disabled access restroom, football field, paths - paved, paths - unpaved, picnic site - picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, statue or public art, tennis court - outdoor, and wading pool or water play feature. It has an interesting history. Hand-dug by residents during the Depression as part of federal job-making efforts, the concrete pond is consider to be one of only 2-3 manmade casting ponds in the USA. It is three feet deep, about 350 feet wide and 410 feet long. The pond opened in 1936 with an international fly-casting tournament. In 1940, the federal Works Progress Administration poured a concrete bottom. It was just redone in 2006 because it had drained.
Hawthorne-Belmont Neighborhood
Hathorne, or Sunnyside...as it is technically known- is just north of Hawthorne St- from about SE 28 th to SE 50 th - where it runs into Mt Tabor. It's north border is SE Stark- where it runs into Laurelhurst, and it's south boundary is SE Hawthorne . It has two really cool, trendy, hip "sub-neighborhoods" in it- The Hawthorne District- which is the southern boundary of this neighborhood- and just 6 blocks north, there is SE Belmont . I've written a whole page about Hawthorne- you can click here to go to it and find all kinds of photos, links and maps. Belmont is a lot like Hawthorne- a little bit smaller- it's a historic street full of boutiques and ethnic restaurants, centered around the neon lights of the Avalon Theatre- where you can see a movie for just $1.25! Avalon-Theatre-Portland
Hawthorne is not technically a designated neighborhood- but is one of the most popular areas of Portland . It is technically part of the Richmond neighborhood. The Hawthorne area is just packed with trendy shops, restaurants, cafes, book stores, art galleries, massage, tattoo, acupuncture and other alternative treatments and other cool things- some really unique and creative, others outlandish- It's a very alternative neighborhood- People respect each other for their individuality- and you can see it in the type of people that live and hang out here. It borders Ladds Addition on the west, Sunnyside on the north, the other part of Richmond on the south and Tabor to the east. There are a lot of houses with super character here- the old Craftsman style, the 4 Square, the Bungalow, the Old PDX- many with leaded glass, most with hardwood floors and the cool old molding. A lot of them have been made into duplexes, multiplexes- or some just rent out rooms! There is a Grand Central Bakery- which people flock to because of their home made bread and pasteries, soups and salads. I don't know if there are any technical boundaries- but this is where I would put them.
Lots of people here ride bikes, walk and take public transportation. There are some areas that I really love- they have a Powells Book store and a McMenamins' Bagdad Theatre Pub
I think an interesting quote that tells alot about the atmosphere and lifestyle of Hawthorne, is taken from travelportland.com " Hawthorne is "the bohemian." It reflects an urban niche where "alternative" is considered mainstream, and tie-dyes aren't a thing of the past. Here a hint of patchouli drifts from stores; a flower vendor brightens the sidewalk scenery; "art car" sightings are commonplace (cars decorated hood to trunk with treasures ranging from high-heeled shoes to bowling trophies); and the trendy set shop in hip used-clothing boutiques
There are no big fancy parks right in this neighborhood, but lots of really cool parks are close by- Laurelhurst park is just on the other side of Stark, and Mt Tabor is just past SE 60 th . So it isn't far to walk or bike to a park! There is one park- Seawall Park-5 acres with basketball court - outdoor, disabled access play area, dog off-leash area, paths - paved, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, and softball field.
Here is a short line about some other SE Neighborhoods I have written about in my Portland Neighborhood Guide
Mt Tabor is a 600 foot butte in the middle of east Portland- it used to be an old volcano! In fact it is the only one of two extinct volcanos in the United States that is in the city limits of a major city! The other one is in Bend , Oregon . Mt Tabor is now a beautiful park with walking trails, picnic areas, and breathtaking viewpoints, sports areas and woods. The Mt Tabor and South Tabor neighborhoods are just to the west of this butte, Click here to see cool maps, links & photos!
Lents has an awesome future! It's a great place to buy if you want to build equity. And that means it is coming back into its own- because back in the late 1800's when it was first established, it was established in 1892! Now it is in the middle of a 15 year Urban Renewal plan that will completely change its face- with no cost or low cost loans available for home improvements, starting businesses and more. And the Max is scheduled to come through Lents with 3 stops right in this neighborhood! Just take a look at what happened to N Portland, and you will see where I am coming from. Click here to learn more about Lents, find cool links to parks, schools, bike paths, urban renewal and more plus photos and maps. Click here to see cool maps, links & photos!
Ladds Addition is a really cool little area just west of the Hawthorne District- bordered on the north by SE Hawthorne, the south, Division- the east is SE 20 th and the west is Se 12 th Ave. It has a main center circle planted with all kinds of bushes, flowers and other plants- the streets angle out from that circle to form a windmill kind of shape- Each arm has a smaller circle filled with rose bushes. Many of the streets are lined with big beautiful Elm trees- which adds to the beauty. Click here to see cool maps, links & photos!
Eastmoreland is bounded on the west by the northern pacific RR tracks, on the north by Eastmoreland Country Club, on the south by Crystal Springs Blvd and on the east by SE 39 th . It is kind of set apart from the other neighborhoods- by the tracks, the country club and the trees and open space beyond Crystal Springs . It is a gorgeous area- probably the one of the prettiest neighborhoods of Portland . To learn more about Eastmoreland- see photos, maps, and cool links and learn about history-Click here to see cool maps, links & photos!
Woodstock is east of Westmoreland- on the other side of SE 39 th . It is has cute little town center with cafes, shops and eateries. It's official boundaries are SE39 th to the west, SE 60 th to the east (although I would say it should only go to about SE 52nd- it changes drastically around that area),SE Holgate to the north and SE Claybourne and SE Henry to the South- with a long narrow section extending all the way to Johnson Creek. It is right above Reed College www.reed.edu.com area. Click here to see cool maps, links & photos!
There are actually quite a few more neighborhoods in the East Portland area- you can read about them in my Portland Neighborhood Guide- or just email me and I'll give you a tour! I love helping people find the perfect house in the right neighborhood!
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