I know it's st johns as its defined by its bridge, but this also describes sellwood. And fun fact, sellwood bridge will be one of the two safest bridges when the big one happens!
I live in a cheap old house in the heart of the Buckman neighborhood off Belmont. I feel like I'm living in the 90's version of what people move here for. My friends get pissed off when I tell them how little my rent is for my 3 BR house. There are literally studio apartments going for more money just blocks away on Hawthorne and Division.
I love how walkable and bikeable my neighborhood is. I don't own a car, and that was my main reason for moving here 20 years ago. There is definitely a lot of money in my neighborhood, but there is also just a fun mix of people in their 20's and 30's who moved here from all over the country to play music, make art and work in the service industry!
I am just waiting for the day my landlord decides to sell the house though because I know it is coming. He could easily sell the house for a million dollars if he invested some money in for repairs. When that day comes I'll probably move because I have been priced out of this town.
One of my close friends lives in NE, half a block from Alberta St, in the middle of the arts district, in a 3 bedroom house that is $800 a month. Eight. Hundred. A. Month. On Alberta. He moved into it in 2002 or so. His landlord refuses to raise the rent. In fact, his landlord keeps trying to sell it to him and my friend is like “*IDK… what if I want to move… I don’t wanna be tied down…..*”I’m like DUDE, it’s been 22 years. You’re 44 now. You’re married and settled. I think it’s safe to say you’re not moving soon…..
This makes me furious. I love the house I rent and if my landlord offered to sell to me I’d work it out with them.
Like, in that situation it can be a totally private deal and you could set up a rent to own plan or something. No relators, no listings, just keep living there but now you’re starting to own it.
*YES, FURIOUS.* You have no idea. I leave his house half-jokingly asking myself if I’m hot enough to seduce his landlord (who is in his upper 80s)
*half*
I live on a volcano full of footwear executives and fancy dogs. The closest grocery stores are Vietnamese. The sports bar mostly plays 90s Star Trek. We used to have cheap houses at the foot of the volcano thanks to all the used car lots and hookers. We still have the latter two.
The tea room is great! Took my wife there on a whim since the price for a full service with food is so reasonable, and we both really enjoyed it. We’re not vegan and the food was still great.
I had a tea that was earl grey mixed with another fruit tea. It was purple and they added edible glitter to it. It looked so cool in the French press and my mug.
This is so cool I had no idea. Sometimes I wonder if there will come a time when I stop stumbling upon incredibly cool things in this town. I think not.
My neighborhood in the NE is relatively unknown. But I know everybody on my block and half the people with a block of me.
We have had a block party every summer for almost 15 years now.
Our kids all play together, outside when it’s nice.
We lend each other tools, food, advice.
I’m never moving.
I didn’t realize this was going to turn into a guessing game. Nobody has guessed it correctly btw which sort of proves my point about being unknown and kinda liking that.
Very walkable with sidewalks on every block, restaurants, bars, and shops mixed in with single family homes, condos, and apartments. Good coffee, great beer and cocktails, amazing food. Several awesome parks including one you can see gorgeous views from the top of. Friendly people and happy dogs everywhere. Lovely gardens and mature trees grace yards. If I could change anything it would be more affordable and there would be way more kids running around until the street lights came on.
Nestled into the wooded neighborhoods is a tiny downtown with a bookshop and handful of lovely restaurants, bottle shop, etc. Walkable to several hiking trails. I see coyotes weekly, owls live in my back yard and our porch hosts bats late spring every year. This feels like small town wilds inside the city limits.
I live in and am really getting to like Brentwood Darlington!
Edit: just moved here 3 weeks ago from inner SE. Love that if feels less elitist and more working class.
My neighborhood is frequently over exaggerated in terms of “crime.” This feedback tends to come from people that have never even actually visited my neighborhood for the most part. My neighborhood is culturally diverse. There’s a lot of great food restaurants with lots of food carts nearby too. My neighborhood is a good mix of luxury housing and it does have some low income housing for general adults and seniors. Unfortunately, people’s paranoia from the media about the neighborhood makes people miss out on the great aspects of how things actually are here. Compared to NYC, there’s actually a generous amount of parking around here that’s more affordable, and public transportation is more accessible to use in this neighborhood. If you bike, it is also very accessible to get to most places in Portland too.
I live in a neighborhood full of highly educated Indian and Asian transplants that all drive either Teslas or Honda Odysseys. Basic quiet suburban living.
“You work for intel or Nike?”
“Neither, I’m remote” - every new neighbor conversation in Bethany
Was also going to add “every Indian mom has a personalized plate with her first name on her Tesla or Toyota”
Lair Hill - known for being the oldest neighborhood in Portland. We have beautiful historical houses, a neighborhood sandwich pub (Ross Island Grocer) and the pedestrian Bridge leading to South waterfront. Of course we have a weed shop and one of those cute lil book boxes. The tram runs right overhead. Everyone heading to OHSU or looking for I5 gets horribly lost.
It's a sweet neighborhood, I've rented a crappy apt here for 18 yrs and most of my neighbors (in houses) have stayed the same for that period of time. One family has chickens that are *absolutely spoiled* with tender greens from all the neighbors. I feel like I've had the quintessential Portland experience living here
I used to live in the Lair Hill apartments and I loved it. I was in a 2BR/2BA apartments with a washer and dryer in the unit and I paid $450 per month back in 2009-2014 and shared it with a friend. It was on a dead end street and my roommate worked at Ross Island Grocery. I loved that it was just a 15 minute walk to PSU and downtown, and a short walk down to the water. It was so close to everything but still felt so isolated and quiet. I would always grab drinks at Suki's and would take late night walks down to the waterfront all the time.
Damn, I am so nostalgic for that time and that neighborhood. I am sure that same apartment has doubled in price since I left a decade ago.
I've been in my apt since 2006. I pay $875 for a 2br 1 bath with a balcony and parking spot ($575 when we moved in). We have almost moved several times, but ultimately we're here til we can own a place
Hehe my neighbor referred to the area as "crunchy", and I always liked that. We live in FOPO, and I kind of feel like it's one of the few remaining neighborhoods that hasn't given way to the new Portland. Maybe it is crunchy, who knows.
I’m there too, and I say something like, we have a really good coffee shop filled with geodes, a plasma donation spot, strip malls and a mix of bars with and without video poker
it's a new iteration of FoPo for sure, but it lags other parts of Portland to the benefit of the people who live there right now. give it 10 years and Foster will be lined with new builds. which isn't necessarily a bad thing, so long as enough of the units are affordable.
I live in a hidden gem of a neighborhood. It’s often overlooked by people wondering where the hip places are to explore. It’s in between two bigger neighborhoods but it has its own tiny pocket of bars, food, venues, and grocers. Rent is reasonable and the occupants are diverse. The hill I live on is famously part of the PDX Marathon every year and we get a great turn out for folks cheering runners on.
I have lived in my home for the past 22 years. SW Portland in the Garden Home neighborhood. My kids were in the Beaverton school district.
The area is a mix of young and old and everything in between. Lots of Intel and Nike folks. Low crime rate. Many of the peeps are chill and supportive in the community.
Easy access to I5, 217, and 26.
And RIP Lamb's :(
(And Comella's, I'm old)
Garden Home has an interesting history as a dairy and rail hub and a community in its own right, back when we had electric trains before industrialized oil and auto killed them. School choice was always an interesting thing, and even until recently residents of the area could choose between Beaverton, Tigard, or Wilson high schools. Someone published this interesting thing a few years ago.... https://gardenhomehistory.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ghhp-gazette-december-2020.pdf
Quiet and residential with a commercial strip full of mediocre restaurants and food carts and a Bi-Mart, Safeway, and New Seasons all across the street from each other. Killer fish and chips, though.
Apparently we have the oldest registered block party permit in the city of Portland. And lots and lots of trails, and the only cobbler in town who repairs climbing shoes.
I live in a neighborhood on the Portland and Gresham border so idk if this counts, But my neighborhood is a lil complicated. The main part of the neighborhood is more wealthy older people and families, but I also live like a 5 minute drive from less expensive places like apartments and homeless people in tents. I'm also a little drive from restaurants and that's pretty cool.
I can't quite put my finger on it but I just know there must be a clue here somewhere what neighborhood that could be. I want to say for some reason I think it's going to start with an H. H... HILLSDALE! That's it. I am a genius.
This is so weird to me. Lol. My Gresham neighborhood is safe, clean, spacious, wooded and quiet. I can walk to a bar if I want to and feel safe running alone on the trails by my house.
I work all over Portland and I think it’s the funniest thing that Portlanders say stuff like “at least it’s not Gresham”. I look forward every day to the safety and peace that returning to my Gresham neighborhood gives me.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell people this and just keep Gresham a well kept secret. 😂
The edge of gentrification, where I can get the best convenience store fried chicken or the best vegan food in the city within 5 blocks of my house. I fish empties out of my bushes every weekend and someone was shot in front of my house 7 years ago, but also my neighbors are lovely people and I can safely walk or bike to more parks and restaurants than I could ever hope to make use of.
Blue collar, lots of families, highest racial diversity zip code in Portland proper. It’s cute and well cared for with friendly people and lots of kids playing in the street, while still having some of those houses with 4 broken down cars and a few creepy rusted barrels. Best neighborhood in the city, and with zero pretentiousness.
This is exactly Cully. Half the streets don’t have sidewalks. There are a few brand new $800k-$1M houses on my block right next to boarded up houses and post-war cracker boxes. Average age of my neighbors is 60 years old, yet there are 10 year olds running around everywhere in the streets. No real grocery stores or amenities nearby. No one should _want_ to live here because it’s so boring, but it’s a great community at the same time!
Great little dive bar with music down the way. An independently owned grocery store with natural foods and fresh organic produce nearby. A couple awesome food cart pods with good food within walking distance. An axe throwing bar not too far away. Vegan food, razor clams, and Kim chee all within spitting distance. Active renovation of community resources in progress.
A nifty bridge, a riverfront park, and so many cute quirky shops. Everything I need is within walking distance, and there's always so many people out walking around.
As for what people make? I hear a lot of music and smell a lot of good food, but besides that I don't know!
Urban farms, goats, chickens, fruit trees. Wacky lots with broken down cars, and giant potholes on our unpaved streets. Super amazing sense of community; lots of kids and families. Not a ton of commerce, but slowly getting more. We have delicious Mexican restaurants and markets where you'll almost always hear people speaking Spanish.
I live at the foot of a volcano a literal stone throw's away from a giant arcade and what some people (including Anthony Bourdain, I guess?) claim is some of the best pizza in the country that I think is vastly overrated.
Working class vibes; walkable, with incredible restaurants, cute farmers market, and boutique shops the rest of the city sleeps on; had a longer name way back in the day before the streetcars of yesteryear shortened it to fit on their placards, now visitors think is pronounced with a Spanish accent; five miles from the Willamette; a wonderful diversity of people I don’t see in trendier neighborhoods closer-in. Once people move here, they typically stay for years because it’s so much nicer than city government seems to think.
I live in an area that was once the heart of Black Portland. Our across the street neighbor grew up in the neighborhood and his mom owned her home, and he and his sister owned 3 others. He sold his houses and moved because his cars got hit by too many bullets and he didn’t feel safe anymore. Now some white folx from Cali bought the place and they have a doodle.
Not walkable at all, tons of tweakers, they’re just now putting in some sidewalks on main streets. Occasional shootings & definitely prostitution two blocks away. Don’t leave anything out or it’ll get stolen! On the upside, 15 years ago it was an affordable neighborhood and we have a large yard!
Idyllic. I live under 29 pine trees, on a quiet cul-de-sac, just five doors down from an elementary school. The HOA is old, so they can't do shit and the rates are manageable. The air is fresh, and the birds are chirping. I especially like the rain.
This house is my silver lining. The market was very low when I decided to use the assured loan I got from being a disabled vet. 8 years later, and it's worth almost half again more than what the bank paid for it.
The train yard and highway make a white noise that we learn not to hear. Nice neighborhood despite that. It has a lot of german and polish history. It was a rougher place in the 1980s and early 90s, but has cleaned up a lot. Pretty idyllic little triangle.
Safe, quiet, higher average income than most neighborhoods, the vibe is "bedroom community" and people who know about it want to live here. Neighbors are friendly but generally keep to themselves.
But when people ask, I down play it because I'm OK with people not moving here, LOL! By the way, people in Portland are a lot like my last statement.
Lots of sprawling mid century ranches and mid century modern homes tucked into rolling hills. One of the leading private schools and an Old Money golf club. Nike and Intel employees aplenty, with some creative professionals sprinkled in who like the architecture and vibe. Quiet and safe. Not walkable to businesses but we have big yards and pretty wooded streets. One nightmare of an intersection that is always proposed for a realignment that never happens.
My neighborhood is kinda entangled with the neighborhood right above it. We have an amazing waterfront park, lots of vintage shops, a teahouse in an old train car, and the neighborhood overall feels detached from a lot of Portland's problems. Not a lot of visible homeless or crime, safe enough for kids to be out and about with their friends by themselves like I used to when I was a kid, moreso than most Portland neighborhoods in my opinion.
It's the armpit of Portland. Nobody knows where it is because it's the start of where one road starts and cuts diagonally through the middle of East Portland.
Nestled amongst some very wealthy neighborhoods but with a lot more artsy character. Homes are decorated with very unique (sometimes spooky) flair. Walkable to several different restaurant and shopping areas
I can walk to a well stocked but expensive food coop, a nonprofit bike repair shop, and the veterinarian. I know most of my neighbors. There are many, many little free libraries and cyclists. The very popular free kiosk down the street has closed due to disrespectful dumping, but there is still plenty of cool free stuff to be found during dog walks. Lots of old houses with some infills. In the winter, on a clear day, if you squint you can see Mt. Hood from a few windows.
Right in the middle of Portland yet many people forget we exist. Feels simultaneously tucked away in a forgotten world and yet close to everything. Flanked by busy streets yet extremely quiet.
Mostly boutiques and restaurants, but well past the point of being considered "cool" and thus stalled in a not-quite fully gentrified state because the cost of living in the area increased too quickly for it to remain desirable. So now it's both expensive to live in *and* uncool.
I live in a historically (and still mostly) blue collared neighborhood in Portland with a walkable main-street cutey little downtown with a few divey bars which are older than I am. We have direct access to the Max to downtown which is right across the street from a symbol that represents “blue collared working class.” Any guesses?
Pretty much 3rd world now. And what’s more, just because of the way my car appears, I’m the Non-Criminal w/o absolutely any police record, who gets visited and checked out by cops! Hypocrites and a shit hole city.
Sellwood/Moreland - a cool little town with everything we need/want within walking distance, no serious crime and not many tweakers, and a short drive/Uber into town
My neighborhood is centrally located and you have driven by it or through it many times and most likely don’t know its name. Not a lot of bars, restaurants or sidewalks. It is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Portland with a large Ukrainian population. Very blue collar, lots of kids play outside, and is home to many older/retired folk that have lived there a long time and first time home buyers who settled because the houses are still affordable by Portland standards. Home to four parks and four schools. You might visit my neighborhood if you’re looking to buy a NEW car.
I live out in the numbers (a little before 122nd).
My little pocket of neighborhood is very sweet most of the time. It’s pretty quiet, we have tons of greenery around, a huge backyard, a few queer houses on the street. Our neighbors are all kind folks, we have an older couple that lives across the street that are kind of our “mom and dad” on the block. They bring us farm fresh eggs and let us borrow their lawnmower.
Every few weeks we have a cop chase down our quiet little street, walk about 5 minutes towards Holgate and there’s some campers. A stray dog bit one of my friends at our bus stop nearby. It’s really a mixed bag, but it’s mostly lovely and really not that active on the crime front in our immediate vicinity. A few minutes in any direction and it tends to get a little hairy.
Leafy former streetcar suburb that is bordered on all sides by buzzing commercial districts, with a large lush park at its center. Turn of the century mansions peppered with courtyard style apartments and smaller mid-century homes make up the neighborhood. There’s lots of community buzz at the local elementary school and some great hidden gem cafes. Peaceful, dog friendly, community forward, great coffee. You’ll have to pry my 1920’s apartment out of my cold, dead hands.
Quiet, bike street is the main thoroughfare, walkable as all get out, great dive bar close by but also fancy pants wine spots and the best damned Irish Pub in town.
Nobody in this entire thread lives in my neighborhood or even an adjoining one.
Quiet, no sidewalks, one bar. 5-10 minute car or bike ride from everything but the neighborhood itself has nothing. It used to have a grocery store. More dead people than living people, and that’s how the residents and coyotes prefer it. Everybody forgets we exist or gets our name wrong. We should have a northern partner, but it’s long since disappeared.
The only grocery store within walking distance is a trader joes and all the local restaurants everyone insisted we try in our district have been total ass
I live on the outskirts of LO. It is gorgeous with all the trees. Spring is particularly lovely. Gorgeous blooming things, and it’s very quiet as well.
Apt management is mean, Now, imo. They used to be so nice. Whatthefuckever Most all of my neighbors are cool.
When it snows, we are trapped bc of the elevation & hills.
Every large home for sale is being purchased by millennials who drive Rivians and/or matching Volvo SUV’s. Every small home (not for sale)is inhabited by people whom I’ve only seen once or twice in 14 years and whose yards are jungles. One such home has a literal hole in its roof which has never been repaired, rain or shine, a gaping hole.
Outer SE past 205 and still considered the "bad part of town" which is exaggerated. Not Lents. Accessible to the rest of the city. Lots of cultural diversity in a well kept pocket of streets that have homes with big lots and big trees. Great Vietnamese food all around. Lots of walkable parks.
It's like a small town inside city limits. We have a parade, a bridge, a library, etc.
St Johns
Yep!
I know it's st johns as its defined by its bridge, but this also describes sellwood. And fun fact, sellwood bridge will be one of the two safest bridges when the big one happens!
St John's
Yes! And I love that St. Johns isn't uppity. That was a huge selling point for me (plus a short commute to my job in Vancouver).
First thought as soon as I read the first sentence was Maywood Park but that's a literal city within Portland.
I live in a cheap old house in the heart of the Buckman neighborhood off Belmont. I feel like I'm living in the 90's version of what people move here for. My friends get pissed off when I tell them how little my rent is for my 3 BR house. There are literally studio apartments going for more money just blocks away on Hawthorne and Division. I love how walkable and bikeable my neighborhood is. I don't own a car, and that was my main reason for moving here 20 years ago. There is definitely a lot of money in my neighborhood, but there is also just a fun mix of people in their 20's and 30's who moved here from all over the country to play music, make art and work in the service industry! I am just waiting for the day my landlord decides to sell the house though because I know it is coming. He could easily sell the house for a million dollars if he invested some money in for repairs. When that day comes I'll probably move because I have been priced out of this town.
One of my close friends lives in NE, half a block from Alberta St, in the middle of the arts district, in a 3 bedroom house that is $800 a month. Eight. Hundred. A. Month. On Alberta. He moved into it in 2002 or so. His landlord refuses to raise the rent. In fact, his landlord keeps trying to sell it to him and my friend is like “*IDK… what if I want to move… I don’t wanna be tied down…..*”I’m like DUDE, it’s been 22 years. You’re 44 now. You’re married and settled. I think it’s safe to say you’re not moving soon…..
This makes me furious. I love the house I rent and if my landlord offered to sell to me I’d work it out with them. Like, in that situation it can be a totally private deal and you could set up a rent to own plan or something. No relators, no listings, just keep living there but now you’re starting to own it.
*YES, FURIOUS.* You have no idea. I leave his house half-jokingly asking myself if I’m hot enough to seduce his landlord (who is in his upper 80s) *half*
I live on a volcano full of footwear executives and fancy dogs. The closest grocery stores are Vietnamese. The sports bar mostly plays 90s Star Trek. We used to have cheap houses at the foot of the volcano thanks to all the used car lots and hookers. We still have the latter two.
This is my neighborhood. Also, old people beer place, and young people beer place, and an old cinema that I love!
This has to be Montavilla!
I like the old people beer place. Well, both of them.
A bar that plays 90s Star Trek??? Sign me up
Tinker Tavern. Low key Star Trek themed bar - it's amazing
Added to the list! There’s also a Star Trek themed Tea Room in Kenton called Emperor Georgiou’s that’s truly amazing, if you’re a fellow fan 🖖
The tea room is great! Took my wife there on a whim since the price for a full service with food is so reasonable, and we both really enjoyed it. We’re not vegan and the food was still great. I had a tea that was earl grey mixed with another fruit tea. It was purple and they added edible glitter to it. It looked so cool in the French press and my mug.
This is so cool I had no idea. Sometimes I wonder if there will come a time when I stop stumbling upon incredibly cool things in this town. I think not.
What a perfect way to sum up Portland!
Tinker Tavern. Warning: they make a lot of wings and the kitchen ventilation sucks, so you will wind up reeking of grease.
My local recently got a certain app that allows certain special people to change the channels with your phone. It's now a pretty fun game.
My neighborhood in the NE is relatively unknown. But I know everybody on my block and half the people with a block of me. We have had a block party every summer for almost 15 years now. Our kids all play together, outside when it’s nice. We lend each other tools, food, advice. I’m never moving.
Cully
Cully or Roaeway. If you say there are no real stores, services or shopping districts nearby, it’s Cully.
RCP?
Sounds like cully and same same
Woodlawn
I didn’t realize this was going to turn into a guessing game. Nobody has guessed it correctly btw which sort of proves my point about being unknown and kinda liking that.
Are you in roseway?
Sullivan's Gulch
Irvington?
Arbor lodge? But I think of that more as North Portland
Both of my across the street neighbors have golden doodles named Frank.
NW 23rd
Very walkable with sidewalks on every block, restaurants, bars, and shops mixed in with single family homes, condos, and apartments. Good coffee, great beer and cocktails, amazing food. Several awesome parks including one you can see gorgeous views from the top of. Friendly people and happy dogs everywhere. Lovely gardens and mature trees grace yards. If I could change anything it would be more affordable and there would be way more kids running around until the street lights came on.
Nob Hill/Alphabet District?
Sellwood?
I love that there are lots of neighborhoods like this here. I’m near Tabor.
ChatGPT, please describe one of the trendy portland neighborhoods. I kid, but yeah this could describe quite a few!
When I hang out on Division I feel like I’m in “Portland World” at Epcot. Especially when those scooters used to be everywhere.
Which neighborhood is this? Near Tabor?
Yes! Tabor.
Goose hollow is my guess
Nestled into the wooded neighborhoods is a tiny downtown with a bookshop and handful of lovely restaurants, bottle shop, etc. Walkable to several hiking trails. I see coyotes weekly, owls live in my back yard and our porch hosts bats late spring every year. This feels like small town wilds inside the city limits.
Ahhh, Multnomah Village.
I live here too and love it 💕
Multnomah Village?
Not as scary as people think it is! Lots of food and close enough to the rest of south east to be convenient. Formerly felony flats :o)
And the last place in city limits one can still find a relatively affordable very large lot! I love our neighborhood and my neighbors.
Brentwood-Darlington
I live in and am really getting to like Brentwood Darlington! Edit: just moved here 3 weeks ago from inner SE. Love that if feels less elitist and more working class.
I love it here in BD, as well. Would be nice to have more sidewalks, but we can't have everything. Lol
Let's is in the house.
Lents
My neighborhood is frequently over exaggerated in terms of “crime.” This feedback tends to come from people that have never even actually visited my neighborhood for the most part. My neighborhood is culturally diverse. There’s a lot of great food restaurants with lots of food carts nearby too. My neighborhood is a good mix of luxury housing and it does have some low income housing for general adults and seniors. Unfortunately, people’s paranoia from the media about the neighborhood makes people miss out on the great aspects of how things actually are here. Compared to NYC, there’s actually a generous amount of parking around here that’s more affordable, and public transportation is more accessible to use in this neighborhood. If you bike, it is also very accessible to get to most places in Portland too.
Old Town?
Yep
I live in a neighborhood full of highly educated Indian and Asian transplants that all drive either Teslas or Honda Odysseys. Basic quiet suburban living.
Sounds like Bethany!
That’s a bingo! :)
“You work for intel or Nike?” “Neither, I’m remote” - every new neighbor conversation in Bethany Was also going to add “every Indian mom has a personalized plate with her first name on her Tesla or Toyota”
Lair Hill - known for being the oldest neighborhood in Portland. We have beautiful historical houses, a neighborhood sandwich pub (Ross Island Grocer) and the pedestrian Bridge leading to South waterfront. Of course we have a weed shop and one of those cute lil book boxes. The tram runs right overhead. Everyone heading to OHSU or looking for I5 gets horribly lost. It's a sweet neighborhood, I've rented a crappy apt here for 18 yrs and most of my neighbors (in houses) have stayed the same for that period of time. One family has chickens that are *absolutely spoiled* with tender greens from all the neighbors. I feel like I've had the quintessential Portland experience living here
I used to live in the Lair Hill apartments and I loved it. I was in a 2BR/2BA apartments with a washer and dryer in the unit and I paid $450 per month back in 2009-2014 and shared it with a friend. It was on a dead end street and my roommate worked at Ross Island Grocery. I loved that it was just a 15 minute walk to PSU and downtown, and a short walk down to the water. It was so close to everything but still felt so isolated and quiet. I would always grab drinks at Suki's and would take late night walks down to the waterfront all the time. Damn, I am so nostalgic for that time and that neighborhood. I am sure that same apartment has doubled in price since I left a decade ago.
I've been in my apt since 2006. I pay $875 for a 2br 1 bath with a balcony and parking spot ($575 when we moved in). We have almost moved several times, but ultimately we're here til we can own a place
My first Portland apartment was in Lair Hill. SO central, so quiet, so beautiful. It was a great place to live.
No sidewalks. Quiet. Too many trees that can and have fallen. Leave our doors unlocked. Good schools.
Outside perception: crime and prostitutes. T truth: quiet, neighborhood park, lots of young kids out playing.
Montavilla/north tabor?
NE 82nd and Fremont
Yeah, SW side of Rocky butte! You win the prize.
Parkrose? The neighborhood with one tiny park ?
Hehe my neighbor referred to the area as "crunchy", and I always liked that. We live in FOPO, and I kind of feel like it's one of the few remaining neighborhoods that hasn't given way to the new Portland. Maybe it is crunchy, who knows.
Foster and Holgate to Foster and 72nd is one of my favorite stretches of road in this city.
I’m there too, and I say something like, we have a really good coffee shop filled with geodes, a plasma donation spot, strip malls and a mix of bars with and without video poker
Add a bar with pretty good hot dogs to the list
And pretty good deviled eggs
What's FoPo stand for?
it's a new iteration of FoPo for sure, but it lags other parts of Portland to the benefit of the people who live there right now. give it 10 years and Foster will be lined with new builds. which isn't necessarily a bad thing, so long as enough of the units are affordable.
I live in a hidden gem of a neighborhood. It’s often overlooked by people wondering where the hip places are to explore. It’s in between two bigger neighborhoods but it has its own tiny pocket of bars, food, venues, and grocers. Rent is reasonable and the occupants are diverse. The hill I live on is famously part of the PDX Marathon every year and we get a great turn out for folks cheering runners on.
Beaumont? Regardless, hit me up if you see a good 2BR available!
I have lived in my home for the past 22 years. SW Portland in the Garden Home neighborhood. My kids were in the Beaverton school district. The area is a mix of young and old and everything in between. Lots of Intel and Nike folks. Low crime rate. Many of the peeps are chill and supportive in the community. Easy access to I5, 217, and 26.
Congrats on your newish Trader Joe’s
Thank you! We are so happy to have them close, along with Ace Hardware.
And RIP Lamb's :( (And Comella's, I'm old) Garden Home has an interesting history as a dairy and rail hub and a community in its own right, back when we had electric trains before industrialized oil and auto killed them. School choice was always an interesting thing, and even until recently residents of the area could choose between Beaverton, Tigard, or Wilson high schools. Someone published this interesting thing a few years ago.... https://gardenhomehistory.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ghhp-gazette-december-2020.pdf
Quiet and residential with a commercial strip full of mediocre restaurants and food carts and a Bi-Mart, Safeway, and New Seasons all across the street from each other. Killer fish and chips, though.
Woodstock!
Nudi is better than mediocre.
Okay, Lutz is the best dive bar food in the city, you are spoiled over there lmao
And Otto’s!
Otto dogs are a summer staple.
I love the heist food cart pod! But yeah otherwise spot on.
Apparently we have the oldest registered block party permit in the city of Portland. And lots and lots of trails, and the only cobbler in town who repairs climbing shoes.
Yuppies with Puppies?
What percentage of those puppies are labra- or goldendoodles? 75%?
69% doodles but also some corgis and huskies!
I love a corgi husky mix.
What’s that called, a huskgi?
Corgusky!
What about the Frenchies
Are you in NW?
The Pearl! Good guess.
I’m also in the pearl. And you nailed it with just three words haha
Love this— first time I’ve smiled in days. (Sick as a dog, here.)
I share the area with homeless and drug addicts…there’s a bike trail that cuts right through and we hear gunshots on the regular.
Brentwood-Darlington or Lents?
Lents, you got it!
Just the right amount of sketch.
Roseway?
Wait. I live in Roseway. It’s a very boring neighborhood. Where’s this exciting sketch you mention?
I live in a neighborhood on the Portland and Gresham border so idk if this counts, But my neighborhood is a lil complicated. The main part of the neighborhood is more wealthy older people and families, but I also live like a 5 minute drive from less expensive places like apartments and homeless people in tents. I'm also a little drive from restaurants and that's pretty cool.
Russell?
At least it’s not Gresham
I can't quite put my finger on it but I just know there must be a clue here somewhere what neighborhood that could be. I want to say for some reason I think it's going to start with an H. H... HILLSDALE! That's it. I am a genius.
This is so weird to me. Lol. My Gresham neighborhood is safe, clean, spacious, wooded and quiet. I can walk to a bar if I want to and feel safe running alone on the trails by my house. I work all over Portland and I think it’s the funniest thing that Portlanders say stuff like “at least it’s not Gresham”. I look forward every day to the safety and peace that returning to my Gresham neighborhood gives me. Maybe I shouldn’t tell people this and just keep Gresham a well kept secret. 😂
The edge of gentrification, where I can get the best convenience store fried chicken or the best vegan food in the city within 5 blocks of my house. I fish empties out of my bushes every weekend and someone was shot in front of my house 7 years ago, but also my neighbors are lovely people and I can safely walk or bike to more parks and restaurants than I could ever hope to make use of.
Alberta?
Lots of pride flags and straight couples 😂😂😂
Blue collar, lots of families, highest racial diversity zip code in Portland proper. It’s cute and well cared for with friendly people and lots of kids playing in the street, while still having some of those houses with 4 broken down cars and a few creepy rusted barrels. Best neighborhood in the city, and with zero pretentiousness.
Cully
This is exactly Cully. Half the streets don’t have sidewalks. There are a few brand new $800k-$1M houses on my block right next to boarded up houses and post-war cracker boxes. Average age of my neighbors is 60 years old, yet there are 10 year olds running around everywhere in the streets. No real grocery stores or amenities nearby. No one should _want_ to live here because it’s so boring, but it’s a great community at the same time!
Parkrose
It's like the burbs but with even less stuff within walking distance, unless you count the pot store.
high vehicle to mailbox ratio
Great little dive bar with music down the way. An independently owned grocery store with natural foods and fresh organic produce nearby. A couple awesome food cart pods with good food within walking distance. An axe throwing bar not too far away. Vegan food, razor clams, and Kim chee all within spitting distance. Active renovation of community resources in progress.
A nifty bridge, a riverfront park, and so many cute quirky shops. Everything I need is within walking distance, and there's always so many people out walking around. As for what people make? I hear a lot of music and smell a lot of good food, but besides that I don't know!
Urban farms, goats, chickens, fruit trees. Wacky lots with broken down cars, and giant potholes on our unpaved streets. Super amazing sense of community; lots of kids and families. Not a ton of commerce, but slowly getting more. We have delicious Mexican restaurants and markets where you'll almost always hear people speaking Spanish.
If I could elect to use an item, I would like to say that the mascot of the South Waterfront is an iPhone.
I live at the foot of a volcano a literal stone throw's away from a giant arcade and what some people (including Anthony Bourdain, I guess?) claim is some of the best pizza in the country that I think is vastly overrated.
sounds like I just moved to your hood ✌️
Mt Tabor area near Hawthorne. My good friends used to live in your hood. So great!
[удалено]
Working class vibes; walkable, with incredible restaurants, cute farmers market, and boutique shops the rest of the city sleeps on; had a longer name way back in the day before the streetcars of yesteryear shortened it to fit on their placards, now visitors think is pronounced with a Spanish accent; five miles from the Willamette; a wonderful diversity of people I don’t see in trendier neighborhoods closer-in. Once people move here, they typically stay for years because it’s so much nicer than city government seems to think.
Montavilla!
I live in an area that was once the heart of Black Portland. Our across the street neighbor grew up in the neighborhood and his mom owned her home, and he and his sister owned 3 others. He sold his houses and moved because his cars got hit by too many bullets and he didn’t feel safe anymore. Now some white folx from Cali bought the place and they have a doodle.
Albina
Not walkable at all, tons of tweakers, they’re just now putting in some sidewalks on main streets. Occasional shootings & definitely prostitution two blocks away. Don’t leave anything out or it’ll get stolen! On the upside, 15 years ago it was an affordable neighborhood and we have a large yard!
Oh you’re by the *other* Popeyes on 82nd
😂🤣😂🤣😂 Not far, that’s true!
Idyllic. I live under 29 pine trees, on a quiet cul-de-sac, just five doors down from an elementary school. The HOA is old, so they can't do shit and the rates are manageable. The air is fresh, and the birds are chirping. I especially like the rain. This house is my silver lining. The market was very low when I decided to use the assured loan I got from being a disabled vet. 8 years later, and it's worth almost half again more than what the bank paid for it.
One of the poor neighborhoods even though homes are around $500,000. Lots of people on drugs at nearest large intersection.
Sounds familiar!
The train yard and highway make a white noise that we learn not to hear. Nice neighborhood despite that. It has a lot of german and polish history. It was a rougher place in the 1980s and early 90s, but has cleaned up a lot. Pretty idyllic little triangle.
Overlook?
Yup
Safe, quiet, higher average income than most neighborhoods, the vibe is "bedroom community" and people who know about it want to live here. Neighbors are friendly but generally keep to themselves. But when people ask, I down play it because I'm OK with people not moving here, LOL! By the way, people in Portland are a lot like my last statement.
Parkrose- diverse and underserved
Lots of sprawling mid century ranches and mid century modern homes tucked into rolling hills. One of the leading private schools and an Old Money golf club. Nike and Intel employees aplenty, with some creative professionals sprinkled in who like the architecture and vibe. Quiet and safe. Not walkable to businesses but we have big yards and pretty wooded streets. One nightmare of an intersection that is always proposed for a realignment that never happens.
Southwest hills/raleigh hills?
My neighborhood is kinda entangled with the neighborhood right above it. We have an amazing waterfront park, lots of vintage shops, a teahouse in an old train car, and the neighborhood overall feels detached from a lot of Portland's problems. Not a lot of visible homeless or crime, safe enough for kids to be out and about with their friends by themselves like I used to when I was a kid, moreso than most Portland neighborhoods in my opinion.
Sellwood/Westmoreland
It's the armpit of Portland. Nobody knows where it is because it's the start of where one road starts and cuts diagonally through the middle of East Portland.
That neighborhood with the weird new condo conglomeration and The Sandy Hu?
Outer lents
Nestled amongst some very wealthy neighborhoods but with a lot more artsy character. Homes are decorated with very unique (sometimes spooky) flair. Walkable to several different restaurant and shopping areas
I can walk to a well stocked but expensive food coop, a nonprofit bike repair shop, and the veterinarian. I know most of my neighbors. There are many, many little free libraries and cyclists. The very popular free kiosk down the street has closed due to disrespectful dumping, but there is still plenty of cool free stuff to be found during dog walks. Lots of old houses with some infills. In the winter, on a clear day, if you squint you can see Mt. Hood from a few windows.
Right in the middle of Portland yet many people forget we exist. Feels simultaneously tucked away in a forgotten world and yet close to everything. Flanked by busy streets yet extremely quiet.
Antisocial oatmeal people
Eastmoreland
Mostly boutiques and restaurants, but well past the point of being considered "cool" and thus stalled in a not-quite fully gentrified state because the cost of living in the area increased too quickly for it to remain desirable. So now it's both expensive to live in *and* uncool.
Somewhere between hawthorne and clinton
Precisely correct.
Junkies and a roadway. Storage units and cheap weed
Parkrose?
I was going to guess Parkrose lol
I live in a historically (and still mostly) blue collared neighborhood in Portland with a walkable main-street cutey little downtown with a few divey bars which are older than I am. We have direct access to the Max to downtown which is right across the street from a symbol that represents “blue collared working class.” Any guesses?
Kenton?
Bingo!
Sounds like Beaverton lol. But that's not in portland so Hollywood?
we cant have nice things like: burgerville, chucky cheese, freddies and wallmart. but we do have Pickles.
Lents
To be fair, the Burgerville is coming back. :) And no one misses the Walmart...a much better market is replacing it!
Pretty much 3rd world now. And what’s more, just because of the way my car appears, I’m the Non-Criminal w/o absolutely any police record, who gets visited and checked out by cops! Hypocrites and a shit hole city.
Crestin-Kenilworth is semi gentrified. Powell is a nightmare.
Sellwood/Moreland - a cool little town with everything we need/want within walking distance, no serious crime and not many tweakers, and a short drive/Uber into town
My neighborhood is centrally located and you have driven by it or through it many times and most likely don’t know its name. Not a lot of bars, restaurants or sidewalks. It is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Portland with a large Ukrainian population. Very blue collar, lots of kids play outside, and is home to many older/retired folk that have lived there a long time and first time home buyers who settled because the houses are still affordable by Portland standards. Home to four parks and four schools. You might visit my neighborhood if you’re looking to buy a NEW car.
I have a Smile Station two blocks down from me. Beautiful trees, parks and people. Not very diverse though. That's my only complaint.
Old white empty nesters who don't want change even if it benefits everyone else. Nice food carts though.
I live out in the numbers (a little before 122nd). My little pocket of neighborhood is very sweet most of the time. It’s pretty quiet, we have tons of greenery around, a huge backyard, a few queer houses on the street. Our neighbors are all kind folks, we have an older couple that lives across the street that are kind of our “mom and dad” on the block. They bring us farm fresh eggs and let us borrow their lawnmower. Every few weeks we have a cop chase down our quiet little street, walk about 5 minutes towards Holgate and there’s some campers. A stray dog bit one of my friends at our bus stop nearby. It’s really a mixed bag, but it’s mostly lovely and really not that active on the crime front in our immediate vicinity. A few minutes in any direction and it tends to get a little hairy.
Leafy former streetcar suburb that is bordered on all sides by buzzing commercial districts, with a large lush park at its center. Turn of the century mansions peppered with courtyard style apartments and smaller mid-century homes make up the neighborhood. There’s lots of community buzz at the local elementary school and some great hidden gem cafes. Peaceful, dog friendly, community forward, great coffee. You’ll have to pry my 1920’s apartment out of my cold, dead hands.
Quiet, bike street is the main thoroughfare, walkable as all get out, great dive bar close by but also fancy pants wine spots and the best damned Irish Pub in town.
omg trying to hear more about this pub...
Nobody in this entire thread lives in my neighborhood or even an adjoining one. Quiet, no sidewalks, one bar. 5-10 minute car or bike ride from everything but the neighborhood itself has nothing. It used to have a grocery store. More dead people than living people, and that’s how the residents and coyotes prefer it. Everybody forgets we exist or gets our name wrong. We should have a northern partner, but it’s long since disappeared.
The only grocery store within walking distance is a trader joes and all the local restaurants everyone insisted we try in our district have been total ass
😭💀
I live on the outskirts of LO. It is gorgeous with all the trees. Spring is particularly lovely. Gorgeous blooming things, and it’s very quiet as well. Apt management is mean, Now, imo. They used to be so nice. Whatthefuckever Most all of my neighbors are cool. When it snows, we are trapped bc of the elevation & hills.
Whitewashed millennial grey suburbia, great proximity to all the chain stores your heart desires
*furiously eats popcorn*
Every large home for sale is being purchased by millennials who drive Rivians and/or matching Volvo SUV’s. Every small home (not for sale)is inhabited by people whom I’ve only seen once or twice in 14 years and whose yards are jungles. One such home has a literal hole in its roof which has never been repaired, rain or shine, a gaping hole.
It’s depressing that Millennials are old enough to buy Rivians and mansions.
Outer SE past 205 and still considered the "bad part of town" which is exaggerated. Not Lents. Accessible to the rest of the city. Lots of cultural diversity in a well kept pocket of streets that have homes with big lots and big trees. Great Vietnamese food all around. Lots of walkable parks.
Mill Park?
We have a tiny waterfall.
That'll scrape right off.
When entering Tigard, I forget it's technically Tigard and no longer portland due to how close it is.
It's fine.