by Geon, Bryan
North Portland Neighborhood Information
ZIP Codes: 97203, 97217, 97227
Post Offices: Kenton Post Office, 2130 N Kilpatrick St; Piedmont Post Office, 630 NE Killingsworth St; St. Johns Post Office, 8420 N Ivanhoe St
Police Stations: Portland Police Bureau, North Precinct, 449 NE Emerson St, 503-823-5700 (non-emergency)
Emergency Hospital: Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, 2801 N Gantenbein Ave, 503-413-2200, www.legacyhealth.org
Libraries: North Portland Library, 512 N Killingsworth St, 503-988-5394; St. Johns Library, 7510 N Charleston Ave, 503-988-5397
Parks: Major parks include Pier Park, Cathedral Park, Columbia Park, Peninsula Park, and Overlook Park; www.portlandparks.org
Community Publications: St. Johns Review (www.stjohnsreview.com)
Public Transportation: TriMet, 503-238-RIDE, www.trimet.org; bus service along major thoroughfares, and MAX service along Interstate Avenue line to downtown Portland
Outer East Portland
Neighborhood Associations: Argay, Centennial, Glenfair, Hazelwood, Lents, Mill Park, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Pleasant Valley, Powellhurst-Gilbert, Russell, Wilkes, Woodland Park, plus Maywood Park (independently incorporated)
Outer East Portland, or even just East Portland, is not an official designation. Still, the vast swath of the Portland grid that lies east of 82nd Avenue and especially east of Interstate 205 is palpably different from the rest of the city. It has its own school districts, its own neighborhood centers, its own concerns, and very different demographics. It is generally more socially and politically conservative, and also more ethnically and racially diverse, than other parts of Portland. It offers some of the lowest housing prices in the city; at the same time, a few neighborhoods have some of Portland’s highest crime rates, while others are fairly peaceful, essentially suburban enclaves.
These neighborhoods were mostly rural until well into the 20th century; after the Second World War, they slowly filled up with middle-class homes, usually on large lots. Even after the area was mostly built-up, it remained unincorporated. Bit by bit, Portland has gradually annexed much of what used to be known as Mid-County (and Gresham annexed the rest from the opposite direction), but many residents feel neglected by the city. They point to the city’s investment in places like the Pearl District and South Waterfront, and contrast those areas with the unpaved streets of their own neighborhoods.
Despite the area’s underdeveloped infrastructure, much of the area is experiencing heavy infill development, in some cases on “flag lots”—lots behind an existing residence that are linked to the street by a skinny “panhandle” (or flagpole) of property, which usually has a driveway. In some areas, especially near the Eastside MAX line, large apartment buildings and some mixed-use developments have been built. This tide of development is dramatically changing the character and the face of East Portland. The human faces of East Portland are changing, too. Many neighborhoods have experienced an influx of recent immigrants from East Asia, Russia and Ukraine, and Latin America.
The neighborhoods north of Halsey Street tend to feature ranch homes, split levels, contemporaries, and other standard postwar styles. Some neighborhoods, like Argay, Wilkes, and Russell, have postwar homes on the sort of curving streets and culs-de-sac that are common in suburban communities but are rare on the Eastside. The northern parts of the first two of these neighborhoods are largely devoted to commercial and light industrial uses. Parkrose has a larger number of older homes, mixed with a host of businesses that are more or less associated with the proximity of the airport. South of Interstate 84, slightly more affluent Parkrose Heights and Woodland Park have more older homes in a variety of styles—Cape Cods, bungalows, English-style cottages, and the like—along with ranches. The homes on the bluff (the “heights” that give the neighborhood its name) just south of the freeway have northward views of the Columbia River and the Washington Cascades. Some of the areas closest to the airport are plagued by aircraft noise. If the sound of jet engines bothers you, be sure to consult a map of flight paths (or just stand around outdoors and listen for airplanes) before committing to a house here. (On the plus side, Parkrose has a station on the Airport MAX line.)
Tucked in between Parkrose and Interstate 205, tiny Maywood Park (www.cityofmaywoodpark.com), with only 750 residents, is an independent city. Completely surrounded by (and functionally a part of) Northeast Portland, Maywood Park was incorporated in 1967 in an ultimately futile attempt to prevent Interstate 205 from being routed through the community. Most of the homes date to the late 1930s, and two-story cottages predominate. The neighborhood has an unusual abundance of mature trees, and although there are few sidewalks the streets are wide and traffic is light. Potential annexation to Portland is a perennial political issue here.
The neighborhoods south of Halsey are generally, if perhaps unfairly, considered less desirable. The central neighborhoods—Hazelwood, Glenfair, Centennial, and Mill Park—have some of the city’s highest rates of violent crime. They are by no means no-go areas, however, and random violence is uncommon. Many blocks are quiet, respectable streets lined with ordinary-looking houses; apartment complexes border the main streets. These neighborhoods also offer access to the Eastside MAX line between Portland and Gresham, and several transit-oriented developments have sprung up along Burnside Street (along which the light rail trains run). Further south, Powellhurst-Gilbert also has above-average crime rates, but is nonetheless experiencing plenty of development, both infill and subdivisions of undeveloped land. This neighborhood, along with Hazelwood, Glenfair, Centennial, and Lents (see below), has the lowest median home prices in the city; they are among the few parts of Portland where it is still possible to buy a single-family home for under $150,000.
The Lents neighborhood was once notorious for poverty and high crime rates. While the neighborhood is not exactly thriving—it has no supermarket, and many neighborhood streets are unpaved—it has been designated an urban renewal zone and city funds have been allocated for redevelopment. In a hopeful sign, Lents has a new farmers’ market that operates on Sundays from June through mid-October. The MAX Green Line from Gateway Transit Center south to Clackamas Town Center passes through Lents.
In Portland’s southeasternmost corner, the Pleasant Valley neighborhood wraps around the base of Powell Butte, a prominent volcanic butte now protected as a nature park. Much of the neighborhood feels surprisingly rural, with horses grazing in pastures in some areas. This area also offers new homes in several developments. In addition to Powell Butte, the neighborhood is home to several other parks and natural areas, including Leach Botanical Garden (www.leachgarden.org). The Springwater Corridor, a bike and pedestrian trail that runs between downtown Portland and east Multnomah County, passes through both Lents and Pleasant Valley.
MAX lines along Burnside and Interstate 205 are a boon to transit users in outer East Portland. Bus transit is only available on the main east-west streets, with the exception of a north-south line along busy 122nd Avenue. Several different school districts serve the area: rapidly growing David Douglas School District (www.ddouglas.k12.or.us) serves the largest portion of outer Southeast, while Parkrose School District (www.parkrose.k12.or.us) covers Parkrose and the adjacent neighborhoods, Reynolds School District (www.reynolds.k12.or.us) serves part of outer Northeast Portland, and Centennial and the surrounding neighborhoods are part of Centennial School District (www.centennial.k12.or.us).
Outer East Portland Neighborhood Information
ZIP Codes: 97216, 97220, 97230, 97233, 97236, 97266
Post Offices: Airport Mail Facility, 7460 NE Airport Way; Lents Post Office, 3850 SE 82nd Ave; Midway Post Office, 400 SE 103rd Ave; Parkrose Post Office, 4048 NE 122nd Ave
Police Station: Portland Police Bureau, East Precinct, 737 SE 106th Ave, 503-823-4800 (non-emergency); North Precinct (Parkrose, Argay, Wilkes), 449 NE Emerson St, 503-823-5700 (non-emergency)
Emergency Hospitals: Adventist Medical Center, 10123
SE Market St, 503-257-2500, www.adventisthealthnw.com; Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center, 10180 SE Sunnyside Rd, Clackamas, 503-652-2880, www.kp.org
Libraries: Midland Library, 805 SE 122nd Ave, 503-988-5392; Rockwood Library, 17917 SE Stark St, 503-988-5396
Parks: Major parks include Powell Butte Nature Park, Beggars-tick Wildlife Park, Leach Botanical Garden, and Springwater Corridor Trail; www.portlandparks.org
Community Publications: Mid-County Memo, www.midcountymemo.com
Public Transportation: TriMet, 503-238-RIDE, www.trimet.org; bus lines on major east-west routes, and north-south on 122nd Ave. Eastside MAX on Burnside, Airport MAX service to Parkrose along Interstate 205; Green Line MAX service from Gateway to Clackamas Town Center along Interstate 205
Surrounding Communities
Washington County
Washington County is simultaneously the epicenter of the Portland area’s high-tech boom, a region of working farms and timberland, and a major residential area with a population in excess of half a million. The county is not without its problems; it has struggled to manage its rapid growth, and certain areas are notorious for traffic congestion, strip-mall sprawl, and other ills and inconveniences. Still, the region’s dynamic economy, natural beauty, and high level of amenities continue to attract newcomers who wish to settle in a suburban location with a relatively high quality of life, and for several years Washington County has been the fastest-growing county in the state.
Beaverton and Surrounding Areas
Portlanders have traditionally regarded Beaverton and the surrounding areas as the epitome of suburbia. While that stereotype has some truth—the area is decidedly suburban, with the good and bad aspects the term implies—it is becoming less accurate over time, and already by some measures is plain wrong. For example, Beaverton has a higher population density than Portland, and the Westside light rail line brings commuters from Beaverton to downtown Portland in less time than it takes some people to drive in from outlying Portland neighborhoods.
Beaverton is the center of gravity for eastern Washington County, but tens of thousands of people live in areas that are immediately adjacent to, but not formally a part of, the city. Washington County is encouraging an eventual consolidation of services, and Beaverton, which has been on an annexation binge in recent years, is likely to swallow up many of the remaining unincorporated areas around it over the next 10 to 20 years. Beaverton’s annexation plans are not without controversy—Nike, in particular, has fought the city’s attempted annexation of its headquarters, in large part because the city’s property taxes are higher than the county’s—but there is an air of inevitability about them.
Beaverton
Boundaries: North: West Haven, Cedar Mill, Bethany, Oak Hills (unincorporated Washington County); West: Aloha (unincorporated Washington County); South: Tigard; unincorporated Washington County; East: Portland; West Slope, Raleigh Hills, Garden Home (unincorporated Washington County); Area: 19.6 square miles; Population: 91,935
Well into the 20th century, Beaverton was a small town that functioned primarily as a service center for the surrounding farms, which succeeded the rich beaver dam meadows that gave the city its name. The region’s produce traveled to market in Portland, seven miles away, at first over a plank road through the West Hills where Canyon Road and the Sunset Highway now run, and later by train or truck. During the suburban boom following the Second World War, Beaverton became primarily a residential community, then further evolved into a center for new kinds of commerce, becoming the headquarters for multinational companies like Tektronix and Nike. (The latter company is actually located in unincorporated Washington County, literally across the street from, and essentially surrounded by, Beaverton.) New residents and new companies continued to pour in during the 1980s and 1990s, and the city is essentially fully built-out. Nonetheless, the city has continued to increase in population, both through organic growth and an aggressive annexation policy. Beaverton is already Oregon’s sixth largest city (after Portland, Salem, Eugene, Gresham, and Hillsboro), and it is on track to become the second-largest city in the state within a decade or so.
Beaverton
Beaverton does not have a central business district per se; rather, outside the core residential areas, the whole city is a business district, with strip malls and office parks lining most of the main roads. That said, the traditional commercial center of gravity is the area around the tiny, hard-to-spot historic downtown, sometimes referred to as Old Town Beaverton, near the intersection of Southwest Hall Boulevard and Highway 10 (Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway/Farmington Road). This area includes a beautiful new public library, a swim center, a small park, and a number of small businesses like Beaverton Bakery (www.beavertonbakery.com); on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer the neighborhood hosts a wildly popular farmers’ market (www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com) that bills itself as the largest agricultural-only farmers’ market in Oregon. Beyond this small node, central Beaverton is a zone of supermarkets, not-so-super markets, big box stores, and chain restaurants. To the north along Cedar Hills Boulevard, the once nearly moribund Beaverton Mall has become the upscale Cedar Hills Crossing. The city has tried, only semi-successfully, to promote high-density, mixed-use developments near light rail stations; along with some old prewar homes and low-rise postwar apartment buildings that hang on in the area of the original town center, these transit-oriented developments are essentially the only residential options in the center of Beaverton.
Away from the sprawling center and the congested main roads, however, Beaverton wears a different face. The city is more ethnically and racially diverse than Portland, and has a higher population density but a lower crime rate; with 13 different neighborhood associations, there is almost literally something here for everyone. Home prices (and rents) within the city vary widely by neighborhood, but the citywide median price is not far off of the metro area average. Homes here tend to be pricier than in neighboring Tigard and Hillsboro, but less expensive than in Tualatin or Lake Oswego.
Much of the city’s housing is new, but the ages of individual developments vary widely. Notably, roughly half the city’s housing units are detached single-family homes; the other half are townhomes, apartments, and condominiums, most of which are relatively new. In keeping with this housing mix, the population is evenly split between renters and homeowners. Many Beaverton apartment complexes are massive mini-villages, with recreation centers, swimming pools, walking trails, and other amenities; these complexes almost always have vacancies, and are common places for newcomers to settle initially.
While every neighborhood in Beaverton has potential advantages, newcomers tend to land in one of a few areas. Hyland Hills, Ridgeview Heights, and other established subdivisions south and southwest of central Beaverton offer ranch, contemporary, split-level, and other postwar-era single-family homes with yards; most of these developments have homeowner associations, and some homes have distant views of Mount Hood. There are also a few mid-century modern “Rummer” homes in this area, as well as some newer homes on previously unbuilt parcels on the neighborhood fringes. Hyland Forest Park, in the middle of Hyland Hills, is a surprisingly wild, wooded park. Just to the west, Sexton Mountain in western Beaverton is a vortex of culs-de-sac, with mostly newer (1980s–1990s) homes on large lots. Many of these houses offer expansive views to the north and east, but despite the name not every house in this neighborhood is actually on the slopes of Sexton Mountain. Cooper Mountain, in the unincorporated area west of Sexton Mountain, has some very large, very expensive custom homes with views over the whole of the Tualatin Valley. Cooper Mountain is also home to a new, 231-acre nature park.
Back inside city limits, Southwest Beaverton has a sea of cookie-cutter newer homes, mostly multi-story structures on small lots along with some townhomes; the Murray Hill neighborhood in this area, which flanks Scholls Ferry Road, is a mix of newish single-family home developments, large apartment complexes, and commercial areas. These neighb
orhoods abut the urban growth boundary to the southwest, and the landscape changes from dense subdivisions to farmland quite abruptly.
The Greenway neighborhood west of Highway 217 is an established area of single-family homes and apartment complexes along the Fanno Creek Greenway; the neighborhood has a recreation center and offers quick access to the Washington Square area. Across town, the Five Oaks and Triple Creek neighborhoods of northwestern Beaverton are mostly comprised of contemporary-style and newer homes on winding streets; this part of Beaverton is close to both the Sunset Highway and the Tanasbourne area of Hillsboro, and is popular with people who work at the region’s high-tech employers. These neighborhoods are also close to the Nike and Tektronix campuses. Sandwiched between Five Oaks and central Beaverton, although not yet technically part of the city, the unincorporated area of Cedar Hills (not to be confused with Cedar Mill, north of the Sunset Highway) is a neighborhood of single-family homes dating anywhere from about 1950 to 1980 on mostly quiet, curving streets. Cedar Hills is close to the Sunset Highway and is a short drive or bus ride from the Sunset Transit Center MAX station; the area is home to the newly upscale Cedar Hills Crossing mall and a swarm of satellite shopping centers.