Are you thinking of buying a home in Portland?

The Rose City is home to nearly 100 diverse and beautiful neighborhoods. Those neighborhoods are divided into 5 quadrants: Northwest, Southwest, North, Northeast, and Southeast. (Leave it to Portland to defy mathematics by having 5 quadrants.)

Before you narrow your search to a quadrant, or even a specific neighborhood, there are a few things you should know.

 

The West Side vs. the East Side

Portland locals often talk about the “west side” or “east side.”

The west side generally refers to everything west of the Willamette River: Northwest and Southwest Portland (where downtown is). Most Portlanders describe the west side as more traditional. It’s where you’ll find most of the city’s art galleries, public transportation, and public art. The history of Portland began on the west side, so you’ll find some of the city’s oldest historic buildings there.

The east side is everything east of the river: Northeast, Southeast, and North Portland. Most east side locals will be quick to tell you it’s the quirkier and more eclectic half of Portland. The east side is very bike-friendly and more affordable on average than the west side. It’s also home to many Victorian era homes.

Now let’s take a closer look at each area. Portland is too big to cover in a single blog post, but we’ll go over some key features and landmarks in each quadrant.

 

Northwest Portland

Northwest Portland has some of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, including the Pearl District, Alphabet District, Kings Heights, and Willamette Heights.

In the Pearl District and the Alphabet District, you’ll find some of the best shopping and food options in Portland. A few years back, US News & World Report named NW 23rd Ave. one of America’s best shopping streets. Many of the street’s shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes are built into old historic houses:

 

 

 

 

Northwest Portland residents also live near Forest Park — more than five thousand acres of native Oregon forest and numerous beautiful hiking trails. But don’t worry, there are plenty of smaller parks and playgrounds throughout Northwest too, including:

• The Fields Park near the river in the Pearl District
• Wallace Park in the Alphabet District
• Couch Park on NW 19th Ave
• Lan Su Chinese Garden on NW Everett St
• North Park Blocks on NW Park Ave. from Ankeny St. to Glisan St.
• Pittock Mansion Acres, which include Pittock Mansion itself

When it comes to homes, the Northwest is a melting pot of old and new. It’s not uncommon to see turn-of-the century mansions and newer, trendier homes on the same street! Housing demand has increased dramatically over the last few decades, so many single family homes in the area have been turned into condos or duplexes. Finding a single family home is easier farther away from the river.

 

Southwest Portland

 

Southwest Portland includes downtown Portland where you’ll find Pioneer Courthouse Square, often called Portland’s living room. Southwest also houses the Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, lots of concert halls, and many other cultural gems.

Although public transportation is great throughout Portland, Southwest is the heart of the Tri-Met system, which includes light rail (known as “MAX”) and buses.

 

Waterfront Park is one of the Rose City’s biggest claims to fame. The park stretches along the west bank of the Willamette River. Locals and visitors flock to this stretch on the west bank of the Willamette River to jog, walk, bike, skateboard, play in the fountain, have a picnic, or just relax and watch the boats.

 

Other popular Southwest neighborhoods include Goose Hollow, South Portland, South Burlingame, Hillsdale, and Multnomah.

If you choose to live in Southwest, you’ll also be close to Washington Park, a big urban park that includes:

• The Oregon Zoo
• The Portland Japanese Garden
• The Hoyt Arboretum
• Portland Children’s Museum
• The Portland Rose Garden
• Playgrounds, picnic areas, hiking trails, and more!

Southwest Portland has plenty of residential areas too. Most of them lie to the south and west of downtown. You’ll find historic 19th century homes, modern condos, and everything in between.

 

North Portland

 

 

North Portland is made up of residential, industrial, and commercial areas. “NoPo” contains some of the most up-and-coming neighborhoods in the whole city. After the MAX light rail was expanded north along Interstate Ave. in 2004, it became easy to travel around the area and make trips to and from downtown.

North Portland is the proud home of the Portland Expo Center, the Portland International Raceway, University of Portland, and countless great restaurants and bars.

N Mississippi Ave. is one of the best places in Portland to go bar hopping or even just to grab a bite to eat. The street is lined with bars, restaurants, and food carts.

When it comes to picking a place to live, which neighborhoods should you look at? St. John’s, Portsmouth, Overlook, University Park, Kenton, and Arbor Lodge are just a few of the many neighborhoods that are on the rise in North Portland.

North Portland is expanding at record pace, which unfortunately means it’s not uncommon for developers to tear down older homes so they can divide the lot into two or more smaller lots. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of diverse home options available.

 

Northeast Portland

Northeast features arguably the most diverse collection of neighborhoods in all of Portland. It also contains some of the city’s most important landmarks, like Portland International Airport, Lloyd Center, and the Oregon Convention Center.

Columbia Redevelopment is also based out of Northeast Portland, although we love doing projects all over the city and surrounding areas.

 

 

You’ll never run out of things to do in Northeast. Did you know there’s a festival called “Last Thursday” on NE Alberta St. on the final Thursday of every month? You can also catch a movie or live show in style at one of the area’s historic theaters constructed in the 1920s:

• Hollywood Theatre
• Alberta Rose Theatre
• Laurelhurst Theater
• Roseway Theatre

A little farther northeast you’ll stumble across the famous Kennedy School, a historic elementary school repurposed into a hotel. It houses restaurants, bars, a brewery, a movie theater with comfy couches, and even a soaking pool!

So what about housing? Inner Northeast is extremely bike-friendly and walkable. Neighborhoods like the Alberta Arts District, Irvington, Alameda, Grant Park, and Laurelhurst are some of the trendiest and most desirable places to live in the Rose City. Don’t rule out neighborhoods further east, though. Like North Portland, many of these neighborhoods are rapidly on the rise.

Many of the homes in Northeast were built in the 1920s through 1940s, but increasing demand in the area has also seen a rise in the construction of more modern townhouse style homes, especially in the inner east side.

 

Southeast Portland

 

 

Southeast Portland covers a wide area — from Burnside St. down to Milwaukie and all the way east to Gresham.

The inner Southeast is famous for quirky streets like Belmont St., Hawthorne Blvd., and Division St. where there’s no shortage of shopping, entertainment, and great local food — not to mention eclectic street art and colorful murals.

Travel a little farther east and you’ll find up-and-coming neighborhoods like Foster-Powell, where the PDX real estate boom is just beginning to take root.

These neighborhoods are quickly becoming more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Thriving small-businesses are everywhere you look, especially in the food cart scene.

North of Foster-Powell is the Mt. Tabor neighborhood and the beautiful 190-acre Mt. Tabor Park, where you can marvel at the view of the city from an extinct volcanic cinder cone. It’s not just a great place for a picnic or concert in the park; athletes come from far and wide to run or walk up the fabled Mt. Tabor stairs.

Southeast is also home to quiet, more affluent neighborhoods like Ladd’s Addition and parts of Laurelhurst. Farther south by the river, you’ll find the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhoods: Sellwood, Eastmoreland, and Westmoreland. There you’ll find landmarks like:

• Oaks Amusement Park
• The historic Moreland Theater
• Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
• Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
• Reed College

Southeast is full of large old 1920s bungalows and even Spanish style homes. There’s a lot of new construction underway in parts of Southeast too, including new apartment buildings and townhouses.

 

Which Quadrant Is Right for You?

We barely scratched the surface, but I hope this post helped you learn a little bit about the different quadrants of Portland. If you’d like to learn more about Portland neighborhoods and the city in general, check out our Portland Community blog category where you’ll find neighborhood guides, a list of Portland’s most walkable neighborhoods, tips for buying your first Portland home, and more!

Or, if you’re ready to sell a home in the Portland area, get in touch with Columbia Redevelopment to find out how we can help.

Photos: Sean Kelly, Tony Webster, Ian Poellet, Visitor7, M.O. Stevens, Ian Poellet, Cacophony, M.O. Stevens, brx0, Steve Morgan, Tony Webster, Beth Olson, Finetooth, Tom Brandt, Cacophony, Visitor7, Jason Marlow, Ian Poellet, Chester Copperpot, David Burn, Finetooth, Finetooth, William Beutler