Guide to North Neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon

Boise - Piedmont - University Park

This 31-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan greets visitors to North Portland. It was created in 1959 to mark Oregon's centennial and was recognized as a "well-crafted example of roadside architecture" according to the National Register of Historical Places. The Paul Bunyan statue is Oregon's only roadside architecture in the register. The statue was commissioned by the Kenton Businessman's Club to greet the millions of visitors to the Centennial Exposition, set up at the current-day Expo Center in North Portland at a time when Interstate Avenue was the main gateway to Portland.

Many people regard the neighborhoods of north Portland as the area of opportunity. If you review appreciation in the Portland metro area the last few years, you will find that North Portland has been at or near the top for the last few years.

In 2002, the average price of a home in North Portland was $146,300 and by 2008 the average price has increased to $266,100. In 2001 North Portland had the highest home value appreciation in the Portland metro area as well as the lowest average price within the city. The average home price for North Portland was $134,100 (average home price in the metro areas was $201,000) and the appreciation was 7.3 percent over the year 2000.

The Interstate MAX Yellow Line, a 5.8-mile segment, has sparked even more interest in the North. The MAX Yellow Line connects the Expo Center in North Portland with downtown and the rest of the transit system. It opened in the Spring of 2004.

Sentinel for North Portland Community News Coverage

The Portland Sentinel does an excellent job of covering the news for the North Portland neighborhoods as well as those Northeast Portland neighborhoods along the boundary between the two areas such as Concordia, Eliot, King and Piedmont.

North Portland Tool Library

The North Portland Tool Library (NPTL) is a community resource that loans a wide variety of tools to community members free of charge. The Tool Library benefits North Portland residents by reducing the costs of maintaining and improving their homes, building community, and sustaining diverse, livable neighborhoods. Registration with the Library is free to residents of North Portland. The Library is located in the basement of the historic Kenton Firehouse at 2209 N. Schofield.

Portland Monthly Magazine Neighborhood Guide

The Portland Monthly magazine features neighborhoods in their April issue every year. It has a ton of information about neighborhoods and communities to include their pick of the "best" for the year.

To help those in the housing market, the magazine combines data from Portland neighborhoods and suburban communities online. Include in the document are housing prices, school ratings, demographics, crime statistics, parks, commuting information, and services. Click here to view the report.

Walking in North Portland Neighborhoods

Take this 4.5 mile walk and discover wildlife in Portland's backyard along the North Columbia Slough. Keep your eye out for eagles, ducks, herons and cormorants. Wander through the park at the Treatment Plant which features great wildlife related art and travel along the great new sidewalk on N. Columbia Boulevard. One trailhead is a half mile walk from either Kenton or or Delta Park stations. Click here for the walk guide.

Walk Score helps you find a walkable place to live. Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address. Portland is the 12th most walkable city in the U.S. The most walkable North Portland neighborhoods is Boise with a Walk Score of 82.

We have created a Walk Score for each of the neighborhood profiles below. Please note that we use an address in the center of each neighborhood to determine the Walk Score. Scores will vary in a neighborhood depending upon the address.

Transit Score provides a 0-100 rating indicating how well an address is served by public transportation. Ratings range from "Rider's Paradises" to areas with limited or no nearby public transportation.

North Portland Dreams of its Own River Trail System

A group of North Portland advocates hopes that one day a riverfront trail will stretch between St. Johns, or points north, to the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade and the Steel Bridge. It's tempting for Greenway advocates to make the dreamlike comparisons because the Springwater Corridor has provided such a boost to the Sellwood area. The Greenway is indeed just a dream for now, though it does have a Web site, www.npgreenway.org, and a handful of reports and studies supporting its creation. Advocate estimate that it will take 10 years for the Greenway to receive funding and be fully constructed. It could provide a safe alternative for bicyclists seeking a route from the St. Johns, Portsmouth, Overlook, Bridgeton, Arbor Lodge and University Park neighborhoods and avoid existing bike lanes on treacherous roads.

Search for Homes in North Portland

To search for homes in North Portland, go to go to SpatialMatch®, a real-time interactive geo-spatial search platform that delivers a totally new way to search for real estate online. Every aspect of the search process is conducted on the map, creating a fluid and entertaining user experience. You can just specify the criteria and obtain all the current listings in North Portland as well as a specific neighborhood.

North Portland Neighborhoods