Guide to the Hollywood Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

The Hollywood neighborhood is a mix of commercial and residential space and provides shopping for many of the surrounding neighborhoods such as Grant Park and Laurelhurst, as well as to riders of the MAX Light Rail System. Hollywood also figures in Beverly Cleary's Klickitat Street series of books, a fact memorialized in a display at the neighborhood library. Details on a Beverly Cleary walking tour are available at the library.

Hollywood is conveniently located along major streets for easy commuting (NE Broadway and Sandy, plus a ramp to I-84). You can catch the flavor of the area by driving diagonally from southwest to northwest on NE Sandy Boulevard starting at NE 37th Avenue and you will exit the neighborhood on NE 47th Avenue.

The neighborhood has two markets (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods) along with a branch of the Multnomah County Library. With neighborhood shops, restaurants, a theatre, and stores all within walking distance of most homes in the neighborhood.

Here are the Census 2000 numbers: 115 acres, just over 1,000 residents, 758 households, and 85% of Hollywood's residents are renters. Assuming that most of the renters live in apartment buildings, this means that the neighborhood has about 115 housing units that are owner occupied. In a typical year, only 10-15 homes are sold in the neighborhood.

The Hollywood Neighborhood Association (HNA) Web site is where you can get to know more about the neighborhood and read the HNS newsletter online.

To see how the neighborhood fits in with the rest of the area, download a map of Northeast Portland.

The Hollywood District was originally part of the Rose City Park subdivision which was platted in 1907. The original Rose City Park subdivision was part of the Donation Land Claim of Joseph Backenstos. The land was later assigned to his widow by President Andrew Johnson in 1866. 1890s-era maps refer to the area as the Crook Tract.

Originally called Hollyrood, after the Scottish Holyrood, it was renamed for its historic 1920s-era Hollywood Theatre. Built in 1926 at the end of the silent-film era—sound was not successfully introduced until 1927—the Hollywood seated 1,500 viewers in a “palace of luxury, comfort and entertainment unsurpassed by any theatre on the Coast,” according to an opening-day advertisement. While early theaters had been adapted from retail storefronts by unfurling a screen and setting up rows of chairs, the movie “palaces” that emerged in the 1920s were designed for the purpose, and they frequently used architecture to grab attention.

The Hollywood was designed by the architectural firm of Bennes & Herzog of Portland. The style has been described as “Byzantine,” but is better characterized as Spanish Colonial Revival. It was constructed of poured concrete, but the entrance was topped by an elaborate tower of polychrome (colored) terra cotta with arched niches flanked by turned pillars. The two-story street side of the theater was capped by roof tiles that carried out the Spanish Colonial theme. Most theaters of this size were located in downtown areas, but the Hollywood was sited in a neighborhood shopping district that was well served by both streetcar and automobile.

Grant Park features classic style homes to Craftsman, Cottage, Cape Cod, and Bungalows. There are a number of condos in Hollywood, some new and others that have been converted from apartment buildings.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. View Hollywood homes currently for sale by clicking here.

Missing is a park, but it is just a few blocks to the 20-acre Grant Park. Grant Park is located at NE 33rd Avenue and US Grant Place and it has close to 20 acres. It has a baseball field, basketball court, soccer field, softball field, tennis court, restroom, dog off-leash area, picnic site, picnic tables, wading pool, and playground. The park also has an outdoor pool, a 25-yard shallow pool with a kid slide and 25-yard deep pool, heated to 84 degrees. The water depths of the pool range from 2-8 feet.

The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden at Grant Park celebrates author Beverly Cleary's colorful characters. the writer grew up in this neighborhood, and Grant Park is where her stories take place. Statues of Henry Higgins with his dog, Ribsy, and Ramona in her raingear stand around a central fountain. Lee Hunt, a local artist, designed the garden's child-friendly bronze sculptures.

The Northeast Community Center (NECC) in Hollywood, is now four years old and still gathering steam. Started by a group of volunteers who formed a nonprofit, the NECC took over the building that originally served as the Northeast YMCA for 80 years. The big yellow building just west of Starbucks was extensively renovated by volunteers and donors who wanted to save the facility and maintain its longtime heritage of service to the community. That heritage is now being expanded.

At 42nd and Halsey, a 24-Hour Fitness center was built in 2005 at the site of Copeland Lumber. The club has a lap pool and a full size basketball court.

Hollywood does not have any park land and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation.

Walking in Hollywood means more than taking an evening stroll in the neighborhood. It means that you can walk to the library, restaurants, and to the Hollywood theatre for a movie.

In the City of Portland 2005 Livability study, 94% of Grant Park residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good" on these two items: (1) Walking distance to bus stop and (2) Access to shopping and other services.

Walk Score ranks over 2,500 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the Hollywood neighborhood.

More About Hollywood

Neighborhood Association Web Site Hollywood. The Hollywood Boosters is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to bring together all merchants, business and professional people of the Hollywood District.
Location From downtown cross over the Willamette River on the Burnside Bridge and then turn onto NE Sandy. When you come to NE 37th Avenue (I-84), you're in Hollywood. Or you can take Interstate 84 (Banfield Express) and exit NE 39th.
Topography Flat. Mature shade trees line residential streets in Hollywood.
Sidewalks and Streets The street pattern is a grid with sidewalks for walking.
Livability Study 96.8% of Grant Park residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good." See Livability Study.
²Drive Time to Downtown 10-12 minutes.
Public Transportation Hollywood has five public transit routes. The schedule and routes can be found at TriMet Web site. The MAX light rail stop is at NE 42nd Avenue. 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.
³2000 Demographics Population: 1,061. Area (acres): 115. Average population density: 9 person per acre. Number of households: 758. Median household income is $46,756. Home owners: 15%. Renters: 85%. Diversity: 20% non-Caucasian.
⁴Crime Stats for 2010 25 violent crimes. Total crimes per 1,000 residents was 162. For the latest crime statistics for the Hollywood neighborhood, click heree.
⁵Shopping and Services Number of supermarkets: 2. Number of health clubs 2. Number of coffee shops: 3. Their are over 75 commercial establishments within one mile of the center of the neighborhood. This means that Hollywood offers at variety of shopping opportunities.
Farmers Market The Hollywood Farmers Market is held at Northeast Hancock Street between 44th and 45th Avenues. Time: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturdays, May-November. More information at H ollywood Farmers Market.
Eating Out Another reason is live in the Hollywood District is that you can dine at Sweet Basil Thai, the Blind Onion Pizza Pub, or many others.
Public Library The closest branch library of the Multnomah County Library system is the Hollywood at 4040 N.E. Tillamook Street.
Who Lives in Hollywood Over half of the households are occupied by one person so these means that Hollywood has lots of young singles. The median age is 46.
Autos in the Neighborhood You'll see a variety of autos as the neighborhood since it attracts many visitors to its markets and shops.
⁶Biking Quality is high. Hollywood has two miles of bike lanes.
Schools Elementary and Middle: Laurelhurst K-8 School and Fernwood 2-8. High school: Grant High School.
⁷School Report Card Grades Elementary and middle schools: O. High school: S. Click here for report card details.

Map of the Hollywood Neighborhood

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Fly to the Hollywood Neighborhood via Google Earth

Coordinates
45° 32′ 5.48″ N
122° 37′ 22.51″ W

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¹Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by RMLS^tm. Distressed properties refer to the percentage of total homes sold that were short sales and bank-owned properties.

²Drive Time to Downtown Estimated commuting time obtained from Yahoo Maps and Google Maps. Drive time was calculated from a central intersection in each neighborhood to Pioneer Courthouse Square during the morning peak commute time.

³Demographics Data Numbers were obtained from Census 2000 and www.portlandmaps.com.

⁴Crime Statistics Numbers on crime represent total crimes for 2010 and were obtained from Portland Police Bureau. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Crimes per 1,000 are based on reported incidents of violent crime, as well as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

⁵Shopping and Services Numbers were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library systems.

⁶Biking Quality rating based on the 2007 Cycle Zone Analysis conducted by the City of Portland Office of Transportation. The six-tier ratings have been reduced to three levels: High, Fair, and Low.

⁷School Report Card Grades Schools ratings from the Oregon Department of Education 2009-2010 performance assessment. "O" = Outstanding; "S" = Satisfactory; "I" = In Need of Improvement; NR = Not Rated.