Community

Meet a Bridgeliner Member: Steph Routh

(📸: Steph Routh) We’re continuing our series on the people who make what we do possible — our supporting members. ❤️ Next up is born-and-raised Portlander Steph Routh.  Where in town might people run into you? I live in Lents and have two offices downtown — one as the Dean of the Portland Underground Grad […]

/ March 29, 2019

How the Pearl District Became the Pearl

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Pearl District THE PLACE: In the early ‘90s, the Pearl District (then known as the River District) was a sparsely populated neighborhood “as rugged as any in the Pacific Northwest.” There were warehouses and railroad yards and other symbols of the area’s industrial roots, but the industries themselves — lumber and manufacturing […]

/ March 28, 2019

Mailbag: What’s the Big Deal About Widening I-5?

📹: Oregon Department of Transportation We wrote last week about ODOT’s plan to widen I-5 through the Rose Quarter and the backlash it’s facing from neighbors and activists. Here’s what we heard from readers, plus responses from our director Ben DeJarnette.   Reader Julie S. said it’s misleading to say that the current comment period […]

/ March 18, 2019

Portlanders run away and join the circus—without leaving town

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Pearl District THE PLACE: The Circus Project began as a training company to help youth experiencing homelessness, but it now offers classes to both beginners and future pros. Located inside a converted warehouse in the Pearl, the Circus Project is currently spearheading “The Voice Project”, a year-long program that allows local youth […]

/ March 13, 2019

Your Guide to Modern Love in Portland

We know, we know — love is hard. Whether you’ve got a steady boo or are single and ready to mingle, the topics of love, sex, and relationships are never easy to navigate. Our city doesn’t exactly have a great reputation when it comes to finding love, and many Portlanders would say that technology has […]

/ February 27, 2019

Here Are Your Portland Love Stories

🎨: Haley Weaver How have you found love here in Portland? We asked our readers that question to kick off this month’s Real Talk series on finding romance in our city. Here are a few of our favorite responses: “I met my boyfriend on Grindr on July 4, 2015. We’re getting married this year on July […]

/ February 27, 2019

The Albina Vision is a 50-Year Plan—But It Starts Now

WHAT: The Albina Vision is a community-led effort to revitalize a district that was once the heart of Portland’s black community. The plan calls for building nine city blocks of affordable housing and community gathering space, and capping the I-5 freeway that displaced thousands of families in the 1960s — but the project is about […]

/ February 20, 2019

Meet Portland’s Most Beloved Used Book Store (Not Named Powell’s)

WHAT: Title Wave Used Bookstore is where library books go to retire. From children’s books to DVDs and travel guides, this hidden gem in Lower Albina has something for every reader. WHY IT MATTERS: The shop prices and resells library materials from 18 Multnomah County branches, so they can have a second life in the […]

/ February 20, 2019

How to Find Love in Portland, Without an App

It might seem like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are the only ways to find a date in these modern times, but believe it or not, there are still other paths to discover love in our city. Here are a few strategies that our research — and our readers — suggest are worth a try. 1. […]

/ February 19, 2019

The Church that Stood Strong

WHAT: Lower Albina has seen a lot of change over the last 50 years, but one constant through it all has been the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, which will celebrate its 75th birthday next month. The church has withstood decades of gentrification and displacement, and its members today span multiple generations. WHY IT MATTERS: […]

/ February 14, 2019