Neighborhoods

Pretend every Portland neighborhood is a 🥳 person at a party. Let’s have some 🎉 Reddit fun!

If each Portland neighborhood was a “person” and they were at a house party, what would each “person” be doing? That was the question Reddit user u/tkallgren23 asked in the Reddit channel, r/Portland. Now, if you’ve hesitated going on Reddit, because, well, why? – or you’ve kept putting it off for one reason or another – […]

/ February 11, 2022

A Bridge and its Park

The St. Johns Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in Portland, but the area below it has its own history. It was home to Native American tribal grounds and a Lewis and Clark landing site before it became Cathedral Park. For decades, it housed junkyards and factories. But “honorary mayor” Howard Galbraith and […]

/ January 18, 2022

Finding Love at Oaks Park

So where to find love in Portland? Start with a perfect date! Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood has hosted everything from roller derby events to competitive beer miles to holiday festivals. Along the way, the 114-year-old park has helped more than a few Portlanders find love. Why? Their new showstopper is the over-the-top thrill ride […]

/ January 11, 2022

Did you know this secret about the Pearl Neighborhood?

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.” But why is it called the Pearl? What’s the real secret behind the name? It’s been quoted many places that a gallery […]

/ January 11, 2022

Go Ahead: Eat This Raw Cookie Dough, Portland

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Pearl District WHAT IS BETTER? Oreos or Cookie Dough? Or you can’t decide? Well, you don’t have to decide. THE PLACE: Remember sneaking cookie dough batter from the mixing bowl as a kid? Or maybe… more recently? Now there’s a spot where you dig into dough guilt-free. The Cookie Dough Cafe, became […]

/ January 5, 2022

A 110-Year-Old Fraternity Lives On at the Kenton Masonic Temple

The Kenton Masonic Temple in North Portland is either the home of a clandestine fraternity that secretly runs the world, or it’s a good place to get a haircut. It just depends who you ask. The historic building was renovated in 2011, and it now doubles as the home for Bart’s Barbershop, Kenton Cycle Repair, […]

/ October 31, 2021

Sunnyside: Bright lights, little slice of the city

Sunnyside would be nothing without the passionate people who live and work in the neighborhood. BBPDX recognizes that, which is why they have partnered with us to help tell the colorful and sometimes secretive stories of Sunnyside.  

/ December 9, 2020

Why Spending a Day with Dillon is a Big Dill

Lents is one of Portland’s oldest, largest, and most diverse neighborhoods — and no offense to Blaze, but it’s also the home of our city’s most beloved mascot, Dillon the Pickle. Since 2015, Dillon has been the face of the Portland Pickles, a collegiate wood-bat baseball team that’s gained quite a following for its home […]

/ January 3, 2020

Who Owns Downtown Portland? It’s Not Easy to Find Out.

“Who are the largest landowners in Downtown?” —Anonymous The answer to our latest PDXplained question is pretty simple (more on that in a moment), but getting to the bottom of it wasn’t easy.  It turns out that property ownership is easily concealed in Oregon — and most big landowners seem eager to do just that. […]

/ November 12, 2019

What Are Your Burning Questions About Alberta?

Our latest neighborhood spotlight series is all about the Alberta Arts District, and so far we’ve highlighted Portland’s most resourceful bike shop, the original brunch spot in town, the history of Earl’s Barbershop, and the story behind all those murals. So what’s next? Submit a burning question about Alberta below, and subscribe to our newsletter […]

/ October 15, 2019

How the Alberta Arts District is Trying to Keep its Artists

How do you keep an arts district from losing its artists? That’s an age-old question in gentrifying neighborhoods like the Alberta Arts District, but the nonprofit Alberta Art Works and its executive director Maquette Reeverts think they have an answer — pay artists to do their craft. “That’s how we keep the folks here,” Maquette […]

/ September 18, 2019

PDXplained: The Hidden History of Morningside Hospital in East Portland

(📸: Wikimedia Commons) For more than 50 years, an Oregon hospital held “mentally ill” patients against their will, performed bogus medical procedures, and drew allegations of abuse and neglect. And it’s probably not the hospital you’re thinking of. Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” immortalized the Oregon State Hospital in Salem — […]

/ September 3, 2019

What Are Your Burning Questions About Downtown Portland?

Our latest neighborhood spotlight series is all about Downtown, and so far we’ve explored the history of Waterfront Park, taken a foodie tour of Pine Street Market, met the founder of the food-cart-turned-restaurant Love Belizean, and introduced you to Portland’s “minister of loud noises.” So what’s next? Submit a burning question about Downtown below, and subscribe […]

/ September 3, 2019

Meet the “Minister of Loud Noises” at The Old Church Concert Hall

The Old Church Concert Hall in downtown Portland is known as “a sanctuary of sound” — and organist Michael Barnes is its “minister of loud noises.” Michael is the artistic director behind the Lunchtime Concert Series, which brings local musicians to The Old Church every Wednesday at noon to perform a free concert. The concert […]

/ August 30, 2019

No, Portland’s Neighborhood Associations Aren’t Going Away — And They Might Not Even Change

A proposed revision to the City of Portland’s civic code is either a bureaucratic tweak to bring more voices to the table, or it’s a Machiavellian power grab to silence critics and stifle democracy. It just depends who you ask.  Confused?  You’re not alone. The messaging from City Hall has been inconsistent at times, and […]

/ July 30, 2019

What Do You Want to Know About Portland’s Hazelwood Neighborhood?

Our latest neighborhood spotlight series is all about Hazelwood, and so far we’ve introduced you to an experimental brewery, a “hidden gem” Indian restaurant, and a rock-star dance instructor. So what’s next? Vote for the question below that you’d like us to dig into, and and keep an eye on the newsletter for updates on […]

/ July 26, 2019

PDXplained: What We Learned About the Old ‘Comfy Inn’ in Kenton

Apartment construction is nothing new to North Portland (ICYMI, they’re going up everywhere), but the Kenton Korner development on N. Interstate Ave. has quite a story behind it.  My sleuthing into that site began with a PDXplained question from reader Teresa Hill, who asked: “What’s going on with the old motel that’s being remodeled next […]

/ July 22, 2019

Little Red Press Wears Kenton Pride

Is Kenton the proudest neighborhood in Portland? It’s hard to say no after meeting sisters Lisa and Kerry McPherson. Lisa and Kerry started the screen-printing company Little Red Press in Lisa’s garage 12 years ago, and their Kenton-themed merch now seems to pop up everywhere around town. “There’s something special about Kenton,” Lisa says. “We […]

/ July 17, 2019

What Are Your Questions About Portland’s Kenton Neighborhood?

(📸: Whitney Gomes) Our latest neighborhood spotlight series is all about Kenton, and so far we’ve introduced you to the tallest (mythical) man in Portland and learned what really goes down at a historic Masonic temple.  So what’s next? Send us your silly, serious, wonky, or curious questions about the Kenton neighborhood, and we’ll pick three […]

/ June 24, 2019

A Portland Icon Is Turning 60 — And He’s Never Looked Better

It’s hard to imagine North Portland without a 31-foot Paul Bunyan statue keeping watch, but three years ago the big fella’s future in Kenton seemed pretty uncertain. With his paint job peeling and becoming faded, Paul’s local boosters estimated they would need to raise more than $60,000 to do a proper renovation. The Kenton Neighborhood […]

/ June 18, 2019