I Choose You

R & I have lived in Portland now for 5 1/2 years. Prior to this house (which we've had for just over a year), I had lived in 7 different apartments/houses in those 4 1/2 years. The good thing about that was getting to experience different neighborhoods and 'feels' of Portland and find out what I liked. I experienced the crazy hippy-ness of Belmont, the tranquil poshness of upper NW 25th, the weirdness of St Helen's Rd, and (my favorite) the wonderfully small-city, walkable neighborhood of NE 28th/Burnside. I also got a taste of the 'burbs by living with a friend in Beaverton for a year (reinforcing the fact that I am NOT interested in buying a house in the suburbs), and experienced the SW in both Burlingame and Multnomah Village.

Point being that when we were house hunting, I knew what I liked: small, neighborhood feel + some walkability + access to Trimet. With our under-$235k budget, we had limited options for purchasing a home (we decided no townhouses/condos). Knowing we wanted to stay in the city (for us meaning inside 205), the neighborhoods within our reach were:

1. Portsmouth/St. Johns (on the N side of Lombard) (97203)
2. SE Portland: between SE 55th and 82nd/S of Powell, N of Johnson Creek Blvd (97206)
3. NE Portland: between NE 42nd and 82nd/Prescott & Columbia Blvd (97218)
4. NE Portland: between NE MLK Jr Blvd & NE 13th, N of Holman, S of Lombard (97211)

There were a few in 97217, a few in Rose City/97213, and a (very) few in N Concordia. But these were really the main ones. And without a doubt, the neighborhood we felt most at home in was St Johns & Portsmouth. We would have loved to be in St J village proper, or University Park. But as it turns out, we're happy we're a little bit closer to the 5 by being in Portsmouth. Even though it didn't have the 'walkability' of downtown St Johns (more on how that is changing later), it's still a lovely little neighborhood.

If money weren't an object and I could pick any neighborhood I wanted, I'd go with Laurelhurst in a heartbeat. Somewhere around 35th and Oak, or maybe just on the N side of Burnside...Davis or Everett. I love love love Laurelhurst. However, homes are outrageous. AND, I guarantee you there is no family-run Mexican grocery store that sells delicious $3.50 burritos out of the back room within walking distance. So take that Laurelhurst :)