The PDX Parent Neighborhood Guide is here! Get an in-depth look at neighborhoods from across the quadrants. You'll find family-friendly places to live, eat and play; walk, bike and transit scores; housing costs and much, much more.
Did you know that Portland has more than 90 formally recognized neighborhoods? These diverse communities fit snugly into geographic boundaries, known throughout the city as quadrants. Interestingly enough, there aren’t four quadrants, but rather six.
Despite high interest rates, there are still affordable neighborhoods in Portland.
Driving or walking through Eastmoreland’s tree-lined streets full of large, elegant homes, you’re struck by the neighborhood’s beauty. And that’s not an accident. According to the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association, the neighborhood was laid out by devotees of the national City Beautiful movement of the early 1900s.
Minutes from downtown, this charming and quintessentially Portland neighborhood centers around a main street that boasts breakfast joints, gift shops, bakeries, a beloved toy store and much more. And a yearly summer parade and street fair is a much-cherished community event.
The neighborhood of Rose City Park was incorporated the same year as the inaugural Rose Festival. Today, this Northeast neighborhood comprises a diverse mix of established Portland, with gentrified updates and hip eateries. It’s also family- and dog-friendly with outdoor spaces, parks and shopping.
Like this North Portland area’s name suggests, this compact neighborhood is named after a university — the University of Portland. In fact, the Catholic campus takes up a large swath of realty in the neighborhood’s southern corner.
Originally called Boone’s Landing after a descendant of Daniel Boone, Wilsonville got a name change in 1880. The name hasn’t been the only change in its history; Wilsonville has transformed from ferry site to port to train depot, and finally to the southernmost suburb in the Portland-metro area with a major freeway artery running right through its center.
Niche.com’s No. 1 Best Place to Raise a Family in Oregon is closer than you might think: this year’s choice is Bethany, a small suburb of Portland in Washington County. This tracks with what locals say of this safe, quiet neighborhood with good schools.
Search for schools, camps, enrichment classes, pediatricians and more in our guide!
Neighborhood We Love: Goose Hollow
Neighborhood We Love: Happy Valley
The North Portland neighborhood of Kenton has everything a family could ask for — parks, a library and restaurants galore.
Sellwood-Moreland in Southeast is the quintessential, walkable, self-contained Portland neighborhood.
Eclectic dining options, sky-high walking and biking scores, and a community of resident-advocates — there’s lots to love about King.
Window shop northwest’s Alphabet District. Families say it offers a European feel — right in the heart of the bustling city.
Plenty of Portlanders are proud of their neighborhoods, but when it comes to community spirit, St. Johns is in a class of its own.
