Guide to the Grant Park Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

The Grant Park is a family-friendly feel, with quiet, residential streets that are lined with comfortable family homes. Grant Park with large mature trees, sports facilities, playground, and off-leash dog area, is the social center of the neighborhood.

Grant Park abuts (and overlaps) the following neighborhoods: Irvington on the west, Sullivan's Gulch on the east, Alameda on the north, Hollywood on the east, Laurelhurst on the southeast, Beaumont-Wilshire on the northeast, and Rose City on the east.

The Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA) Web site is where you can read the GPNA newsletter online. It is an eight page quarterly publication that is distributed to over 2,000 homes between NE Broadway and NE Knott and from NE 26th to NE 47th, with some overlap around the outside edges. It is full of information.

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

History of Grant Park

Originally one of Portland's streetcar suburbs, Northeast Portland underwent a great building boom from 1890-1913. During that time, Northeast Broadway, one of the district's main thoroughfares, evolved naturally into a busy strip of restaurants and shops needed to support Portland's growing eastside population.

How the Neighborhood Got Its Name

After General Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the U.S.A. Grant visited Portland three times, a rare thing for a president to do in the days before air travel or before rail travel was standardized and safe. Early in his military career, Grant was assigned to Fort Vancouver, where he made friends with many of Portland's politicians.

Grant Park Home Styles

Grant Park features classic style homes to Craftsman, cottage, Cape Cod, and bungalows. Most homes sell well above $400,000 and they retain their value as evidenced below by the 'Grant Park Home Prices.'

¹Grant Park Home Prices

• Number of Homes Sold in Grant Park—► 66 homes were sold in 2012 and 5% were distressed sales. 46 homes were sold in 2011 and 4% were distressed sales.  53 homes were sold in 2010.
• Median Price for Homes Sold in Grant Park—►  $495,750 in 2012, $471,000 in 2011, $470,000 in 2010, $432,000 in 2009, $547,250 in 2008, and $505,000 in 2007.
• 1-Year Median Sales Price Change in Grant Park—►  In 2012 the sales price changes was 5%, in 2011 the sales price change was 0%, and in 2010 the sales price change was 9%.
• 5-Year Median Sales Price Change in Grant Park—►  2008 to 2012 the sales price change was -9%. 2007 to 2011 the sales price change was -5%. 2006 to 2010 the sales price change was 3%.
• Portland Metro Area Median Home Price—►  $235,000 in 2012, $221,000 in 2011, $239,900 in 2010, $247,000 in 2009, $278,000 in 2008, and $290,000 in 2007.
• Portland Metro Area Average Home Price—►  $275,000 in 2012, $263,300 in 2011, $282,100 in 2010, $289,900 in 2009, $330,300 in 2008, and $342,000 in 2007.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only.

Grant Park Homes for Sale

Parks and Community Centers in the Neighborhood

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 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 was started by a group of volunteers who formed a nonprofit, the NECC took over the building in 2008 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.

Grant Park has 19 acres of park land and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation.

Walking in Grant Park

Walking in Grant Park means more than taking an evening stroll in the neighborhood. It means that you can walk to the library, restaurants, and even to food markets such as Trader's Joe over in the Hollywood area.

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.

Here are two walks that are close to the Grant Park neighborhood:

• Alameda Ridge  This 4.4-mile loop through Alameda includes a turnaround block at a 1927 mansion built by lumber baron Thomas Autzen. The walk's many stairs, beautiful homes and great views make it a fun adventure.
• Hollywood  This is a short walk through the Hollywood neighborhood. It offers enough places to stop, shop, and eat that it can tak all day.

Walk Score helps you find a walkable place to live. Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address. Portland is the 12th most walkable city in the U.S. with a Walk Score of 66 and 57% of the residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above.

The Grant Park neighborhood ranks 16 out of 89 Portland neighborhoods. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the neighborhood.

More About Grant Park

• Neighborhood Association Web Site  Grant Park.
• Location  From downtown cross over the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge and you'll head east on NE Weidler Street. Take a left on NE 26th Avenue. You'll be in the southwest corner of Grant Park.
• Topography  Flat. Mature shade trees line every street in Grant Park.
• 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  12-13 minutes.
• Public Transportation  Grant Park has three bus routes. The Northeast schedule and routes can be found at TriMet Web site. No MAX light rail or streetcars but it's just a 10-12 minute walk to the Hollywood/NE 42th Avenue MAX stop. 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.
• ³Census 2010 Demographics  Population: 3,937. Area in acres: 319. Average population density: 12 person per acre. Number of households: 1,534. Average size of household: 2.57 persons. Median household income: $88,741. Families with children: 29.1%. Home owners: 87.3%. Renters: 12.7%. Diversity: 9.1% non-Caucasian. More census data about Grant Park at Portland Online.
• ⁴Crime Stats  Seven violent crimes and crimes per 1,000 residents were four in 2012. Nine violent crimes and crimes per 1,000 residents was 49 in 2011. Ten violent crimes and crimes per 1,000 residents was 47 in 2010. For the latest crime statistics for the Grant Park neighborhood, click here.
• ⁵Shopping and Services  Number of supermarkets: 1. Number of health clubs 0. Number of coffee shops: 0. Although there are a limited number of retail outlets in the neighborhood, residents are close to the Hollywood District which offers at variety of shopping opportunities.
• Farmers Market  The Hollywood Farmers Market is held at Northeast Hancock Street between 44th and 45th Avenues. 8 am-1 pm Saturdays, May-November. More information at Hollywood Farmers Market.
• Eating Out  Another reason is live in Grant Park is that you can walk over to the Hollywood District and dine at Sweet Basil Thai, the Blind Onion Pizza Pub, or a few others. Or head over to NE Fremont for even more places to eat. Visit Willamette Weeks' Restaurant Guide by Neighborhood for a list of eating places in Grant Park.
• Public Library  The closest branch library of the Multnomah County Library system is the Hollywood at 4040 N.E. Tillamook Street.
• Who Lives in Grant Park  Professionals! Who else could afford the home prices? The median age of a Grant Park resident is 41 according to Census 2010.
• Autos in the Neighborhood  SUVs and luxury autos along with a handful of hybrids.
• ⁶Biking  Qualify is fair. Grant Park has three miles of bike lanes.
• Schools  Elementary and Middle: Beverly Cleary Hollywood Campus K-1 and Beverly Cleary Fernwood Campus 2-8. High school: Grant High School.
• ⁷School Report Card Grades  Elementary schools: O. Middle schools: O. High school: I. Click here for report card details.

Map of the Grant Park Neighborhood

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Fly to the Grant Park Neighborhood via Google Earth

Coordinates
45° 32′ 20.36″ N
122° 37′ 39.11″ 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 2010 and www.portlandmaps.com.

⁴Crime Statistics  Numbers on crime 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.