Guide to the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

Here's our list of ingredients for a thriving community: Parks, shopping, restaurants, access to public transportation, library, coffee shops, food markets, movie theater, and sidewalks. It would be an added bonus if the community had quality schools and close enough so that the kids could walk or have short bus rides. Sellwood-Moreland meets all of these conditions so you may want to investigate the neighborhood as a possible place to live.

Couples with children have discovered the neighborhood.  In the 2000 census there were 636 children under 18 living with their parents and this number jumped to 890 in the 2010 census. An increase of just over 250 kids. As a result the neighborhood elementary school (Llewellyn) is extremely crowded. A few years ago the district was ready to close the school and consolidate it into another elementary. Now they face the challenge of making certain that all the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood kids can attend Llewellyn and not have to be bused to another school.

Sellwood-Moreland is located five miles south of downtown Portland on the east side of the Willamette River. The Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the agency that oversees neighborhood associations, combines the neighborhoods of Sellwood and Westmoreland into Sellwood-Moreland. Westmoreland is on the east side of the community bordering McLoughlin Boulevard and Sellwood is on the west side bordering the river.

The community has two shopping areas. Coming off the Sellwood Bridge heading east, you encounter the first one at the intersection of Tacoma Street and 13th Avenue. It's the home of the Sellwood New Seasons Market along with a number of antiques stores, restaurants and other shops. The other commercial area is the Bybee/Milwaukee neighborhood less than a mile from the Tacoma/13th area and it has a market called QFC (division of Kroger's). Bybee/Milwaukee has a movie theater, coffee shops, restaurants, a florist, clinic, and a hardware store (they actually wait on you). Plus it also has a few antiques stores. The Moreland Theater is one of the last single screen movie theaters in Portland. A mix of first runs, art films, and lesser known treats. The Moreland seats 450 patrons and when the curtain rolls back, the movie begins. You don't have to sit through the 15 minutes of "coming attractions". And the popcorn is reasonably priced.

A favorite place in Sellwood-Moreland is a bakery called Piece of Cake at 8306 SE 17th Avenue. The bakery is without walls so you can see the entire operation to include ovens, stoves, etc. Here's Marilyn (the owner on the left) and her assistant decorating a cake. Visit their Web site at Piece of Cake Bakery to view their goodies to include many gluten-free baked goods.

If you're interested in a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, don't bother stepping into Cloud Cap Games. But if you want old-fashioned board games made everywhere from across the street to across the globe fill the shelves at this Sellwood shop. James and Kirsten Brady, the owners of Cloud Cap Games, favor the low-tech joys of what one customer calls "analog" games because they require none of the batteries or electrical outlets that power today's digital gaming explosion. Board games are their specialty, but they also carry a modest selection of card sets, puzzles and other game-related goods. And while many are internationally popular, the Bradys also also stock locally made wares, including games, dice bags and cribbage boards. Cloud Cap Games is located at 1226 SE Lexington Avenue.

During the summer, a Farmers Market with farm fresh local produce, nursery stock, cut flowers, local cheese, baked goods, bread, fish, meat, prepared food, specialty items is held every Wednesday mid-May through September, 3:30-7:30 p.m. at SE Bybee and 14th Avenue. For a complete list of all the business establishments in the community, visit the Sellwood-Moreland Business Association Web site.

Carl Abbott has a write up about former governor Barbara Roberts living in Sellwood-Moreland in his book Greater Portland.

Barbara Roberts loves her neighborhood. When she returned to Portland from Boston in 1998, she picked a modest Dutch Colonial in southeast Portland's Westmoreland neighborhood. A long established commercial street is only three blocks away. Roberts can walk to the grocery, the hardware store, a movie theater, and a choice of banks and restaurants. Roberts returned home because she wanted "to feel connected." In Portland's Sellwood-Westmoreland district she found a small town ambience that reminded her of Sheridan, the Oregon town where she grew up.

Westmoreland, she says, "feels like a neighborhood should feel," with a mix of elderly, young couples, and children. Residents are politically active, with high voter registration and turnout. They notice what others do with their yards and gardens; when she took down an aging tree that threatened her house and her neighbor, everyone had a comment. People in the neighborhood restaurant/bar treat her as family, shooing away belligerent customers who want to upbraid her for her mistakes in Salem (she backed a deeply unpopular sales tax to fund state services).

History of Sellwood-Moreland

The Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood began as the 1847 land claim of Henderson Llewelling who used the land to raise experimental strains of fruit. After Llewelling died in 1866, the 320 acre property was purchased by Rev. John Sellwood. In 1882, Sellwood sold 160 acres to several investors who laid out the town of Sellwood. Sellwood was incorporated in 1887 and then merged with Portland five years later. The area grew when streetcars began serving the area in 1892.

In early 1909 the 500-acre Crystal Spring livestock farm was platted into the subdivisions of Eastmoreland and Westmoreland. The developers promoted their developments as modern subdivisions which would be sold with sidewalks and curbs in place. Westmoreland's target market were the new white collar professionals who rode the streetcar to jobs in downtown Portland. The Eastmoreland Golf Course was also marketed to residents of both Westmoreland and Eastmoreland. By implication, Sellwood was an old-fashioned farm town.

The first quarter of the 20th century the two communities were in competition. As homes rose in Westmoreland, the newly-established local newspaper, the Sellwood Bee, became alarmed. It warned that a new commercial area might appear that would undermine the businesses in Sellwood. The first business, a doctor's office, was constructed at the southwest corner of Bybee and Milwaukie in 1911. As the new business area grew, competition between Sellwood and Westmoreland began and did not end for fifty years.

Events and Issues

Sellwood Riverfront Park, overlooking the Willamette River, is the site on the first Sunday each August, for the Sundae on the Park − a civic event presented by the neighborhood association that features ice cream sundaes for a quarter, inexpensive hot dogs, old fashioned live entertainment, and displays and booths featuring historic topics related to the neighborhood. All of it, on the most unfailingly sunny weekend of the year, according to Oregon weather statistics.

Traffic impacts on Tacoma Street are a longstanding livability issue in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood. Every day more than 30,000 vehicles travel over the Sellwood Bridge through the heart of the neighborhood causing congestion all along Tacoma Street. Read about the proposed solutions at Tacoma Street Project.

Origin of the Names Sellwood and Moreland

The Sellwood part comes from Rev. John Sellwood, an Episcopal minister who held the land for a few years. Moreland is named after Julius Caesar Moreland, a successful real estate developer and also a prominent county judge. Many refer to Moreland as Westmoreland to differentiate it from their neighborhood directly east that is called Eastmoreland.

Sellwood-Moreland Home Styles

One of the first thing you notice driving around the community is the variety of homes within a given block. You will notice Bungalows, Cottages, Victorians mixed with a number of small nondescript one-story homes. Over the years, many of the homes in the neighborhood have been purchased by ambitious people who knew a bargain when they saw one. With some sweat, they have done extensively remodeling and adding square footage to their homes. And there are still homes available in the neighborhoods waiting for someone to give them a facelift.

Another trend is for in-fill builders to purchase older homes and replace them with new homes.  North of Tacoma and both east and west of SE 13th Avenue you will note as least a dozen new homes. Homes close to the Sellwood Park on SE Bidwell, SE Lambert, SE Malden, and SE Rex seldom come on the market and when they do, they are sold fast.

The area along the west end of Sellwood near the Oaks Bottom Refuge have some elegant homes.  Both the area south and north of the Sellwood Bridge have condo developments and many of the homes have views of the river life. There are 4-5 townhouse developments south of Tacoma.

¹Sellwood-Moreland Home Prices

• Number of Homes Sold in Sellwood-Moreland—►  148 homes were sold in 2011 and 14% were distressed sales. In 2010 there were 138 homes sold and 9% distressed sales.
• Average Price for Homes Sold in Sellwood-Moreland—►  $3331,162 in 2011.
• Median Price for Homes Sold in Sellwood-Moreland—►  $321,500in 2011, $338,750 in 2010, $329,500 in 2009, $350,000 in 2008, and $354,800 in 2007.
• 1-year Median Sales Price Change in Sellwood-Moreland—►  2011 the sales price change was -4%.  2010 the sales price change was 4%.
• 5-year Median Sales Price Growth in Sellwood-Moreland—►  2007 to 2011 the sales price change was -9%. 2006 to 2010 the sales price change was 0%.
• Portland Metro Area Median Home Price—►  $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—►  $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. To view Sellwood-Moreland homes currently for sale click here.

Parks in Sellwood-Moreland

The neighborhood is blessed with a river park, a wildlife refuge, along with a couple of parks that include just about every thing you need in a park. Plus they have an amusement park!

• Sellwood Riverfront Park is an 7.85 acre park on the Willamette River. It has a boat dock, dog off-leash area, paths, and picnic tables.
• The 16-acre Sellwood Park is located on the west side of the neighborhood and includes a baseball field, basketball court, picnic area, disabled access restroom, football field, horseshoe pit, walking paths, playground, soccer field, softball field, and tennis court.
• Sellwood Pool is an outdoor, oval-shaped swimming pool, heated to 84 degrees, with a drop slide, kiddie slide, play structure, and spray features. Water depths range from zero depth entry to 8 feet. It is located at 7951 SE 7th Avenue.
• The 42-acre Westmoreland Park experienced periodic flooding resulting from a multitude of conditions contributing to high water in the crystal springs creek system. The rising waters inundated picnic areas, playgrounds, paths, and bench locations within the park. After years of study, construction is suppose to start with specific improvements in 2013. The Army Corps of Engineers is set to execute the first step which is the removal of the north-end duck pond and restoration of that section of the park to its original natural stream setting. This will benefit the fish using Crystal Springs Creek, and will make the north end more usable, by reducing the bird waste. Also planned is moving the play area to a higher ground. You can view the master plan for the park by clicking here but most likely much of the plan will not be implemented due to budget restrictions.
• The 141-acre Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a birdwatcher's paradise. Hawks, quail, pintails, mallards, coots, woodpeckers, kestrels, and widgeons are just the start of the list of birds that one might encounter in Oaks Bottom. The star of the show, though, is the Great blue heron, the official bird of the City of Portland.

The photo to the left is one of the largest hand-painted murals in the country and it can be seen on Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum. The artwork is visible from the Sellwood Bridge, the I-5 freeway, and sections of the Springwater Corridor Trail. Up close, it offers a Lilliputian view of dozens of native birds against a muted background of greens and blues. Some are in flight, a few forage for food along the shoreline and a lone eagle surveys the scene from a large remote branch. The mural covers about 50,000 square feet.

Westmoreland Park Casting Pond was "hand-dug" by residents during the depression as part of federal job-making efforts, the concrete pond is consider to be one of only 2-3 man-made casting ponds in the U.S.A. It is three feet deep, about 350 feet wide and 410 feet long. The pond opened in 1936 with an international fly-casting tournament. In 1940, the federal Works Progress Administration poured a concrete bottom.

The pond is a magnet for everything from fly casting to floating model boats. When it freezes over, you will even see some hockey on the ice. In years past, the Rose Festival has used it for milk carton races.

Sellwood-Moreland has 245 acres of park land and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation.

Oaks Parks Amusement Center

Sellwood is home to Oaks Park, one of only a handful of continuously-operating amusement parks in the United States. A modest operation, the park currently includes about two dozen rides that operate seasonally, a skating rink that is open year-'round, and picnic grounds. The Oaks has been a part of the lives of many Portlanders and other Oregonians for nearly a hundred years. It was built as an attraction to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. Managers of The Oaks sought to portray the resort as “The People’s Park” − a place that reflected the best that the city had to offer while still embracing its citizens’ fun-loving nature.

Sara Paulson, for her master's in history from Portland State University, wrote the history of the park which you can view at Oaks Park History. If you are a carousel fan, Portland photographer Jim Lommasson has documented the Oaks Park carousel by taking photographs over the years.

Share-It Square

The intersection at SE Sherrett Street and SE 9th Avenue is painted in bright colors and serves as a central plaza with a community bulletin board, kids' playhouse, goods exchange, and a a 24-hour tea station. The square was improved by neighborhood residents with assistance from a local nonprofit called the City Repair Project.

After installation of Share-It Square, a survey revealed that more than 85 percent of residents felt that crime had decreased, traffic had slowed, and communication between neighbors had improved.

Sellwood Bridge

The Sellwood bridge links the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhoods of Portland on the east side with Oregon Route 43/Macadam Avenue on the west side. It was built in 1925. Upon discovery of cracks in both concrete approaches in January 2004, the weight limit on the bridge was lowered from 32 tons to 10 tons. This has caused the diversion of over 75 daily bus trips over the bridge.

Planners and citizen groups have had numerous sessions as to whether the bridge should be repaired, rebuilt, closed altogether, or closed for automotive traffic but left open for pedestrians and bicycles. The cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $400 million. In early 2009 the project's Policy Advisory Group determined that the bridge should be replaced.

In early 2011 the Multnomah County commissioners unanimously approved a new deck arch design and cost-saving features for the Sellwood Bridge replacement. The proposed design of the new bridge is basically a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that only replaces the two existing motor vehicle lanes. Cost is estimated to be about $270 million.

Construction started in late 2010 and the projected completion date is 2016. You can follow the progress of the new bridge at the Sellwoood Bridge Web site. For a live view of the construction site, check out the web camera on the Sellwood Bridge Web site. A time lapse feature allows you to view the day's work in a few seconds. You are able to watch videos that show work from the previous week and month.

Multnomah County is planning to use a detour bridge in order to save time and money during the construction of the new Sellwood Bridge. Referred to as a "Shoofly" in the construction trade, staged construction is not required. Instead, temporary piers will be erected to the north of the existing bridge piers and the entire steel deck truss will be slid over on rails using hydraulic jacks. Temporary approach spans will then be installed at the east and west ends of the truss to link the structure to SE Tacoma Street and Highway 43. This temporary detour bridge will remain in place throughout construction of the new bridge, freeing up the existing alignment for the work crews and removing traffic from the bridge construction zone. The construction firm being hired to do this work – Slayden/Sundt Joint Venture – has successfully used this detour bridge method on other bridge projects.

The area surrounding the bridge is a favorite spot for fisherman and you will often see a slew of boats beneath the bridge and especially just south of the bridge as there is ledge where salmon and other fish species congregate.

Light Rail Coming to Sellwood-Moreland

Planners are working on the 7.3 mile Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project that is scheduled to be open for riders in 2015. It will travel past Portland State University, South Waterfront, over a new mixed-use transit bridge to OMSI and through inner Southeast on its way to Milwaukie. Sellwood-Moreland will have two stations on the line. One station will be located at SE Tacoma Street, and will include a park-and-ride garage. One station will be located at SE Bybee Blvd, under the Bybee Bridge. A third Sellwood-Moreland Station, at SE Harold Street, is designated for construction at some future point after the line has been completed.

Read more about the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project.

Videos of the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood

• Walk in the Neighborhood with Tasteful Music  A walk through the Sellwood neighborhood, Oaks Park, and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Preserve.
• Customers at the Blue Kangaroo  Short interview with a barista at the Blue Kangaroo Coffee on SE 13th Avenue talking about her customers.
• Oaks Park Roller Skating  Wurlitzer Band Organ at the Oaks Park Skating Rink.
• Riding the Trimet Bus along SE 12th and SE 17th Avenue  A ride on Trimet Bus Route 70 along SE 17th and SE 12th Avenues.  You get a view of the homes in the neighborhood.
• Pentanque Club  Tour of the Portland Pentanque club located at Westmoreland Park. Pentanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (literally "piglet") or jack. Interesting video about the game but the music is horrible.

Walking in Sellwood-Westmoreland

This 3.8-mile walk combines the best of the city's urban landscape with its natural areas. Stroll the Sellwood neighborhood's scenic bluff top streets and travel the mixed-use Springwater Corridor Trail through Oaks Bottom, a 140-acre birdwatcher's paradise along the Willamette River. Bring your binoculars. Click here to download the guide.

The Springwater Corridor is a mixed-use trail system that begins in a Portland eastside industrial area and ends in Boring, Oregon. It cuts through Sellwood along the river in a north/south direction and then heads due east at the south end of the neighborhood The paved surface is 10-12 feet wide with soft shoulders. The hard surface trail is designed to accommodate walkers, joggers, hikers, bicycles, wheelchairs, and strollers. The Springwater Corridor began life in 1903 as the Springwater Division Line, a commuter railway that took folks from downtown Portland to outlying communities such as Estacada and Eagle Creek. In the 1950s, the automobile became the preferred method of travel and passenger service was dropped in 1958. In 1990, the city of Portland acquired portions of the corridor with the rest being picked up by Metro in the intervening years. The first stretches of the trail opened in 1996. In 2006, three bridges connecting the trail over McLoughlin Boulevard, were constructed which closed most of the gaps in the trail. Download a map of the Springwater Corridor.

Runners, walkers and cyclists needn’t scrutinize trail plans to name the region’s most notorious missing piece: the Sellwood Gap, which forces people off the Springwater Corridor for a mile in its namesake neighborhood in Southeast Portland. That gap will shrink dramatically, thanks to an agreement reached in October 2010 by Metro and the Oregon Pacific Railroad Co. More than half a mile of trail will be built alongside the train tracks the company operates, allowing commuters and outdoor enthusiasts to take the trail between Southeast Umatilla Street and Southeast 13^th Avenue. If the Sellwood Gap is fully closed, visitors will be able to traverse 20 miles from central Portland through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring without having to use public streets.

Here are some other walks in the neighborhood:

• Westmoreland to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens  This 4.0-mile walk takes you from Westmoreland to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens − blazing colors from April through June with more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants. The Crystal Springs emerge from Reed Canyon on the campus of Reed College. Click here to download the guide.
• Historical Homes  Timber Press has published a walking tour of historical homes in the Eastmoreland and Sellwood neighborhoods. The tour guide provides a map, brief description of each home, and the address of each home. Click here to download the guide.
• Southeast Portland Creeks and Bridges  In 2006, three bridges opened on the Springwater Corridor Trail, closing a large gap in the 40-Mile Loop trail and reconnecting the communities. Click here to download the guide.
• Sellwood Park and Neighborhood Tree Walk  Identify over 40 trees on this walk. Click here to download the guide.

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 Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood ranks 27 out of 88 Portland neighborhoods. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the neighborhood.

More About Sellwood-Moreland

• Neighborhood Association Web Site  SMILE (Sellwood Moreland Improvement League). Visit the Sellwood blog at OregonLive.com. The Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood is on Facebook.
• Neighborhood News  The Bee covers southeast Portland. The Southeast Examiner is a free weekly publication.
• Location  Follow the Willamette River south of downtown and cross over the Sellwood Bridge.
• Topography  Flat with mature trees on properties. Parks are wooded.
• Sidewalks and Streets  The street pattern is grid with sidewalks for walking.
• Livability Study  96.2% of Sellwood-Moreland residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good."
• ²Drive Time to Downtown  13-14 minutes.
• Public Transportation  Bus route 65X is a direct downtown route - the neighborhood has five other routes. See schedule and routes at the TriMet Web site. 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: 11,621. Area: 1,155 acres. Population density: 10.1 persons per acre. Households: 5,562.  Average size of household: 2.09 persons. Median household income: $42,688. Families with children: 22.1%.  Home owners: 52%. Renters: 48%. Diversity: 9.1% non-Caucasian. More census data about Sellwood-Moreland at Portland Online.
• ⁴Crime Stats  18 violent crimes and total crimes per 1,000 was 51 in 2011.  There were 21 violent crimes and total crimes per 1,000 people was 36 in 2010. For the latest crime statistics for the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, click here.
• Sex Offenders  Click here for the State of Oregon Sex Offender Inquiry System. After agreeing to the "Conditions of Use Statement" you will be redirected to a "Enter Search Criteria" page. Insert a zip code in the "Zip" field and click on the "Query" button. Sellwood-Moreland zip code: 97202.
• ⁵Shopping and Services  Number of supermarkets: 2. Number of health clubs: 2. Number of coffee shops: 6. Sellwood-Moreland has two quaint commercial areas separated by a quarter mile. Coming off the Sellwood Bridge heading east, you encounter the first one at the intersection of Tacoma Street and 13th Avenue and it's Sellwood New Seasons Market. This is one of New Seasons smallest stores so the selections are limited.  This area also has an "antiques district" plus restaurants and other shops. The other commercial area is the Bybee/Milwaukee neighborhood and it has a quality market called QFC (division of Kroger's). Bybee/Milwaukee has the Moreland Theater, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, a florist, clinic, and a great hardware store (they actually wait on you). Pizzacato also has a restaurant and take-out store in Westmoreland. The neighborhood has a paint store, 3-4 bakeries, bike shops, cleaners, and a Les Schwab Tire Center.  Click here to access a shopping guide/map of Sellwood and click here to access a shopping guide/map of Westmoreland.
• Farmers Market  Southeast Bybee Boulevard at 14th Avenue. 3:30-7:30 pm Wednesdays, May-September. See Moreland Farmers Market.
• Eating Out  Sellwood has some of the best neighborhood eateries in Portland with a large selection of different foods.  Here are a few:  Cena, El Palenque, Jade, Gino's, Saburo's Sushi, and others. Mike's Drive-in at SE Tacoma & SE 17th offers tasty burgers and malts. Visit Willamette Weeks' Restaurant Guide by Neighborhood for a list of eating places in Sellwood-Moreland.
• Public Library  The Sellwood-Moreland library branch is located on SE 13th Avenue just off SE Bidwell Street.
• Who lives in Sellwood-Moreland  Blue collar, white collar, and increasingly young married couples. What other neighborhood would have a restaurant named "Betty Lou" as well as one called "a Cena Ristorante." Journalist and historian Jeff Kisseloff and his wife Sue Sanders along with their daughter live in Moreland. Jeff is the author of five books, the latest being "Generation on Fire," an oral history of the 60s. Sue's essays have appeared in the anthologies "Ask Me About My Divorce," "Women Reinvented" and an assortment of local and national magazines and newspapers. The median age of a resident is 39.
• Cars in the Neighborhood  Pickups, SUVs, Chevys, Fords, and a few Hondas/Toyotas/Nissans. Just a handful of luxury autos in Sellwood and these are along Sellwood Boulevard.
• ⁶Biking  Quality is fair. Sellwood-Moreland has 18 miles of bike lanes. Bicycle Trip Planner will map a route for you and − just provide a starting point address and your destination address.
• What's in the Recycle Bin  Wine bottles and a good variety of beer to include everything from empty 'Bud' cans to bottles of micro brews.
• Schools Elementary school: Duniway and Llewellyn. Middle school: Sellwood Middle School. High school: Cleveland High School.
• ⁷School Report Card Grades  Elementary schools: O/S. Middle school: S. High schools: O/S. Click here for report card details.

Map of the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood

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Fly to the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood via Google Earth

Coordinates
42° 28′ 05.83″ N
122° 39′ 2.20″ 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.