NE Sumner neighborhood collage
Sumner neighborhood is bordered by the Cully, Parkrose, Madison South and Roseway neighborhoods, and on the North by Portland International Airport. The Sumner neighborhood has had alot of crime in the past and has been run down, but as all neighborhoods in Portland, it is getting better all the time. It is still affordable, so young families are moving in and slowing fixing up houses, fixing up yards, and connecting with each other to make the neighborhood better. There are alot of unique things in the neighborhood that make it special for people who like greenspaces and nature. Part of the neighborhood is on the other side of Columbia Blvd, around Johnson Lake and the wetlands. The neighborhood and city have been working together to clean it up and make it into a nice area to explore nature. If you go to the south, you run up against Rocky Butte State Park, which is a really cool butte that has trails up the hill, and an amazing view of the river, city and part of the gorge up at the top. This area is also improving and coming up. The Grotto is also on the edge of this neighborhood. It is a really cool fern covered ravine you can hike into, where they have a Christmas light show in the winter. And the Columbia River is close. There are trails that go along the river, and even some beaches you can access. Because of all these natural features that the Sumner neighborhood has, it will probably keep getting better.
There tends to be more crime near Sandy Blvd, but if you stay south, inside the little streets, it feels more like a normal Portland neighborhood. You are really close to Ikea and all the stores there, plus the airport; that can be a negative because of airport noise, but a positive because shopping is so close. You are also close to several golf courses that are south of 82nd. The downside, there is alot of industrial to the north, with some areas
The houses of Sumner neighborhood are extremely kid friendly. It is mostly a working class neighborhood, the houses are much more affordable than most of the other neighborhoods in Portland, it has mostly single family homes with a few apartments. There aren’t alot of sidewalks, which is true in alot of the outer areas of Portland (even some of the inner areas), and there are lots of young families with kids. Public transportation is pretty good because there are are multiple bus lines with Sandy blvd so close, also the MAX and a Transit Center. It is easy access to the freeways from the Sumner neighborhood, the bridge to Washington, 205, 84, Sandy Blvd and the Portland International Airport is close, so if you have to get places on the freeway, it is a good location.
Parks in Sumner neighborhood
Rocky Butte Natural Area and Rocky Butte State Park add history, trails, and scenic views to the neighborhood.
Rose City Park is here too, plus they have a community garden, they are building a huge mountain bike track, and they have a Zen Rain Garden. You can learn more about all this below under parks
Dharma Rain Zen Center is transforming a plot of land which was once a center of controversy and contention into a zen garden of neighborhood pride.
A group of committed neighbors joined together, with the help of the Urban Farm Collective, to create the Beech Street Community Garden.
Glenhaven Park, shared between the Madison South and the Roseway neighborhoods brings children out to play, athletes out to compete, walkers to stretch their legs, and skateboarders to test the contours of the skate park.
It also has The Grotto , which is a natural cathedral. The grounds of the Grotto include 62 acres of pathways, forest, and an upper-level botanical garden situated above the cliff, which are accessed through an elevator built against the cliff wall. The Grotto is a beautiful botanical garden with a shrine that has a special Christmas light display. The upper botanical gardens also provide expansive views of the Columbia River Valley, the Cascade Mountains, and Mount Saint Helens.
Gateway Green Will Be a Dream Come True..
From their website:
“Gateway Green is about a vision of a community place for people of all ages to come together to enjoy nature, to play, and to meet their neighbors. Gateway Green is about hope, love, and place.” – Rex Burkholder, former Metro Councilor and co-convener of the Gateway Green Oregon Solutions project
The design and use of Gateway Green is intended to provide much-needed open space in a part of Portland documented to be very park deficient. We also believe this park will aid in developing a strong sense of place and identity for East Portland and help spur economic development in the area. The neighborhoods surrounding Gateway Green are some of the most diverse in the region (over 65 languages are spoken in the local school district) and the fastest growing, with little space left to develop a large park like Gateway Green. Gateway Green would provide this dynamic part of the region much needed green space for a variety of recreational activities.
“It’s a unique feature for the Portland area- we have parks, and we have bicyclists, but this combines the two in a very interesting and fun way.” – Portland area resident during our Oregon’s Kitchen Table public consultation
Portland is known as a bicycling hub, but we’re missing a major component of that designation: an outdoor area for off-road bicycling. Unlike other cities known for biking, you have to drive an hour or more to get to an area for off-road biking. Gateway Green aims to fill that hole, providing a variety of features for biking and skill building; in fact, some of the most talented bike park designers in the country happen to live in Portland and have already donated some of their time to this project!
Other Important Links
The MAX and buses make public transportation really good!
Schools In Portland- people are permitted to send their children to whatever school they want within the Portland School District, as long as there is room. If the school is important to you, it is probably a good idea to check and see which school your neighborhood is assigned to- because it seems logical that the best schools will have a waiting list- and if you live there, you will be at the top! Find your school attendance area or a school site and view the boundary area using School Locator Page for: Portland Public Schools..
Read how to use the interactive map by clicking on the (Information) icon (circle with an i in the center).
School Report Cards for schools and districts in Oregon. Select (Portland SD 1J) In the District Selection Heading to view individual schools within the Portland Public School District.
You can find all kinds of All kinds of information about crime, maps, etc, Portlandmaps.com even exactly what happened where, if you just put in an address in Portland. There are lots of other things you can learn there- like census information, maps, school info, parks, environmental issues, permits on houses, nuisance complaints and taxes.
