Woodlawn Neighborhood

Woodlawn Neighborhood is one of the farthest North of the NE Portland Neighborhoods.

It’s one unique feature that gives it some class, is the Woodlawn Triange, which is where diagonal streets come together in the middle of the neighborhood around a park. There are several parks nearby and the way the houses are being restored and remodeled. It borders on Columbia Blvd to the North, Ainsworth to the South, MLK to the West and NE 21st to the East. Neighborhoods that border are Neighborhood to the West, Vernon and King to the South and Concordia to the East.
Woodlawn is a commonly overlooked neighborhood as it seems somewhat tucked away, but in the past 5 years it has become extremely popular by people who know Portland, and prices have skyrocketed! Bordering industrial north and northeast Portland, Woodlawn really is a little gem of a neighborhood which is being slowly but surely built into a wonderful family oriented neighborhood. New businesses have popped up in the last few years and have really made the neighborhood more popular. The local neighborhood community is very active and close knit, which helps the neighborhood to keep improving! Woodlawn Park has a playground, outdoor stage, sports fields and picnic areas, and is very popular, a good place for community to meet. This is also an “artist community”, so you will see lots of incredible art (street art being one) and art shows. That is one of the things that draws me to this neighborhood, it’s artsy creative personality!
Woodlawn is an older, historic neighborhood, whose origins started as a rural farming village over 150 years ago, making it the oldest settled town in Portland’s history. The Woodlawn Historic District, has had several ups and downs in the past, in fact when I first started selling real estate in Portland back in 2005, it was pretty rough. But I watched as it blossomed, people got excited about the neighborhood, the nearby shops, the cool old street patterns, and it changed pretty quickly! Now it is full of charming, well kept older homes most having kept their original character intact, and alot of new businesses, shops, restaurants and pubs have come in, plus there are lots of community activities, my favorite being the Trek in the Park held each summer.
Woodlawn Neighborhood is pretty diverse, with high numbers of African-Americans and Hispanics, some being pushed out as the neighborhood gentrifies. It is still up and coming, but I would say more up than coming! Homes here tend to be smaller bungalows, some smaller Victorians and are still relatively affordable, especially when compared with neighborhoods close by. New homes are being built here, too, because some of the lots were bigger and could be divided, or houses were run down so they were torn down.

On the north side of the neighborhood, you will find Woodlawn Park, a large triangular park that used to be the home of a train station. Woodlawn Elementary School is also located there and the streets are angled at a 45 degree angle, which makes it unique and kind of cool! There are lots of commuters in this neighborhood since it is pretty close in, and walkers!
There is also a wonderful Woodlawn Farmers Market on Saturdays, at the NE Dekum St and NE Durham Ave Intersection.