Hip areas/district in Portland

[fozzy40]

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[BayAreaHillbilly]

Anyone have current, or recent (e.g. within the past 5 years) experience living in Multnomah Village?

Here's our scenario. A strategic relo ~ 8 - 10 years from now, for late working life and eventual retirement. We're DINKs, not interested in cookie cutter, wanting a wide range of ages in our immediate niche. We don't want to be surrounded by either the newly wed / young families, or, the nearly dead, we want a wider range.

[Nell Plotts]

I have never lived in Multnomah Village but, that said, it is hard to predict what any neighborhood will look like 8-10 years from now.

Almost all mature Portland neighborhoods are diverse from an age standpoint. Houses in new neighborhoods (such as Forrest Heights) tend to be purchased by young families. So, look for a neighborhood with houses older than 15 years and you will find the diversity you are looking for.

King City, a Portland suburb was a retiree development. That is the only senior citizen community that comes to my mind.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Anyone have current, or recent (e.g. within the past 5 years) experience living in Multnomah Village?

Here's our scenario. A strategic relo ~ 8 - 10 years from now, for late working life and eventual retirement. We're DINKs, not interested in cookie cutter, wanting a wide range of ages in our immediate niche. We don't want to be surrounded by either the newly wed / young families, or, the nearly dead, we want a wider range.

I haven't lived in Multnomah Village but I have had friends who lived near there and used to live in SW Portland and go there occasionally. Right now it's sort of a mix that feels sort of halfway between the neighborhoods on the eastside and the more suburban areas of SW Portland. It's got a nice little village/small town downtown feel with a good little bookstore and some other shops, some good restaurants, a great breakfast joint(Marco's) an old diner(Fat City Cafe) and few old school blue collar bars(Renner's is one of the oldest bars in Portland), but it's feels removed from the hype of other parts of Portland.

It's not as overly hip as much of inner SE and NE Portland and attracts a more laid-back, maybe slightly more mature crowd than that part of town--but mature meaning more people in their early 30s and older, just not really the same young hipsters that flock to the Eastside these days. It's between the richer residents of the West Hills to the north and the more middle-class folks living out in the hilly and forested neighborhoods of SW Portland. The area itself is walkable near Multnomah Village itself, but the surrounding area is pretty much post-World War II housing and more situated to driving around(especially considering the curvy and hilly terrain). There's some nice older and larger homes that a pricier and there's sort of cheap generic ranch houses in other parts. Some residential areas near there still have unpaved side streets and almost feel a little more like rural suburbs--you might see a guy with a beat-up pickup truck living next to a neighbor with a Subaru and Prius. Sort of a mix of the two sides of Portland.

It's pretty mixed age wise, and a lot of people I know who grew in Portland on the west side or in Beaverton end up living near there. There's young families, older people who've lived near there all there life, some younger transplants in their twenties, and some upper-middle class professional couples without children. Sort of a small town on the edge of the suburbs feel, but a fairly nice laidback corner of Portland. Hillsdale is right down the road as well, which is a little shopping district on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway that's got some more restaurants and shops. It's not that bad to get around since you can get to downtown by going down Capitol Highway to Barbur Blvd or you can get to the western suburbs by driving down Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway--which is nice because you can sometimes avoid traffic on I-5 or 26 to get around.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Deezus

I haven't lived in Multnomah Village but I have had friends who lived near there and used to live in SW Portland and go there occasionally. Right now it's sort of a mix that feels sort of halfway between the neighborhoods on the eastside and the more suburban areas of SW Portland. It's got a nice little village/small town downtown feel with a good little bookstore and some other shops, some good restaurants, a great breakfast joint(Marco's) an old diner(Fat City Cafe) and few old school blue collar bars(Renner's is one of the oldest bars in Portland), but it's feels removed from the hype of other parts of Portland.

It's not as overly hip as much of inner SE and NE Portland and attracts a more laid-back, maybe slightly more mature crowd than that part of town--but mature meaning more people in their early 30s and older, just not really the same young hipsters that flock to the Eastside these days. It's between the richer residents of the West Hills to the north and the more middle-class folks living out in the hilly and forested neighborhoods of SW Portland. The area itself is walkable near Multnomah Village itself, but the surrounding area is pretty much post-World War II housing and more situated to driving around(especially considering the curvy and hilly terrain). There's some nice older and larger homes that a pricier and there's sort of cheap generic ranch houses in other parts. Some residential areas near there still have unpaved side streets and almost feel a little more like rural suburbs--you might see a guy with a beat-up pickup truck living next to a neighbor with a Subaru and Prius. Sort of a mix of the two sides of Portland.

It's pretty mixed age wise, and a lot of people I know who grew in Portland on the west side or in Beaverton end up living near there. There's young families, older people who've lived near there all there life, some younger transplants in their twenties, and some upper-middle class professional couples without children. Sort of a small town on the edge of the suburbs feel, but a fairly nice laidback corner of Portland. Hillsdale is right down the road as well, which is a little shopping district on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway that's got some more restaurants and shops. It's not that bad to get around since you can get to downtown by going down Capitol Highway to Barbur Blvd or you can get to the western suburbs by driving down Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway--which is nice because you can sometimes avoid traffic on I-5 or 26 to get around.

Highly informative! Thanks!