Portland Gentrification (Lebanon, Sunnyside, Burns: low income, apartments, renter)

[LivingLifeLively]

When I moved here for a job over 3 years ago, I basically wanted to live close to where I worked. I had visited Portland a couple times as a kid whenever my parents wanted to venture into "the city" from where we lived in the Willamette Valley. I have been in the same rented townhouse around 144th and E. Burnside since then. It was only a 6 minute drive to work. I was laid off though and now I do temp work all over the metro area. Living on the outer east side has had its ups and downs. The rent is cheap and it's pretty quiet around here. Not a lot of traffic and I don't even hear the MAX train whizzing by anymore. But at the same time I almost feel like I'm missing out living in some artsy neighborhood where I can just walk down the street to the grocery store or to some pub to socialize with people. I didn't really picture myself basically living in the "suburbs" at the ripe age of 26. Basically, most of East Portland feels like the suburbs and a lot of the people here feel that they were swindled into being annexed by Portland in the late 80's/early 90's. You don't really feel like you're in Portland, just in the suburbs. The same could be said about the West Hills but those areas have been part of Portland a lot longer than the recent annexation 20 year ago of East Portland.

So I'm still here after all of these years and I feel like I get a lot for my money. But I also kind of want to move to a neighborhood where I can be around others my age. One of the big things that is keeping me from doing this is "gentrification." Basically it seems that all of the young people who are moving to Portland and settling in these artsy neighborhoods are slowly driving out long-time residents with taxes going up and schools declining. The latter is said because lots of these young people are not having kids and not feeding into the public schools. When these long-timers are pushed out, they often move to the outer east side of town because it's cheaper. There was an article in the Tribune or the O about poverty shifting east.

Basically I don't feel like this is sustainable and it's going to create an even more segregated city. How much longer can Portland take all of these new people while restricting growth? How much longer until so many low-income people are pushed east and thus creating a poor enclave neighborhood? One of the reasons why I stay in this neighborhood is because I don't really want to be one of those people that's pushing the gentrification even further.

Any thoughts on this? I would love to hear others opinions on Portland's gentrifying problem and the artsy neighborhoods that have been created over the years.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by LivingLifeLively

So I'm still here after all of these years and I feel like I get a lot for my money. But I also kind of want to move to a neighborhood where I can be around others my age. One of the big things that is keeping me from doing this is "gentrification." Basically it seems that all of the young people who are moving to Portland and settling in these artsy neighborhoods are slowly driving out long-time residents with taxes going up and schools declining. The latter is said because lots of these young people are not having kids and not feeding into the public schools. When these long-timers are pushed out, they often move to the outer east side of town because it's cheaper. There was an article in the Tribune or the O about poverty shifting east.

Also a NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us...zTgNiy7RG4rYog

It's interesting that many White Progressive Portlanders, including politicians, protest against the Han Chinese moving into and gentrifying Tibet by displacing the native people, while they don't notice or don't care that they are doing something similar to African American people when they displace them from their traditional neighborhoods through gentrification.

[Nell Plotts]

I guess you must be talking about housing costs going up once a neighborhood becomes popular. That is NOT at all similar to what is happening in Tibet!!

Years ago I had a discussion with a friend of mine who is Black about 'gentrification' of predominantly Black neighborhoods on the East coast. He told me he loved gentrification because when it came time for him to sell he wanted as many buyers as possible. He was definitely a member of the middle class, if you were low income more competition for housing would not be a good thing.

It is my observation that the prices of homes to purchase is not increasing, it is trending lower, even in gentrified neighborhoods. Because so many have lost their homes rent is likely increasing for the lower and middle income renter all across the metro area.

In Portland gentrifacation is an income, not racial, concern.

[mobilemindstationaryreality]

You guys make good points. I think I share a similar view with the OP. I grew up in Lebanon, OR and we all kind of knew each other in that town. I was glad though that I got a job in the city right after college and was able to go there. Let's just say though that I think a few of my views on gentrification aren't talked about as much as they should be. I have probably only heard the word gentrification mentioned about twice in the last three years may it be on the news or in the newspapers.

[EnricoV]

Gentrification, and neighborhood "standard of living," is most always in a constant flux. The more run-down areas become gentrified because the housing costs are lower, people move in, fix them up. The prices go up. So they move on to the next neighborhood. And so on. Eventually, you get back to the first neighborhood.

[Minervah]

In Portland gentrification is an income, not racial, concern.

Yes, when the Buckman-Sunnyside area around Hawthorne became gentrified about 20 or so years ago, older people and lower income residents were forced out of their apartments. "Carpetbagger" landlords took advantage of the improving neighborhood by raising rents to where these long-time residents could no longer afford to live there.

[sueisme]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Yes, when the Buckman-Sunnyside area around Hawthorne became gentrified about 20 or so years ago, older people and lower income residents were forced out of their apartments. "Carpetbagger" landlords took advantage of the improving neighborhood by raising rents to where these long-time residents could no longer afford to live there.

There was a compelling documentary years ago about this sort of gentrification in Hoboken, NJ. And I remember hearing something on NPR (5 years ago??) about the gentrification in N. Portland.

[palvar]

Originally Posted by LivingLifeLively

Basically it seems that all of the young people who are moving to Portland and settling in these artsy neighborhoods are slowly driving out long-time residents with taxes going up and schools declining. The latter is said because lots of these young people are not having kids and not feeding into the public schools.

More taxes and less students are hurting schools? Does that make any sense at all? "Gentrification" is far from a clearly good or bad thing. Property taxes go up, but so do property values. Vacant buildings do not improve neighborhoods - residents do.

I think there is little consensus on whether gentrification is good or bad, but when the middle class moved out of cities and into the suburbs, "white flight" was devastating to our cities. Middle class people moving back in can't be a bad thing also.

[CPF]

Originally Posted by palvar

More taxes and less students are hurting schools? Does that make any sense at all?

Came to say this. School quality is directly linked to property values and the tax on those values. Take a look at the map on this site:

Portland High Schools - Portland, OR | GreatSchools

The highest ranked schools are in the most expensive neighborhoods.

[CPF]

Originally Posted by LivingLifeLively

When these long-timers are pushed out, they often move to the outer east side of town because it's cheaper.

Who says they're being pushed? Could it not be them choosing to sell as their house value rises? Needing a larger house for their growing family? Retiring onto a fixed income or starting to save towards it? Converting their old home to a rental property and buying a second home? Crossing the river to avoid taxes?

Originally Posted by LivingLifeLively

Basically I don't feel like this is sustainable and it's going to create an even more segregated city. How much longer can Portland take all of these new people while restricting growth? How much longer until so many low-income people are pushed east and thus creating a poor enclave neighborhood? One of the reasons why I stay in this neighborhood is because I don't really want to be one of those people that's pushing the gentrification even further.

It's sustainable. Portland, like every major city, has a flow of residents that is predictable. Young people move in, flock to the happening spots, meet a partner, settle down, have some kids, move outwards again when the happening spot changes from nightly pub trips to TV and dinner at home. Swimming against the flow is just wasting energy.

And the "poor enclaves" have always been around. Next to the freeway or train tracks, away from the business district, in aging hastily/poorly constructed units from localized company booms of the past - this is also established and predictable.