Belmont Neighborhood Guide

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Features

Like the Hawthorne District, the Belmont Street area is a very popular area in southeast Portland. With a strong sense of Portland individuality, Belmont has many locally owned coffee shops, markets, and distinctive shops and restaurants. Belmont Street is a favorite destination for many locals, whether it's for an afternoon at the Avalon, a night at the Blue Monk, or a cup of coffee at the neighborhood cafe. This area has a nice mix of urban diversity, with a funky feel, and local color.  

Belmont District - Sunnyside Neighborhood Photo Album - Come Upload your Photos!

Local business standouts on Belmont: 

Stumptown Coffee on 34th and Belmont. As is typical of excellent coffee shops, they are extremely popular (lines) but absolutely worth the wait.

Enjoy a great breakfast at the neighborhood favorite cafe, Utopia on Belmont. Utopia is a very cozy place--super friendly people and obviously a neighborhood staple (very busy).

Movie Madness  At 33,000 DVD titles and 27,000 VHS titles, if Movie Madness isn’t the largest video store in the world, then it’s certainly a contender. Officially recognized by the Southern California Motion Picture Council for its outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry, Movie Madness is to movies what Powell’s is to books. Akira to Zanuck, we’re talking an inventory that is so vast it’s divided into categories like Classic Directors, Independent Directors, Psychotronic, and Diane Lane . Overwhelming? Not really. This movie palace provides its own spiffy hands-on software as an usher that will locate a movie by either title or director and then indicate in exactly which room it can be found. Movie Madness also appears to be staffed by more clerks at certain times than you might find in one of those mega-chains in several days. And then there’s the museum. Yup, museum. In addition to the rental side of the business, owner Mike Clark – let’s just say a character in himself – has accumulated prop and wardrobe memorabilia from some of the biggest blockbusters ever to come out of the ‘wood. What this means is that, in the very same store that you’re renting your Hitchcock, the knife from “Psycho” awaits you. Or maybe you’re more interested in the alien head from “Aliens” or the time machine from “H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine.” Costumes worn by Barbra Streisand to Diane Keaton to Mike Myers are displayed as are all the lead actors’ wardrobes from “West Side Story.”

Noun  Okay, English 101 refresher. A noun is any word that represents a person, place, or thing. Name a thing, and you’ve got yourself a noun – and basically you’ve got Noun. In the business of taking variety to adorable levels, owner Stephanie Sheldon has created a “person’s place for things” with no real set of rules but yet with a grammar of its own. Stephanie likes to emphasize that she’s not an antique dealer, but the place is full of vintage. Another very strong emphasis is new and local. So, from old typewriters to dishes, jewelry to aprons – Noun is a language of its own. But if you come across something edible in the showroom, interestingly it’s not Noun.  It’s…  

Saint Cupcake  Okay, technically a cupcake is a noun – but not at Noun. Confusing? See, at the showroom that is home to both Noun and Saint Cupcake, typewriters and dessert might sound like strange bedfellows, but they make great roommates.  Housed behind a wooden counter near the back of this building that has, since the 1800’s, been shared over time between the likes of a post office and a trolley stop, a “cupcake boutique” now shares this great old space with the eclectic array that is Noun. And it all makes sense in that Belmont kinda way.

You see, Saint Cupcake, the bakery, located on NW 17th is a multi-layered, wedding cake of an operation that met with demands large and lines long. Owner Jami Curl’s cupcake runneth over, so she decided to open another location, an outlet boutique selling nothing but her cupcakes, made and delivered fresh daily, ordered by the single or in any number of combo arrangements to take to a party or those pesky PTA meetings.

Belmont Arts -  Theater! Theatre!  Shared space seems to be the norm on Belmont . As the name implies, Theater! Theatre! is home to two distinct theatres or stages as well as three different theatre companies. In addition, The Tao of Tea, a wellness clinic, Sister Spirit, and a lawyer occupy this same building. So it only seems appropriate when greeted by the artwork in the lobby - several human hands reaching as if through the wall - since this operation appears to be a fine example of classic Belmontian, combined individual effort. Theatre Noir, at 95 seats, is home year round to Profile Theatre, one of only two theatre companies in the entire country that showcases one playwright per season. In that ongoing spirit of the building, and the neighborhood, the Arena Stage at Theater! Theatre! is likewise shared during the year between two different theatre companies. The first, Theatre Vertigo, is a not-for-profit ensemble of theatre artists, and the second, Integrity Productions, emphasizes the feminine perspective.

View our video of the Portland Belmont Street area to capture a sense of the neighborhood, featuring a song by local Portland band, Ende.

Parks

Sunnyside School Park

Sewallcrest Park

Laurelhurst Park

Oregon Park

Ivon Community Garden

Everett Community Garden

Community Resources

Multnomah County Library - Belmont 

Belmont Day Care

Neighborhood Schools

Religious Organizations (churches, synagogues, places of worship, private schools)

Neighborhood Public Transit - bus routes, train stops, etc.

Sunnyside Neighborhood Association

Belmont Neighborhood Vibe

Stats

Belmont Zip Code 97214

Local Crime Stats

Census

Belmont Real Estate

There's lots of character in this neighborhood, and many houses have been restored to their original charm. Homes run the gamut of 20th century architecture, from classic Bungalow, to Old Portland, to Cape Cod, Four Square and more.  You'll also find new construction condos and apartments smattered about the area.  Homes here will be expensive and buyers will be fiercely competitive, so be on your toes if you really want to live here! 

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in this Portland neighborhood, visit our Portland Real Estate Page for more information, or visit our Portland Real Estate Map to search the RMLS for neighborhood homes for sale.