Guide to Woodlawn Neighborhood

Location

Woodlawn is located in Northeast Portland. It is bordered by the Piedmont, Concordia, Vernon and King neighborhoods.

Woodlawn Neighborhood Map

Meet your Woodlawn neighbors on-line and add events to the calendar at:

PortlandNeighborhood's 'Net - Woodlawn Group

Homes

 Like its neighboring communities, Woodlawn homes are fantastic turn-of-the-(other)-century classics such as Bungalows, Cape Cods, a few Victorians and Four squares.  Tree-lined, crooked streets are very quiet and well maintained. 

If you are looking for information on buying or selling a home in Woodlawn, including mortgage rates, loan calculators, home appraisers, school report cards, and crime reports, please see the Real Estate page. 

WOODLAWN NEIGHBORHOOD

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Description

Woodlawn is a great neighborhood. With it's crooked streets and slope down to the river, the temperature is cooler and even cab drivers get lost.  Drivers don't dare navigate the "vortex", keeping the streets largely free of traffic thus making it quiet and peaceful for those of us who live here.

Back in "the day" (early 1900's), Woodlawn was quite the place. People traveling from Vancouver, Washington had to cross the Columbia River by ferry and it took a while. When they got to Oregon, they hopped on the street car that went through Woodlawn. Often, travelers would hop off in Woodlawn to rest and grab a bite to eat. But once the bridge was erected over the river (still in the early 1900's), visitors weren't as exhausted by the time they reached Woodlawn and they often stayed on the street car all the way to downtown Portland where the larger area had more to offer. As a result, Woodlawn's economy began to decline.

Other than some neighborhood improvements in the 1970's, such as street repair and the glorious Woodlawn Park, the neighborhood has never really bounced back from it's early 1900's hey day.  It is, however, a very popular place to live and locals sing praises about the livability of the area. 

Woodlawn School is connected to the Community Garden which is connected to Woodlawn Park (complete with a fun water feature and big basketball court) making for a huge neighborhood gathering area. Nearly all the businesses in Woodlawn are locally owned. 

We've got a wonderful view of Vancouver, Washington at night. There are over 14 buildings on the historic registry in our small area.

The Center for Columbia River History has a great interview with a long-time resident of Woodlawn. If it weren't for this interview, much of our neighborhood's rich history may have been lost.

Cyclists have often been the very few "outsiders" to navigate Woodlawn as once one knows the diagonals, Woodlawn is an excellent cut-through when coming from Jantzen Beach or other northern destinations. It's also a neighborhood popular with cyclists. "Share the Road" and "My other car is a bike" bumper stickers abound. Cyclist residents enjoy the calm streets and proximity to downtown (4 miles).

A big thank you to local Ayleen Crotty for a fantastic write-up on the Woodlawn neighborhood!

Entertainment

The Community Hall is now open for live music and entertainment!

Hot Eats

Sylvia's Restaurant on 13th and Dekum is the only restaurant in the heart of Woodlawn (thus far).  Make sure to check out the neighboring communities (Piedmont, Concordia, Vernon and King) for more options. 

Vibe...

Quiet, community conscious, cyclist and family friendly.