Portland Neighborhoods: Irvington

Frontpage/Areas Map Pictures of Irvington Portland Scenic Photos Portland Neighborhoods Mapper

Pros:

Fairly close to downtown Portland
Nice, even elite neighborhood with good reputation
Grant High School is well-regarded
Close to Lloyd Center (shopping mall, chain restaurants, "ordinary" stores)

Cons:

Historically very nice but not Portland's most trendy neighborhood
Close to Lloyd Center (shopping mall, chain restaurants, "ordinary" stores)

Irvington has acquired a reputation as an "elite" neighborhood. In truth, while some of the homes quite nice and expensive, and others are almost mansions, Irvington is a mixed bag. There are some smaller, less desirable homes as well as the nicer ones. There are also a number of smaller apartment buildings, especially at the south part of the neighborhood, closer to Broadway. You'll find the nicer homes further north, closer to Fremont.

Irvington is just north of the Lloyd Center mall, south of Fremont Street. Irving Park, a large park that also has basketball courts, outdoor tennis courts, and a baseball diamond, is in the NW corner of the neighborhood.

The core of Irvington is almost entirely residential (except for parks and a school, plus a few businesses on 15th Ave). There is some cafe/restaurant culture on the south boundary on NE Broadway (though not quite as fun as NW 23rd), plus the Lloyd Center mall is just beyond - all very easy to walk to. (Lloyd Center is a conventional mall with a Sears, a food court, etc.) There's a Safeway grocery store on Broadway on the south border. To the north, there's a Wild Oats "healthy" grocery store as well as the well-regarded Arcadia Cajun restaurant on NE Fremont, the northern boundary of the neighborhood.

Irvington doesn't have any rail service the way NW or The Pearl does, but there are a few bus lines running through the neighborhood. You could walk to the MAX station at NE 7th Ave from the south end of Irvington in about 15 minutes or so. You could even walk to the Rose Garden arena (musical events, Portland Trailblazers) in about 25 minutes, less time than it would take you to drive on a busy night. There is discussion now about extending the Portland Streetcar east over the Broadway Bridge to the corner of 7th and Broadway - taking you directly to the Pearl District.

I live in a townhouse one block to the west of the Irvington boundary and walk through the neighborhood all the time. It's quiet and pleasant although it's still an "urban" neighborhood. Local probably still remember the gang problems in adjacent neighborhoods 15-20 years back, but things have improved tremendously since then.

New townhouses are going up near Irvington. The one next to my home is 12.5.

Links:

Irvington Home Tour (May of each year)
History of Irvington
Irvington Elementary School