North Portland

 North Portland - More affordable homes can be found in North Portland without sacrificing any of the urban charm that Portland is fameous for.  Whereas in Northeast and Southeast Portland at least half the streets have number names, in North Portland all the streets have non-number names.  So you do have to use a map at first to get around even though the streets are mostly in a grid.  The Max goes through North Portland up Interstate Avenue and this has really quickened the urban renewal this quadrant of the city has experienced.  Lord, soon people will be calling North Portland trendy whereas up to about two thousand seven there was a lot of deferred maintenance, many homes and commercial buildings needed work and looked it.  I love the urban centers in North Portland like Mississippi and old North Portland downtown.  Interstate Avenue and Lombard Street are also changing and full of all the restaurants, bars, nature food stores, galleries, and culture one would expect from a first rate city.