Spread out across its 145.4 square miles, Portland has a little something for everyone. Environmental activists, punk rockers, and families all coexist within the city, often combining into smaller communities. Overall, there are 95 official neighborhoods in the city, which are organized by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. Depending on what you’re looking for, you’ll find your match within one of these communities.The neighborhoods are divided up into larger groups, which differ depending on whether you go by the ONI’s official divisions or a more casual system. For simplicity’s sake, you can look at Portland as divided into five sections: Southwest, Northwest, North, Northeast, and Southeast. Read the rest of this entry »

Portland has always been known for its close communities, gathered around the things they love. The two mile stretch of NE Ainsworth Street between NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fernhill Park is no exception. On this street, you’ll find the NE Ainsworth Linear Arboretum, a one-of-a-kind “natural museum” made up of residents’ yards as well as city streets. The arboretum contains 60 different species of trees, and a lot of personal passion.In honor of Portland’s environmental consciousness, we recommend you take a stroll down the blocks rather than drive. That’s the only way to get the full experience that the Arboretum volunteersmostly members of Portland’s Friends of Trees initiativefirst envisioned five years ago. Nature and the city are not separated within the arboretum. Instead, numerous street trees provide shelter and beauty to the joggers, families, public transportation, and whatever else happens to be traveling down Ainsworth at the time. Read the rest of this entry »