Woodstock

Woodstock was first platted in 1889 on farmland at the southern edge of what was then East Portland. The area developed slowly through the early 20th century as a working-class residential neighborhood. SE Woodstock Boulevard, the main commercial street, has operated continuously since the 1900s and has the kind of architecture — low-slung brick commercial buildings from the 1920s — that gives a neighborhood its character without calling attention to itself.

The neighborhood has never been trendy, which is part of why it has remained livable. Housing here has stayed more affordable than comparable neighborhoods closer to the center of the city, and the community character has been shaped more by longtime residents than by development cycles.

Woodstock Wine and Deli is a neighborhood institution that has outlasted countless trends. Hammy's Pizza is a no-frills SE Portland pizza spot with a devoted local following. The Woodstock commercial strip has a good bookstore, coffee options, and enough independent restaurants to spend an afternoon without getting in a car.

Woodstock City Park — a long, narrow park running along Crystal Springs Creek — anchors the neighborhood's eastern edge. The creek feeds Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden nearby, which is one of Portland's underrated horticultural treasures, especially in April and May when the rhododendrons bloom. Reed College is adjacent to the neighborhood, and its campus — particularly the canyon and the lake — is open to the public.