The original title was “New Neighbors Add Vitality.”
From the Northwest Neighbor. July 26, 1991.
Under the headline, there was a black-and-white photograph of a sparkling young white heterosexual couple sitting cozily on the steps of a porch that looks suspiciously like my old porch.
Caption reads: OREGON DREAMIN’ – Michael and Joni moved to Northwest Portland January 1, leaving high-paying jobs in Los Angeles for the higher quality of life here. They are two of the many out-of-state people who add to the diversity of our neighborhood.
Savor that for a moment. There was a time – MY time – in NWPDX when “young white heterosexual couples” ADDED to the diversity of the neighborhood.
Ah, the good ol’ days, when middle-aged impecunious hipsters roamed the alphabetized streets before light rail. Some moved back east, across the river. Others moved on to foreign climes like Florida.
Damn the irony. When I left the neighborhood, I stepped off my porch where I was met by my landlord, who wanted the key almost as much as I wanted my deposit back. Curbside, was a young white heterosexual couple from California eager to pay twice the rent.
Feeling happy about it, too. – JDW
On a recent morning, a block of Northwest Glisan had cars with license plates from eight different states. Count’em. Washington, Wyoming, Alabama, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Hawaii and, of course, California. Eight in one block.
In the past decade the neighborhood has seen gnarly neighborhood taverns transformed into swank espresso bars so crowded with suburbanites that no one ever goes there any more. It waved goodbye to laundromats and gas stations and movie houses and good old houses. It watched gourmet yogurt stands come and go. It saw perfectly good empty warehouses converted into galleries and lofts.
Property values have leaped, rents have soared, taxes are up. They’re building on any empty lot. Parking is an endangered activity and crossing Northwest Trendy-Third – “the hippest6 drag in town,” according to Jonathan Nicholas, an expert in the field – calls for an abundance of fast-twitch muscle fiber. Gentrification, some call it – a five-syllable word from the Middle English meaning, “there’s money to be made here.”
And as Richard Singer, the developer behind much of the transformation, has said, “We’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg.”
The neighborhood, it’s a changin’. And we had better get used to that soon. Just like the timber industry. Like loggers, old-time residents had better understand that inevitable forces have conspired to alter their way of life.
We hear so much talk about Californication and developers and cliff-dwellers and rowhouses and outsiders and boutiques and fourteen(14)-story condo complexes , it’s almost as if we’re being invaded by creatures from outer space. Aliens. “Pod Lifeforms buy triplex.”
Fifty-six (56) percent of all Oregonians are not from this state. A half-million newcomers are expected in the next twenty (20) years. But statistics don’t move into a neighborhood, people do, and it’s important to remember that.
Dan Volkmer thinks he knows the reason for the influx.
“Northwest is an example of the village concept, where people can live and work and shop without having to drive on the freeway for a half-hours.,” says the local realtor with The Realty Group. “In addition, there’s a real personal, almost family, feeling to this neighborhood… The human interaction feels good. In most other cities they’ve lost that because they’re always in their cars.”
Volkmer couldn’t have described Michael and Joni any better. The couple, in their early 30s, were tired after a decade in Los Angeles. They wanted a better quality of life and thought of moving to Seattle. As an afterthought, they stopped in Portland, fell in love and canceled their trip north.
“When we moved in, the neighbors came out and introduced themselves and everyone has been very, very friendly,” says Michael.
Since that snowy day in January, the couple has had at least six (6) parties, inviting co-workers and neighbors on their block.
“Everyone who didn’t live in the neighborhood said, ‘What a great neighborhood you live in!'”, says Joni. In fact, Michael and Joni have introduced two neighbors who have lived on the same street for seven years and didn’t know each other.
They’ve only been here seven (7) months and already they’re possessive.
“We’ve lived here a short time and I don’t want Californians moving here,” says Michael. “I’m more of a snob than native Oregonians.”
Derek Jensen, 25, moved here straight from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Cal-Berkeley. Courted like some high school football star, he weighed offers from numerous high-tech firms before succumbing to the blandishments of Mentor Graphics. He spends his days designing software; nights, he’s the lead guitar player for one of the city’s fastest-rising rock bands, The Reason Why. He’s definitely hip.
Why an apartment in the Northwest? “Cause I hated Beaverton, ’cause this neighborhood had old houses and young people,” Jensen says. “Also, the proximity to (night)clubs. The most important thing… I wanted to be as urban as I could be, while still working in the suburbs.”
He’s a man of the ’90s, and gentrification causes him no fear. “It’s kind of a drag,” he concedes, but says, “In some ways, it’s good. I have a feeling we’ll reach a point where it won’t get any trendier. Let’s face it, this will never be Beverly Hills. But it’s going to become more affluent and a nicer place to live for the affluent.”
Beth Daly, who buses downtown to work at Meier & Frank, is from New Jersey and leaves little doubt with the accent. Her face brightened when asked why she chose an apartment in the district.
“I just love walking around. It’s a wonderful area,” she practically gushes. “I’m really happy here.”
Brynn, a 29-year-old actress, is from California and now lives in Northwest.
“Because I couldn’t live in a pre-fab box. Because of the character of the lovely Victorian houses. Because I like life on 23rd. Oh, and Coffee People.”
Of course, not everyone moves here from out of state. Or because of the obvious reasons. Cheryl Bartley, a legal secretary, used to live in Southeast. Why Northwest?
“Because I have a little Porsche and I needed a garage.” Sometimes it’s that simple.
All kinds of people move here for all kind of reasons. Folks come here from the big city because it’s most like what they’re used to. Others move here because it’s least like what they’ve left behind. In many ways, Northwest is the best of both worlds.
Ruth Nichols moved here from Olympia. An assistant deli manager at Food Front, the 27-year-old is also a minister with the Church of Divine Man. She chose Northwest because “there’s a sense of neighborhood… more of an open-door policy” than other places.
She also likes the natural setting, the proximity to the woods. “This wonderful, big, undefined, always-green park that still drops leaves in the fall.
“And I think it’s a feminine place, softer somehow,” Nichols offers.
Carol Morse, 43, and Dr. Nick Drakos, 42, own a home on Northwest Marshall after renting a place on Lovejoy. Drakos is a psychiatrist. Morse, just to give an idea of how quickly some immigrants become a vital part of our social environment, was a fund-raiser for Gov. barabra Roberts and now is a staff member, arranging executive appointments. Morse and Drakos knew not a soul when they moved to Portland from Kentucky.
“We’ve already made good friends here,” says Morse. “It’s really a perfect place for someone new to the city… [Northwest] immediately made you feel you were part of the neighborhood.
“When we came out scouting for a place to live, we liked the feel of a neighborhood we found here. I hate to use the word ‘ambiance’… it’s close to downtown, the bank’s right there, the bookstores, cafes, shops. I like being able to walk to the Korean-owned market up the street. We even like the street people.” Just like a Democrat.
People live here because Chapman may be the best elementary school in the city. Because Escape From New York has the best pizza in town. Because Delilah’s is the best coffee shop to linger for hours. Because Forest park and the Willamette River are a mile away by mountain bike. Because the Mission Theatre shows double-features for free. Because it’s the most densely populated neighborhood for hundred of miles in all directions. Because the guy tending bar may be a published writer and the waitress may be showing her work in a Pearl District art gallery. Just because.
Richard Caplan of Cronin & Caplan, which has doubled its sales force in the last eight (8) years, believe Northwest appeals to emigres from big cities because other Portland neighborhoods quite simply don’t offer the same range of services.
“Northwest is one of the few places around town where there’s a lot of positive activity at night,” Caplan notes. “Winter and summer, people walk around our neighborhood at all hours and they feel safe here.”
Northwest has become the most user-friendly neighborhood in the city. Yes, the place is changing. But change is life and life is vital and dynamic.
Our new neighbors are not only bringing change with them; many of them are working hard to preserve what is best about the neighborhood. They’re working to improve it, and few among us appreciate what a wonderful place we live more than they. No one holds the franchise on living here and no one knows exactly what the future holds.
One thing we can all be assured of: we will see more people, not statistics, moving in next door. More actresses, more recreationalists, more ministers and students and electrical engineers and clerks and secretaries and doctors and maybe even an Indian chief. We should welcome them.
But with the weather the way it’s been this year, we shouldn’t expect to see many more license plates from Hawaii.
