Guide to the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood in Portland Oregon

Here's our list of ingredients for a thriving community: Parks, shopping, restaurants, access to public transportation, library, coffee shops, food markets, movie theatre, and sidewalks. It would be an added bonus if the community had quality schools and close enough so that the kids could walk or have short bus rides. All the schools in the neighborhood have consistently meet achievement targets in order for a school to remain in good standing under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Sellwood-Moreland meets all of these conditions so you may want to investigate the neighborhood as a possible place to live.

Sellwood-Moreland is located five miles south of downtown Portland on the east side of the Willamette River. The Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the agency that oversees neighborhood associations, combines the neighborhoods of Sellwood and Westmoreland into Sellwood-Moreland. Westmoreland is on the east side of the community bordering McLoughlin Boulevard and Sellwood is on the west side bordering the river.

The community has two shopping areas. Coming off the Sellwood Bridge heading east, you encounter the first one at the intersection of Tacoma Street and 13th Avenue. It's the home of the Sellwood New Seasons Market along with a number of antiques stores, restaurants and other shops. The other commercial area is the Bybee/Milwaukee neighborhood less than a mile from the Tacoma/13th area and it has a market called QFC (division of Kroger's). Bybee/Milwaukee has a movie theatre, coffee shops, restaurants, a florist, clinic, and a hardware store (they actually wait on you). Plus it also has a few antiques stores.

One of my favorite place in Sellwood-Moreland is a bakery called Piece of Cake at 8306 SE 17th Avenue. The bakery is without walls so you can see the entire operation to include ovens, stoves, etc. Here's Marilyn (the owner on the left) and her assistant decorating a cake. Visit their Web site at Piece of Cake Bakery to view their goodies to include many gluten-free baked goods.

If you're interested in a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, don't bother stepping into Cloud Cap Games. But if you want old-fashioned board games made everywhere from across the street to across the globe fill the shelves at this Sellwood shop. James and Kirsten Brady, the owners of Cloud Cap Games, favor the low-tech joys of what one customer calls "analog" games because they require none of the batteries or electrical outlets that power today's digital gaming explosion. Board games are their specialty, but they also carry a modest selection of card sets, puzzles and other game-related goods. And while many are internationally popular, the Bradys also also stock locally made wares, including games, dice bags and cribbage boards. Cloud Cap Games is located at 1226 SE Lexington Avenue.

The Living Room by Adsideo provides a "3rd place" for neighbors living in the Sellwood-Westmoreland area. The Living Room offers comfortable chairs and couches for relaxing as well as tables and chairs for projects, games, homework or catching up on email. They provide wireless internet, electricity, cable television. French press coffee, tea, & pastries are for sale. They have numerous weekly activities to include Friday night music and art.

During the summer, a Farmers Market with farm fresh local produce, nursery stock, cut flowers, local cheese, baked goods, bread, fish, meat, prepared food, specialty items is held every Wednesday mid-May through September, 3:30-7:30 p.m. at SE Bybee and 14th Avenue. For a complete list of all the business establishments in the community, visit the Sellwood-Moreland Business Association Web site.

Carl Abbott has a write up about former governor Barbara Roberts living in Sellwood-Moreland in his book Greater Portland.

Photo Slide Show of the Community To view a slide show of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, click here. The slide show takes you on a complete tour of the community.

The Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood began as the 1847 land claim of Henderson Llewelling who used the land to raise experimental strains of fruit. After Llewelling died in 1866, the 320 acre property was purchased by Rev. John Sellwood. In 1882, Sellwood sold 160 acres to several investors who laid out the town of Sellwood. Sellwood was incorporated in 1887 and then merged with Portland five years later. The area grew when streetcars began serving the area in 1892.

In early 1909 the 500-acre Crystal Spring livestock farm was platted into the subdivisions of Eastmoreland and Westmoreland. The developers promoted their developments as modern subdivisions which would be sold with sidewalks and curbs in place. Westmoreland's target market were the new white collar professionals who rode the streetcar to jobs in downtown Portland. The Eastmoreland Golf Course was also marketed to residents of both Westmoreland and Eastmoreland. By implication, Sellwood was an old-fashioned farm town.

The first quarter of the 20th century the two communities were in competition. As homes rose in Westmoreland, the newly-established local newspaper, the Sellwood Bee, became alarmed. It warned that a new commercial area might appear that would undermine the businesses in Sellwood. The first business, a doctor's office, was constructed at the southwest corner of Bybee and Milwaukie in 1911. As the new business area grew, competition between Sellwood and Westmoreland began and did not end for fifty years.

Sellwood Riverfront Park, overlooking the Willamette River, is the site on the first Sunday each August, for the Sundae on the Park − a civic event presented by the neighborhood association that features ice cream sundaes for a quarter, inexpensive hot dogs, old fashioned live entertainment, and displays and booths featuring historic topics related to the neighborhood. All of it, on the most unfailingly sunny weekend of the year, according to Oregon weather statistics.

Traffic impacts on Tacoma Street are a longstanding livability issue in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood. Every day more than 30,000 vehicles travel over the Sellwood Bridge through the heart of the neighborhood causing congestion all along Tacoma Street. Read about the proposed solutions at Tacoma Street Project.

The Sellwood part comes from Rev. John Sellwood, an Episcopal minister who held the land for a few years. Moreland is named after Julius Caesar Moreland, a successful real estate developer and also a prominent county judge.

One of the first thing you notice driving around the community is the variety of homes within a given block. You will notice Bungalows, Cottages, Victorians mixed with a number of small non-descript one-story homes. Over the years, many of the homes in the neighborhood have been purchased by ambitious people who knew a bargain when they saw one. With some sweat, they have done extensively remodeling and adding square footage to their homes. And there are still homes available in the neighborhoods waiting for someone to give them a facelift.

The area along the river has some elegant homes along with condos. There are 4-5 townhouse developments south of Tacoma.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. To view Sellwood-Moreland homes currently for sale click here.

The neighborhood is blessed with a river park, a wildlife refuge, along with a couple of parks that include just about every thing you need in a park. Plus they have an amusement park!

Westmoreland Park Casting Pond Hand-dug by residents during the depression as part of federal job-making efforts, the concrete pond is consider to be one of only 2-3 manmade casting ponds in the USA. It is three feet deep, about 350 feet wide and 410 feet long. The pond opened in 1936 with an international fly-casting tournament. In 1940, the federal Works Progress Administration poured a concrete bottom.

The pond is a magnet for everything from fly casting to floating model boats. When it freezes over, you will even see some hockey on the ice. In years past, the Rose Festival has used it for milk carton races.

Sellwood-Moreland has 245 acres of park land and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation.

Sellwood is home to Oaks Park, one of only a handful of continuously-operating amusement parks in the United States. It was built as an attraction to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. Managers of The Oaks sought to portray the resort as “The People’s Park” − a place that reflected the best that the city had to offer while still embracing its citizens’ fun-loving nature.

Sara Paulson, for her master's in history from Portland State University, wrote the history of the park which you can view at Oaks Park History. If you are a carousel fan, Portland photographer Jim Lommasson has documented the Oaks Park carousel by taking photographs over the years.

The intersection at SE Sherrett Street and SE 9th Avenue is painted in bright colors and serves as a central plaza with a community bulletin board, kids' playhouse, goods exchange, and a a 24-hour tea station. The square was improved by neighborhood residents with assistance from a local nonprofit called the City Repair Project.

After installation of Share-It Square, a survey revealed that more than 85 percent of residents felt that crime had decreased, traffic had slowed, and communication between neighbors had improved.

The Sellwood bridge links the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhoods of Portland on the east side with Oregon Route 43/Macadam Avenue on the west side. It was built in 1925. Upon discovery of cracks in both concrete approaches in January 2004, the weight limit on the bridge was lowered from 32 tons to 10 tons. This has caused the diversion of over 75 daily bus trips over the bridge.

Planners and citizen groups have had numerous sessions as to whether the bridge should be repaired, rebuilt, closed altogether, or closed for automotive traffic but left open for pedestrians and bicycles. The cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $400 million. In early 2009 the project's Policy Advisory Group determined that the bridge should be replaced.

In early 2011 the Multnomah County commissioners unanimously approved a new deck arch design and cost-saving features for the Sellwood Bridge replacement. The proposed design of the new bridge is basically a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that only replaces the two existing motor vehicle lanes. Cost is estimated to be about $300 million.

Planners are working on the 7.3 mile Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project that is scheduled to be open for riders in 2015. It will travel past Portland State University, South Waterfront, over a new mixed-use transit bridge to OMSI and through inner Southeast on its way to Milwaukie. Sellwood-Moreland will have two stations on the line. One station will be located at SE Tacoma Street, and will include a park-and-ride garage. One station will be located at SE Bybee Blvd, under the Bybee Bridge. A third Sellwood-Moreland Station, at SE Harold Street, is designated for construction at some future point after the line has been completed.

A video from a Portland TV station in which Sellwood-Moreland residents walk across the Sellwood Bridge to voice their concerns about the bridge.

This 3.8-mile walk combines the best of the city's urban landscape with its natural areas. Stroll the Sellwood neighborhood's scenic bluff top streets and travel the multiuse Springwater Corridor Trail through Oaks Bottom, a 140-acre birdwatcher's paradise along the Willamette River. Bring your binoculars. Click here to download the guide.

The Springwater Corridor is a multi-use trail system that begins in a Portland eastside industrial area and ends in Boring, Oregon. It cuts through Sellwood along the river in a north/south direction and then heads due east at the south end of the neighborhood The paved surface is 10-12 feet wide with soft shoulders. The hard surface trail is designed to accommodate walkers, joggers, hikers, bicycles, wheelchairs, and strollers. The Springwater Corridor began life in 1903 as the Springwater Division Line, a commuter railway that took folks from downtown Portland to outlying communities such as Estacada and Eagle Creek. In the 1950s, the automobile became the preferred method of travel and passenger service was dropped in 1958. In 1990, the city of Portland acquired portions of the corridor with the rest being picked up by Metro in the intervening years. The first stretches of the trail opened in 1996. In 2006, three bridges connecting the trail over McLoughlin Boulevard, were constructed which closed most of the gaps in the trail. Download a map of the Springwater Corridor.

Runners, walkers and cyclists needn’t scrutinize trail plans to name the region’s most notorious missing piece: the Sellwood Gap, which forces people off the Springwater Corridor for a mile in its namesake neighborhood in Southeast Portland. That gap will shrink dramatically, thanks to an agreement reached in October 2010 by Metro and the Oregon Pacific Railroad Co. More than half a mile of trail will be built alongside the train tracks the company operates, allowing commuters and outdoor enthusiasts to take the trail between Southeast Umatilla Street and Southeast 13^th Avenue. If the Sellwood Gap is fully closed, visitors will be able to traverse 20 miles from central Portland through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring without having to use public streets.

Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. Sellwood-Moreland is the #21 most walkable neighborhood in Portland. This neighborhood is 'Very Walkable' with an average Walk Score of 74. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood.

More About Sellwood-Moreland

Neighborhood Association Web Site SMILE (Sellwood Moreland Improvement League). Visit the Sellwood blog at OregonLive.com. The Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood is on Facebook.
Neighborhood News The Bee covers southeast Portland. The Southeast Examiner is a free weekly publication.
Location Follow the Willamette River south of downtown and cross over the Sellwood Bridge.
Topography Flat with mature trees on properties. Parks are wooded.
Sidewalks and Streets The street pattern is grid with sidewalks for walking.
Livability Study 96.2% of Sellwood-Moreland residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good."
²Drive Time to Downtown 13-14 minutes.
Public Transportation Bus route 65X is a direct downtown route - the neighborhood has six other routes. See schedule and routes at the TriMet Web site. Transit Score provides a 0-100 rating indicating how well an address is served by public transportation. Ratings range from "Rider's Paradises" to areas with limited or no nearby public transportation.
³Demographics Population: 10,475. Area: 1,157 acres. Population density: 9 persons per acre. Households: 5,159. Median household income is $52,961. Home owners: 53%. Renters: 47%. Diversity: 9.3% non-Caucasian.
⁴Crime Stats for 2010 21 violent crimes. Total crimes per 1,000 people was 36. For the latest crime statistics for the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, click here.
Sex Offenders Click here for the State of Oregon Sex Offender Inquiry System. After agreeing to the "Conditions of Use Statement" you will be redirected to a "Enter Search Criteria" page. Insert a zip code in the "Zip" field and click on the "Query" button. Sellwood-Moreland zip code: 97202.
⁵Shopping and Services Number of supermarkets: 2. Number of health clubs: 2. Number of coffee shops: 6. Sellwood-Moreland has two quaint commercial areas separated by a quarter mile. Coming off the Sellwood Bridge heading east, you encounter the first one at the intersection of Tacoma Street and 13th Avenue. It is the home of the Sellwood New Seasons Market - quality food, great service, and they even keep the shopping carts oiled so they don't squeak. this area also has an "antiques district" plus restaurants and other shops. The other commercial area is the Bybee/Milwaukee neighborhood and it has a quality market called QFC (division of Kroger's). Bybee/Milwaukee has the Moreland Theatre, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, a florist, clinic, and a great hardware store (they actually wait on you). Click here to access a shopping guide/map of Sellwood and click here to access a shopping guide/map of Westmoreland.
Farmers Market Southeast Bybee Boulevard at 14th Avenue. 3:30-7:30 pm Wednesdays, May-September. See M oreland Farmers Market.
Eating Out Sellwood has some of the best neighborhood eateries in Portland: Assaggio, Geno's, Saburo's Sushi, and others. Mike's Drive-in at SE Tacoma & SE 17th offers tasty burgers and malts. See Willamette Week for reviews of these restaurants.
Movie Theatre The Moreland Theatre is one of the last single screen movie theatres in Portland. A mix of first runs, art films, and lesser known treats. It seats 450 patrons and when the curtain rolls back, the movie begins. You don't have to sit through the 15 minutes of "coming attractions".
Public Library The Sellwood-Moreland library branch is located on SE 13th Avenue just off SE Bidwell Street.
Who lives in Sellwood-Moreland Blue collar, white collar, and increasingly young married couples. What other neighborhood would have a restaurant named "Betty Lou" as well as one called "a Cena Ristorante." Journalist and historian Jeff Kisseloff and his wife Sue Sanders along with their daughter live in Moreland. Jeff is the author of five books, the latest being "Generation on Fire," an oral history of the 60s. Sue's essays have appeared in the anthologies "Ask Me About My Divorce," "Women Reinvented" and an assortment of local and national magazines and newspapers. The median age of a resident is 39.
Cars in the Neighborhood Pickups, SUVs, Chevys, Fords, and a few Hondas/Toyotas/Nissans. Just a handful of luxury autos in Sellwood.
⁶Biking Quality is fair. Sellwood-Moreland has 18 miles of bike lanes. Bicycle Trip Planner will map a route for you and − just provide a starting point address and your destination address.
What's in the Recycle Bin Wine bottles and a good variety of beer to include everything from empty 'Bud' cans to bottles of micro brews.
Schools Elementary school: Duniway and Llewellyn. Middle school: Sellwood Middle School. High school: Cleveland High School.
⁷School Report Card Grades Elementary schools: O/S. Middle school: O/S. High school: O/S. Click here for report card details.

Map of the Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood

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Coordinates
42° 28′ 05.83″ N
122° 39′ 2.20″ W

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¹Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by RMLS^tm. Distressed properties refer to the percentage of total homes sold that were short sales and bank-owned properties.

²Drive Time to Downtown Estimated commuting time obtained from Yahoo Maps and Google Maps. Drive time was calculated from a central intersection in each neighborhood to Pioneer Courthouse Square during the morning peak commute time.

³Demographics Data Numbers were obtained from Census 2000 and www.portlandmaps.com.

⁴Crime Statistics Numbers on crime represent total crimes for 2010 and were obtained from Portland Police Bureau. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Crimes per 1,000 are based on reported incidents of violent crime, as well as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

⁵Shopping and Services Numbers were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library systems.

⁶Biking Quality rating based on the 2007 Cycle Zone Analysis conducted by the City of Portland Office of Transportation. The six-tier ratings have been reduced to three levels: High, Fair, and Low.

⁷School Report Card Grades Schools ratings from the Oregon Department of Education 2009-2010 performance assessment. "O" = Outstanding; "S" = Satisfactory; "I" = In Need of Improvement; NR = Not Rated.