Humbolt

This young, hip neighborhood is an urban area mixing residential and commercial streets. If you're in your twenties and want easy access to lots of restaurants and coffee shops, Humboldt may be right for you. Humboldt has many bus lines, and most of the streets have bike lanes, making it a popular area for students who regularly commute to other parts of the city. Most residents don't have cars; those that do still tend to use bikes or buses for their daily commute.

Some Portlanders consider Humboldt and neighboring Boise to be a single neighborhood. The 'Boise' part of this neighborhood is home to Mississippi Ave, a destination for popular coffee shops, bars, and shops. They're all independent; you won't find a Starbucks anywhere. Locals spend a lot of time in this part of the neighborhood, and you're sure to find your favorite gathering spots in no time. N. Killingsworth Street is another great place to find things to do in the neighborhood.

The Humboldt area is best known as the home of Portland Community College. Because of this, many of the neighborhood's residents are college students. It's also home to Humboldt Elementary and Jefferson High School, so this community definitely has a younger feel. Many professors also live in the blocks surrounding the college, though, so there's definitely a good mix of age ranges.

Many of the homes in this neighborhood are brightly colored, giving residential streets a funky and artistic vibe. Others are more traditional, with beautiful well-kept gardens. There are also modest homes that are a bit more unkempt; these are mostly inhabited by students looking for inexpensive off-campus housing.