St. Johns

St. Johns is a mixed bag. Described by many as a friendly neighborhood with cool, quirky stores and a very popular vegan restaurant, it also has lots of areas that have seen better days. Located as far north of Portland as you can go before reaching Washington, you feel as far away from downtown as you can however, you are realistically about 15 minutes away or so without traffic.

This is a nice walking town as nearby stores, restaurants, coffee shops (they have a Starbucks!), and other entertainment venues are all together in a central downtown location. Having said this, walking at night is not considered safe which is a huge reason not to travel here after dark.

This working class neighborhood does offer affordable housing and many neighborhoods are quite nice. Some consider St. John’s a neighborhood in transition and are targeting first time homebuyers and businesses to consider relocating here, but I think that’s not going to happen in the near future.

St. Johns is a small neighborhood located at the tip of the peninsula between the Columbia River and Willamette River. Its geography gives it an isolated feeling, as it's difficult to get to other Portland neighborhoods from here.

Considered one of Portland's most diverse neighborhoods, you will see many immigrants and minorities here. St. Johns has historically been a lower income, blue collar neighborhood, and that hasn't changed much over the decades. Today, it's still one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.

Businesses are concentrated in the southeast corner, along Lombard Street. Though residents call this 'downtown St. Johns,' there's really not much to see here, although there are two nice theater pubs and a few other restaurants. The peninsula is known more for green spaces than shopping opportunities; there are many parks and natural areas within the neighborhood.

The northern end of the neighborhood is much more industrial, with huge warehouses and parking lots. As a resident, there's really not much reason to travel that far north into St. Johns unless you work there.

As a pedestrian, St. Johns is less than ideal. Some places feel dangerous, especially at night. Though there is public transit, it takes quite a long time to reach downtown from the far reaches of St. Johns.

Nearby St. Johns Bridge, which gave this neighborhood its name, is now actually considered to be in the neighborhood of Cathedral Park. If you like this part of the city, I suggest living in neighboring Cathedral Park, just to the south, instead.

St. Johns is a Portland neighborhood that actually is quite close to Vancouver. That means that it is one of the farthest neighborhoods from downtown. It is at least a 20 minute drive. However, St. Johns seems to have its own unique community, so perhaps the proximity from downtown isn't a problem!

A lot of artsy types have found that they can live in this beautiful part of the city and spend less money. It is right near the St John's bridge, which really is quite lovely. This historical bridge has been in Portland since the 1930's.

Every July there is a jazz festival under the bridge, which is totally free. If you love jazz, this is one major selling point for St. John's!

While some houses in the area are quite well maintained, there are also some homes that look more rundown. This area may not be as safe as other Portland neighborhoods.

One interesting fixture in this part of town is Proper Eats Market and Cafe, which is a vegan restaurant that is very active and full of energy. The stores in this area seem very "small town" and there is a nice interesting community feel. However, again, crime could be an issue especially at night. Definitely keep that in mind when visiting St. Johns.