BeccaB

Sumner neighborhood is extremely kid friendly. On many streets, there are no sidewalks, so all aged kids play in groups in the streets until called inside. Neighborhood Watch is fairly effective in deterring crime; I've observed primarily calls on suspicious cars in relationship to vice from 82nd Ave and Sandy Blvd., and Portland Monthly Magazine statistics 2015 list larceny to be twice as common as burglary, in Sumner neighborhood, with burglary 25% more likely than assault. Also, I do not drive a car, I take Tri-Met, even late into the evening, and have never been confronted by a hostile or dangerous situation here in Sumner, where I moved with my husband in early 2014.

It is easy to raise the walk score for Sumner to a high 90. Just walk across Sandy Blvd., south to Rocky Butte Lower Natural Area. This is a woodsy collection of trails Parkrose High School track & field uses for training runs. It is typically clean of trash and campsites. It follows I-205 southwardly. Dropping down from the freeway into the basalt cliffs bottom of Rocky Butte, you can walk with dogs or alone, away from stressful city life. Technically not part of Sumner neighborhood geographically, Rocky Butte Lower Natural Area is accessible to residents so quickly, intuitively, historically with the comments such as "Rocky Butte babies..." remembered by older church ladies I know, and through its welcome shade on a hot, sunny summer afternoon, that it is a pull for prospective home buyers, as it was for us.

Freeway accessibility is fantastic. There are are multiple bus lines serving the neighborhood, including MAX and a Transit Center. There is, of course, the nearby airport. Plus, you really are still close to downtown Portland. This neighborhood consists primary of single family dwellings. There is a large, underdeveloped, industrial area in its northern side, near Johnson Lake. The Comp Plan may quickly change the scenery of Sumner along Sandy Blvd. as rezoning takes effect. For now, it remains a ninja neighborhood with many best buys to advocate for it.