Arbor Lodge Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

My experience at a local coffee shop

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As soon as I walked into the Madrona Hill Cafe in Arbor Lodge, I was greeted by the kind employees in the local and friendly atmosphere. The large space with wooden tables and chairs were mostly empty, waiting for the rush of commuters who come into Madrona for their morning caffeine. It seems that the cafe runs on waves of customers, since every time I looked over there was either a line of locals or a casual conversation happening between customer and cashier. These interactions were my first taste of the small town vibe that Arbor Lodge radiates. The cafe & bakery serves mostly locals of the surrounding north Portland neighborhoods such as Kenton, Overlook and Portsmouth. It is located on the southern boundary of Arbor Lodge on Ainsworth. The other surrounding boundaries are Lombard to the north, Interstate 5 to the east and Chautauqua to the west. The cafe has a very happy and relaxed atmosphere as there are locals sitting at tables outside, conversations between old friends on the inside and good coffee, paninis and baked goods being sipped and eaten. I talked to two of the employees at Madrona Hill, Madeline and Andrew, who say that a lot of families come through as there are mostly families that live in the neighborhood. But there are an overflow of college students from University of Portland and Concordia that show up to study or grab some cheap coffee for their tight budgets. I spoke to another barista named Amira who works at Cofy Station along Interstate Avenue, right next door to New Seasons. Amira shared a little bit about the kinds of customers she gets at the corner coffee shop, as well as what she likes about the Arbor Lodge neighborhood in a short video interview.

The perks of living in Arbor Lodge

From talking to locals and my own experiences in this northeast Portland neighborhood, some of the greatest perks are found in the local businesses and the wonderful accessibility to other areas of Portland through the MAX line that runs directly through

the neighborhood along Interstate Avenue. At local businesses such as New Seasons, the “friendliest store in town,” and Flavour Spot, one of the most unique food carts in all of Portland, there is a small town vibe that is present. Customers know employees and vice versa. Conversations fill the air, and there is an absence of pretentiousness which they locals are thankful for. Melissa who is an employee at New Seasons says that in the past five to ten years there has been a huge change in the northeast area of Portland. It was a rough town that was very undeveloped with high crime, but since then the crime has gone down significantly (though it still poses to be an issue), and the developed areas have flourished in business. I met Christy at New Seasons also, though she no longer lives in the neighborhood although she did for thirty years. “I learned how to be tough growing up here,” she said, in contrast to the vibe that the neighborhood now has. She has since moved to the outskirts of Portland where her children can play safely, because “the area has gotten so much busier in the past few years.”

The Locals

Everyone I have talked to about the demographics of the neighborhood has mentioned its large diversity. There is a lot of diversity in age and ethnicity which makes the neighborhood unique with no particular mold or cookie cutter shape. People come from all walks of life, from students studying at a nearby university to elderly men and women who have grown up in St. Johns and migrated to Arbor Lodge.

Parks in Arbor Lodge

Portland loves its parks, and Arbor Lodge keeps the flame alive with Arbor Lodge Park and Gammans City Park, the two green spaces in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood to bring sports teams and families together to stay active. Planted centrally in the neighborhood’s layout, the parks are both near the elementary school and in residential areas for kids to play and stay safe.

Schools

The schools that students in Arbor Lodge attend are Chief Joseph Elementary, Ockley Green Middle and Jefferson High School.

Homes and Real Estate in Arbor Lodge

There are a lot of styles when it comes to homes in Arbor Lodge. The styles range from low slung craftsman bungalows and old Portland architecture to newer, more developed homes. A few years ago, locals say the homes were mostly ‘fixer-uppers,’ but are now more developed and well-kept. Most homes are owned with a few being rented by mostly students attending nearby universities.

The best waffles in town

You will find them with other delicious things wrapped inside at Flavour Spot, located on Lombard between Greeley and Denver. The food cart was a completely crazy, and original, idea to locals of the area when the business started up four and a half years ago. No one thought the business would succeed, being a food cart outside of downtown Portland, but it is one of the most popular food carts in Portland and brings in customers from international locations. David, who owns Flavour Spot, came up with the idea of the sweet & savory “dutch taco,” paired with a cup of Portland Roasting Company’s coffee, which is a power duo that satisfies locals time and time again. I talked to Becca who works at Flavour Spot for a while about the business and the kinds of people that usually come around to grab dutch tacos. Becca said that most of the customers are regulars, and she knows pretty much all of the locals on the nearby streets who come to the food cart. The relationships that are formed through the food cart’s window and conversations over a waffle sandwich have landed her tons of opportunities from friendly locals who fulfill the neighborhood’s small town vibe mentality.

Arbor Lodge in a nutshell

The strong sense of community is made evident through my conversations with the locals as well as observing the interactions between people in the aisles at New Seasons and people walking down the streets. The bikers, runners and walkers through the neighborhood keep the vibe active and healthy while the bike paths to downtown direct them to even more exciting destinations. With local businesses staying busy from locals and commuters, the economic development of the neighborhood continues to thrive and grow into another one of city’s best small town feeling neighborhoods in the grand scheme of Portland.

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This post was written by...

Scott Krager – who has written 11 posts on Portlanders.

Scott Krager is the founder of portlanders.com. He lives in Portland, Oregon, spending most of his time writing, coding, and avoiding the rain. Scott doesn't like to run but forces himself at least once a week. Google+ | Twitter | Quora | LinkedIn