Guide to the Irvington Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

The Irvington Community Association began in 1965 in an attempt by a group of community leaders to response to the deterioration of the neighborhood. A primary leader in this was Herbert Amerson and Rev. Robert Bonthius, then minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church in the area. Rev. Bonthius spoke of the "flight from race", muggings, lack of compliance with zoning ordinances, insufficient youth activities, inadequate street lighting, and the lack of a centrally located park. More than 400 people crowded into the Irvington School auditorium to head the appeals of these leaders. This was indicative of the interest of the residents, and the community has taken ownership of a new vision from that time.

MAX, Portland's light rail system, are within walking distance of many of the homes. Walk to NE Broadway and visit boutiques, eateries, the Lloyd Center (Oregon's largest Mall), the Rose Garden (home of the Portland Trailblazers) or the Convention Center.

Northeast Knott Street runs through the heart of Irvington and is lined with some of Irvington's most beautiful homes. Each year during the Christmas season a group of owners offer open houses to the public that can be toured on horse drawn carriages.

The Irvington neighborhood is named for Captain William Irving, a steamboat captain of renown from Scotland. Captain Irving was born in Scotland in 1816 and sailed to Boston at the age of 15. Ten years later Irving became a captain, and in 1849 decided to come to Oregon Territory by way of Sacramento. He unloaded cargo for the California gold fields, then came north to Portland. In June of 1849 he purchased what was then Block 12 of the Portland town site and began a business of transporting lumber from California to Portland.

After Irving's death in 1872, his widow and son began subdividing and selling much of the original claim. The young neighborhood became part of the city of Albina which was annexed to Portland in the early 1890s. Many of Irvington's large, historic homes were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Irvington Neighborhood Web site has an extensive history of the neighborhood. See Irvington history.

Captain William Irving, a Scotsman who first came to Oregon in 1849, as master and part owner of the bark Success. Captain Irving ran the steamboat Eagle between Portland and Oregon City. He acquired a Donation Land Claim, the square mile which today includes the neighborhood known as "Irvington." A restless soul, he moved to British Columbia in 1858.

The Irvington Addition was platted in 1887 and underwent its initial development in the 1890s under the oversight of developer Ellis Hughes and the Irvington Investment Company. The addition was planned as a self-contained middle to upper class residential district in which commercial activity was to be prohibited, so as to maintain property values.

Irvington homes range in size from a modest bungalow to grand Georgian colonials. Housing stock varies from older mansions (southeast and south), to modest tract-type houses (northwest near Irving Park), to apartments (southern edge).

Raymond Hockenberry was the architect of this Craftsman style home. He also was the architect for the magnificent lodge on the rim in Crater Lake National Park. Arriving in Portland in 1906 as part of the great influx of new residents after the Lewis and Clark Exposition, the formally trained architect began a career in the speculative home building business. His finely designed and crafted homes attracted an upscale clientele, and can be found on both sides of the Willamette River. Many of his homes were in the Colonial Revival style, especially on the West Side, but starting with this home, his first in Irvington, his East Side homes were strongly Arts & Crafts influenced.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. View Irvington homes currently for sale by clicking here.

The 16 plus acre Irving Park is located in the northwest corner of Irvington. It Includes baseball field, basketball court, park restroom, dog off-leash area, paths, picnic site, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, tennis court, and wading pool/water play feature.

The Irvington Club is a non-profit membership tennis club directed by a Board of Trustees. It is located at 2131 NE Thompson.

The Matt Dishman Community Center is located at 77 NE Knott Street which is just to the south and includes a basketball court, fitness room, gymnasium, party room, a a indoor swimming pool, and weight room.

Walk down any street in Irvington and you're enjoy looking at the historical homes, yards, and trees.

Irvington Classic Homes and Heritage Trees is a 2.8-mile loop that tours more than 75 homes that have been designated as historically significant, ranging from Mediterranean mansions to English cottages to Prairie Craftsman. Great shopping and easting places on NE Broadway offer a way to end the walk. Click here to download the guide.

Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the Irvington neighborhood.

Map of the Irvington Neighborhood

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More About Irvington

Neighborhood Association Web Site Irvington has two community Web sites. One for the Irvington Neighborhood Association (newsletter, meeting, etc.) and the other is the Irvington Tour of Homes which has been in progress since 1983. The tour is an annual event, usually in the Spring, where a number of homes are open to visitors. Irvington also has a WebBlog.
Location From downtown cross over the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge and head north on NE Broadway. Take a left on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Turn right on NE Fremont Street - the neighborhood starts at NE 7th Avenue.
Topography Flat with mature trees on every yard.
Sidewalks and Streets The street pattern is a grid. The neighborhood has sidewalks for walking.
2005 Livability Study 97% of Irvington residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good" to rank them third out of 75 neighborhoods. See Livability Study.
²Drive Time to Downtown 12-14 minutes by car.
Public Transportation Trimet has four bus routes in Irvington - the northeast bus schedule and routes can be found at TriMet Web site. The Eastside light rail route is on the southern edge of Irvington. Visit Chris' (a Light Rail rider) Web site for a Eastside Light Rail Route Map.
³2000 Demographics Population: 6,684 people. area (acres): 415. Average population density: 16 persons per acre. Number of households: 3,159. Home owners: 47%. Renters: 53%. Diversity: 22% non-Caucasian.
⁴Crime Stats for 2008 20 violent crimes, 25 residential burglaries, and 28 auto thefts. Total crimes per 1,000 residents was 26.
⁵Shopping and Services Irvington residents can shop either along the north border or the south border of the neighborhood. Northeast Fremont, between NE 13th avenue and NE 15th avenue, has a pleasant two-block area of restaurants and shops. Whole Food Markets is located in this complex. Included among the shops are a Starbuck's, cleaner, and barber shop. The south boundary of the neighborhood is NE Broadway and it's a busy one-way street where you can find just about any service or good available. Just 3-4 blocks south of NE Broadway is Lloyd Center − the largest mall in Oregon.
Farmers Market The Lloyd Center Farmers Market is held at Northeast Holladay Street between 7th and 9th Avenues (Oregon Square). 10 am-2 pm Tuesdays, June 2-Sepember 29. More details at lloydfarmersmkt.org.
Eating Out You will find a number of eating places along NE Fremont (the north boundary of the neighborhood) as well as along NE Broadway (south boundary). Urban Spoon has reviews of over 500 restaurants in Northeast Portland.
Public Library The closest branch library of the Multnomah County Library system is the Albina at 3605 N.E. 15th Avenue.
Who Lives in Irvington Managerial, professional specialty, technical, sales, administrative support account for close to 75% of the occupations of Irvington residents.
Autos in the Neighborhood Small Japanese cars are in abundance such as Subarus. Pickups and a few SUVs dot the landscape in Irvington.
Schools Elementary: Irvington Elementary School and Hollyrood Elementary School. Middle school: Fernwood. High school: Benson High School.
School Report Card Grades Elementary schools: A/B. Middle schools: B. High schools: C. Click here for report card details.

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¹Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by Graphical Data, Homequest, and RMLS™.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.⁴Shopping and Services Numbers were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library systems.
⁵Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by Graphical Data, Homequest, and RMLS™.