Portland Neighborhood Guide: Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a quiet neighborhood located in peninsular North Portland between Kenton and St. Johns. If you’re looking to get away from the city without leaving it, however, Portsmouth is one locale that that just might fit the ticket and still be affordable. As one of the last economically and ethnically diverse neighborhoods within inner-Portland, Portsmouth is known widely for its active and engaged citizenry. A host of community gardens, volunteer-driven cleanups, and local meetups are all centerpieces of the neighborhood culture.

Just across from University Park, Portsmouth experiences a slower pace of life compared to most other parts in the city. Alternative commuters should take caution when considering a move here, though. This is one of the few neighborhoods in the city where owning a car is perfectly reasonable. The commute times are long to most places in the city, and public transit is heavily limited by the local geography.

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See all Portsmouth homes for sale.

History:

Home Styles / Architecture:

Portsmouth runs the gamut of Portland architecture ranging from Craftsman, Victorians, Four Squares, Bungalows, and Cape Cods. Homes in this neighborhood are far more modest than in many other parts of the city, often smaller, and with fewer improvements. The neighborhood is still on the uptick and is often cited as being among the last affordable locations in the city. The Eastcoast architecture, along with the foghorns and seagulls often present in the air, combine to create an almost maritime atmosphere.

Schools:

Cesar Chavez Elementary is the neighborhood k-8 serving the Portsmouth area.

Nearby, University of Portland is the private Catholic college located in sister neighborhood, University Park. The women’s soccer program has a long history of excellence and has very often been rated among the best in the nation.

Go to the full Portland neighborhood directory.

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Food and Entertainment:

Pay no attention to the relative isolation or the area’s lack of pretense: Lombard provides no shortage of excellent food and drink within walking distance of Portsmouth. The proprietors of The Flavour Spo t waffle carts have opened another of North Portland’s best, Bagel & Box. Located just in front of the (very excellent) Western Meat Market, Bagel & Box is a food cart serving up tasty American breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and coffees, all locally sourced and roasted. If you’re out and about early, this cart is most definitely worth a visit.

Just down the road along Lombard, The Fishwife, adding to the already apparent maritime feel of Peninsular North Portland, is a homey mom-and-pop chowder fishwife restaurant portsmouth portland / fish house sporting the motto “Born to Fish, Forced to Work”. With consistently excellent seafood throughout the last two decades, The Fishwife continues its legacy as a top spot dine in or take out in the University Park / Portsmouth area.

Just past Columbia Park, Mock Crest Tavern, King Burrito, and The Flavour Spot, are all excellent North Portland standbys located along the Lombard thoroughfare.

Residents of Portsmouth also have easy access to the commercial districts of both St. John’s and Kenton for daily shopping and additional options for a night out.

Parks:

(from the City of Portland Parks and Recreation)

Majestic Columbia Park is the primary green space of Portsmouth and University Park neighborhoods. The main park and its annex to the south feature baseball and soccer fields, horseshoe pits, tennis court, tennis court and volleyball courts. The Columbia Cottage, located inside the park itself, serves as a community space for ~75 people to gather.

Northgate Park is another large park in the northwestern quadrant of the neighborhood. Though smaller than Columbia, it has spacious, open grass fields and full canopy around its perimeter for tons of shade during late Spring and Summer.

Transit Scores:

(from walkscore.com)