01.25.2024

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Today’s Forecast

50º | Showers | 70% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:39 a.m. | Sunset 5:06 p.m.

📍 Small but mighty, Maywood Park

Welcome to Maywood Park, the enclave city located within Portland

An English style cottage sits among trees on the left of a street with no sidewalk, where a green minvan and red car are parked on opposite sides of the street.

Maywood Park’s architecture is eclectic, but the English cottages are particularly charming. | Photo by Tedder via Wikimedia Commons

Type “Portland” into Google Maps and you’ll see the far reaches of its zig-zag border, but to the discerning eye, something will seem amiss. At the intersection of Interstate 84 and Interstate 205, there’s a small triangle excluded by the outline — an enclave within the City of Roses. Welcome to Maywood Park.

While not possessing the land area of Lesotho, an independent nation entirely surrounded by South Africa, or the global significance of the Vatican, Maywood Park does possess a similar sovereignty despite its geographic situation.

It’s not a neighborhood of Portland but rather its own city, where the approx. 829 residents elect a mayor and five city councilors. The community is tightly-knit, hosting annual events like a garage sale, Fourth of July parade, and Easter egg hunt. But how did this “city within a city” come to be?

A Google map shows the triangular outline of Maywood Park, located northeast of Rocky Butte Natural Area, nestled where I-84 and I-205 meet. — Chances are you’ve driven through Maywood Park before — and maybe didn’t know it.
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Photo courtesy of Google Maps

The year was 1926, and as infrastructure expanded, the pastoral areas of what’s now Northeast Portland opened up to development.

Columbia Realty Company purchased a tract of land covered in towering conifer trees just east of Rocky Butte; legend has it that one winter night, a close relative of the subdivision’s original developer pointed out how attractive the woods looked in May. And the Maywood Park name stuck.

Four years later, the parcel swapped ownership, and Commonwealth, Inc. set out to build a neighborhood in the style of Laurelhurst and Eastmoreland. Many of the eclectic English and Cape Cod-style houses of the time remain standing.

Cars drive down I-205 south with signs for Portland and Salem, as well as exit 22 leading to I-84 east and The Dalles. — I-205’s noise reduction wall and greenway can be seen on the left.
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Photo by SounderBruce via Wikimedia Commons

Residents of the area voted to incorporate in 1967 as part of a decade-long attempt to stop the construction of I-205. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful and the freeway cut through Maywood Park’s west end, demolishing more than 80 homes. Nevertheless, the stand-alone city was able to negotiate noise reduction modifications, which is why I-205 is built at the bottom of a steep embankment there.

Events

Thursday, Jan. 25

Bluegrass Jam Session | Thursday, Jan. 25 | 6-8 p.m. | Wolves and People Farmhouse Brewery, 30203 NE Benjamin Rd., Newberg | Free | Head out to wine country for a pint of ale and banjo pickin’ at Springbrook Farm.

Friday, Jan. 26

Butter: The Comedy Show | Friday, Jan. 26 | 10-11:30 p.m. | Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave., Portland | $10 | Feel the churn and chuckle along to a show that blends music and silliness from Portland’s best comics every other Friday.

Saturday, Jan. 27

Lion and Dragon Dance Academy | Saturday, Jan. 27 | 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Portland Chinatown Museum, 127 NW Third Ave., Portland | $5 | Participants ages 13 and up are invited to learn the rich cultural heritage and performance basics of lion and dragon dancing commonly seen Lunar New Year festivities.
Weird & Wacky Car Show | Saturday, Jan. 27 | 1-4 p.m. | IPD Volvo, 11744 NE Ainsworth Circle, Portland | $0-$40 | Have a unique ride that you want to show off? Roll up.
Art Battle | Saturday, Jan. 27 | 7:30-11:30 p.m. | JaJa PDX, 819 SE Taylor St., Portland | $17-$20 | Come watch the paint fly before your eyes and vote to determine a winner; all artwork will be available for auction during this night of community and creation.

Sunday, Jan. 28

Climate Resilience Circle | Sunday, Jan. 28 | 2:45-4:30 p.m. | Fly Science Mural Studio, 6800 NE 59th Pl., Portland | Free | Attention nature lovers — you don’t have to work through eco-anxiety alone. Share your stories and build strength to move forward through connection.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Shop

Don’t be part of this 80%

Never wait in line at a supermarket again with a Thrive Market membership. | Photo by Thrive Market

80% of Americans are anticipated to abandon their New Year’s resolutions by the end of this month due to life’s unavoidable disruptions.

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News Notes

Development

Albina Vision Trust is hoping to work with Portland Public Schools to purchase its aging administrative facility in the historically-Black neighborhood that the nonprofit aims to revitalize. This partnership would also involve collaboration to find a new downtown location for the school district’s offices. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Award

There are plenty of familiar names on the James Beard Awards recently announced list of semifinalists. On the national stage, Portland’s Jinju (Outstanding Bakeries) and Han Oak (Outstanding Hospitality) got nods, as did Langbaan (Outstanding Restaurant) and Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty. See other regional nominees. (Portland Monthly)

Real Estate

Just because home prices in the Portland region fell last year, doesn’t mean buying a home got more affordable — the modest drop was essentially canceled out by skyrocketing interest rates. Of the 127 metro-area ZIP codes analyzed, Welches (97067) on the flanks of Mount Hood topped this “most-affordable” list. (Portland Business Journal)

Eat

With plans for a new brick-and-mortar restaurant in Happy Valley already in place, it still came as some surprise when popular Korean barbecue food cart Kim Jong Grillin announced it will leave Southeast Division Street after Sunday. Don’t worry, owner and chef Han Ly Hwang is just moving the truck (likely downtown). (Portland Mercury)

Biz

The future of workout gear is here and it’s... bumpy. Portland-based apparel startup Omorpho will now sell its weighted sportswear in Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in New York, North Carolina, Texas, and the Midwest. To cop some locally, you can visit the company’s pop-up on Northwest 23rd Avenue. (Portland Inno)

Home

Perfect for a cleaner, healthier home: this extra-large maple cutting board, which is BPA and phthalate-free and conditioned with beeswax, flaxseed, and lemon oil.*

The Buy

The Buy 1.25.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

Your new favorite water bottle: the Owala Travel Tumbler. It combines the best of Stanley’s viral tumbler with Owala’s smart design. We’re liking colors “Bunny Hop” and “Foggy Tide.”

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Ben

From the editor

At PDXtoday, we keep most political content in a jar on a dusty shelf, but there’s one local candidate running for president who’s kind of a big dill. Beloved mascot Dillon T. Pickle has entered the race as a member of the “Green Party,” promising to eradicate inflation and cancel student debt for almost everyone (sorry Florida State grads).

We do wonder if past controversies will come back to take a bite out of his campaign...

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