I'm looking for a recommendation of neighborhoods in Portland that meet our wish list. We want to live there without a car. Bikes and Tri-Met will do nicely so we want someplace on a transit route, preferrably close to a Max stop. Basic groceries, hardware, etc should be close by. My wife is a gardener so we are looking for either a house with some reasonable outdoor space or a house/townhouse/condo convenient to a park or community garden that takes volunteers. I am a small boat (10 to 20 footer) sailor so I want to be able to get to the water easily. I don't think I would be happy sailing on the Willamette river downtown most of the year and Lake Oswego seems very restrictive in terms of who can use the lake. Due to physical limitations canoeing and kayaking are not for me.
Thanks for any ideas. We will be coming to Portland next month to look around.
You've got to check out NORTH PORTLAND! Especially Overlook, Arbor Lodge, and Kenton. These neighborhoods have a new Max Line that runs through and tons of buses in the area. I live in Arbor Lodge and on weekends I rarely drive my car. Plus there are tons of bike paths all over these neighborhoods. You are only 5 minutes from downtown Portland and can easily get there by Max or bus. Also if you are into boating then you can't beat this location. North Portland is near the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River. St. Johns has boat launches as does Swan Island and Jantzen beach. All these are a quick (5 minutes) away. These areas are mostly residential and all homes have nice sized lots so you get your fair share of green space.
Hope this helps and hopefully you'll be checking out North Portland!!