• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

That Portland Life

Portland Lifestyle and Real Estate

  • Real Estate
    • Welcome to Portland
    • Selling in Portland
    • Buying In Portland
    • Instant Home Value
    • Home Search
    • Communities
      • Portland Proper
      • Southwest Washington
      • Eastern Suburbs
      • Western Suburbs
    • Real Estate Blog
  • Meet the Team
  • Reviews
  • Lifestyle
    • Events
    • Best of Portland
    • Featured Business

Contact Us!

1500 NE Irving St. STE 110
Portland OR 97232
503.703.1712
Team@ThatPortlandLife.com
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Meetup
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

portland oregon

Beaches

July 30, 2024 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

With summer quickly coming to an end, we figure now is the perfect time to get those last minute beach trips in! From rivers to lakes, here are our favorites beaches in the Portland area!

blue lake beach area
  • Blue Lake
  • 20500 NE Marine Dr, Fairview

This lake has a little bit of everything. You can swim, fish, hike, rent paddle boats, or enjoy the splash pad! There are also multiple picnic areas available to the public.


broughton beach
  • Broughton Beach
  • 3547 NE Marine Dr, Portland

This is a popular beach for anyone not wanting to leave the city. With a large parking lot and boat ramp this beach is a popular pick-up and drop-off spot for jet skis and speedboats


kelley point park
  • Kelley Point Park
  • N Kelly Point Park Rd, Portland

This large park forms the tip of the peninsula where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet. You can swim, picnic, hike, or canoe!


suave island beach
  • Sauvie Island Beach
  • 38798 NW Reeder Rd, Portland

This large beach runs along the Columbia river and offers up tons of space to spread out and enjoy the cool waters.


bellwood riverfront park
  • Sellwood Riverfront Park
  • 1221 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland

This long park runs along the Willamette River and offer both sandy and rocky resting points. There is also a boat launch, large dock, and off leash dog park making this the best beach for your pooch!


frenchman's beach
  • Vancouver Lake Park
  • 9612 NW Lower River Rd, Vancouver

Also called Frenchman’s, here you will find sandy beaches, picnic areas, a playground, and multiple sand volleyball courts!


  • Cathedral Park
  • 6422 N Philadelphia Ave, Portland

The brand new swimming dock has made this an even more popular beach!

Thanks!

We hope that this will help you to get out and enjoy the weather and a little fresh air. If you want more info on any of these beaches before you go, be sure to check out Swim Guide! Did we miss your favorite spot around Portland? Let us know in the comments!

Splash Pads

June 26, 2023 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Summer is in full swing, and and we are so excited about this weather! Still, it can be too hot without some relief from the water. Sometimes we don’t have enough time for a full-on beach day or river adventure, so what’s the next best thing? Splash Pads!! This week we sought out Portland’s best splash pads.  The season runs from June 14th – September 6th, and all of these pads are open from 10 am until 8 pm. Parks Sorted by area then alphabetically.

N Portland

Columbia Park and Annex

N Lombard st and N Woolsey Ave

Interactive water feature and play area plus a nature park with Mature trees.

Dawson Park

N Stanton Street and Williams Avenue 

New playground, picnic tables, and a splash pad with 12 historical story boulders

Farragut Park

N Kerby Avenue and Farragut Street

Huge Park remodel started in 2021 saw a new play structure, splash pad, bathroom and basketball court.

Kenton Park

kenton Park

8417 N Brandon Avenue 

Playground, splash pad, soccer field, basketball court.

Northgate Park

northgate  park

N Geneva Avenue and Fessenden Street

Playground, baseball field, soccer field, splash pad, tennis court.

Peninsula Park

700 N Rosa Parks Way Portland OR 97217

Rose garden, playground, fountain and splash pad, picnic areas, horseshoe pit and more.

Pier Park

N Lombard Street and Bruce Avenue 

Splash pad, playground, disc golf, skate park, baseball field, soccer field, basketball court.

NE Portland

Fernhill Park

NE 37th Avenue and Ainsworth

Grassy park, splash area, playground and a nature patch.

Gateway Discovery Park

10520 NE Halsey Street

One of Portland’s newest parks with a splash pad, skate park, and nature play area.

Irving Park

NE 7th Avenue and Fremont Street

Playground, splash pad, tennis courts, basketball courts, nature patch.

Khunamokwst Park

5200 NE Alberta St Portland OR 97218

Interactive water feature and play area plus a traditional children’s playground and an innovative “nature play” area with boulders to climb on and a slide on a hillside.

Woodlawn Park

NE 13th Ave & Dekum St Portland OR 972

Park and Splash pad.

SE Portland

Colonel Summers Park

SE 17th Ave & Taylor St Portland OR 97214

Splash pad, playground, and enclosed picnic pavilion.

Earl Boyles Park

SE 107th Avenue and Francis Street 

Splash pad, playground, horseshoe pit, volleyball court.

Essex Park

SE 79th Avenue and Center Street 

Splash pad, playground, baseball field, tennis court, basketball court.

Raymond Park

SE 118th Avenue and Raymond Street 

Splash pad, playground, horseshoe pit, basketball court.

SW Portland

Elizabeth Caruthers Park

3332 SW Spring Garden St Portland OR 97219

Interactive water feature at this nature-themed playground with a signature lookout tower.

Spring Garden Park

3332 SW Spring Garden St Portland OR 97219

Interactive water feature at this nature-themed playground with a signature lookout tower.

If you’re looking for somewhere to hang out for a couple of hours with the family, or if you just want to relax the day away while cooling off, any of these splash pads will have what you’re looking for. So next time you’re trying to beat the heat, look no further! If you prefer to check out one of our interactive fountains, you can find those HERE We also have plenty of Portland Favorites on our blog Here. 

Portland’s Best Fountains

June 24, 2022 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Want a free activity to help you cool off? We thought so! Going to the beach or river for the day is always a good plan, but those can be sometimes be crowded. The summer is the perfect time to check out Portland’s Best Fountains! Temperatures are climbing and there’s nothing quite like running through a fountain to help you cool you down during these heatwaves.

Stark Street Island Park

  • Named the rose petal, this simple fountain is a fun one for kids.
  • SE 106th Avenue and SE Stark Street
  • Portland, OR 97216

Jamison Square

Cascading waterfalls meant to simulate shallow tidepools.

  • 810 NW 11th Ave
  • Portland OR 97209

Children’s Fountain

  • 2 side by side fountains with dancing jets of water.
  • 410 NE Second Ave
  • Gresham OR 97030

Dawson Park

  • This timed fountain allows for interactive movement that highlights the history of the neighborhood.
  • N Stanton Street and N Williams Avenue
  • Portland, OR 97227

Salmon Street Springs

  • This 3 phase fountain puts on a glorious display and is great for playing in.
  • 1000 SW Naito Pkwy
  • Portland, OR 97204

Keller Fountain

  • Arguably the most famous fountain, this was designed to represent the many waterfalls in the area.
  • SW 3rd Ave & SW Clay St
  • Portland, OR 97201

McCoy Park Fountain

  • First municipal fountain, designed to represent the moon’s phases.
  • N Trenton and N Newman Ave.
  • Portland, OR 97203

Have you been inspired to pack on the sunscreen and run through one of Portland’s Best Fountains? The season for all of these fountains runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so you’ll have plenty of time to check out one or all of these if you’d like. If fountains aren’t quite what you had in mind, we’ve also put together plenty of other great Portland activities to check out Here. Let us know if we’ve missed your favorite fountain!

Portland’s Best Shaved Ice

July 7, 2021 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

This summer started off with some extreme heat, and now that it’s settled, we are still looking for ways to keep our cool. What’s better than a frosty treat on a hot summer day? Quite simply nothing. This week, we sought out Portland’s Best Shaved Ice! For some of us, shaved ice reminds us of our childhood at the local fair, and for others, it’s a memory of family outings that ended in a sweet treat. However you like your shaved ice, all of these shops will bring you right back to the joy you felt as a kid.

Wailua Shave Ice Portland

1022 W. Burnside St. Unit O
Portland OR. 97209

Open Mon – Tue 12pm- 5pm,
Wed 12pm – 7 pm, Fri – Sun 12 pm – 7 pm
Menu Here

Manoa Shave Ice

333 S State St Suite B, Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Open Tue – Sun 12 pm- 8 pm
Menu Here

Snow Bunny Coffee

1415 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Open Mon – Fri 6 am – 6 pm & Sat – Sun 7 am – 5 pm

Ohana Dessert and shave Ice

6320 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97213
&
10608 SE Main St. Milwaukie, OR 97222
Open 7 days 11 am – 9 pm
Menu Here

Next time you find yourself wandering around town looking for a sweet treat to cool off, check out one of Portland’s Best Shaved Ice shops. If you’re not quite ready to go down memory lane with shaved ice, check out some of our other Portland favorites Here. Let us know if we’ve missed your favorite, and we will check them out too!

Moving to Portland: The Ultimate Guide

January 26, 2020 by Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher Leave a Comment

Are you thinking of moving to Portland? We are excited to see you! Below you will find info on all of the basics in our ultimate Portland guide! We have provided links to more information so you can dig a little deeper into what we love about this fabulous city. Enjoy!

Portland Population: 664,605 (2020)

Portland, Oregon’s largest city, nestled between the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Sitting in the shadow of Mount Hood, it is known for its parks, bridges, and bicycle paths. Portland is also well known for its eco-friendliness, its microbreweries, and its coffeehouses. If you want info on the specific Demographics of the area Click Here

Portland Weather

Portland is known for its warm and dry summers and its cool and wet winters. While we are known for our rain, we actually do not even rank within the top ten for annual inches of rainfall. We do have a high average of 164 days with rain, but it tends to be light and misty, which is where the popular adage of, “You’ll never see a local with an umbrella,” comes from. Though the winters tend to be drizzly, the summers are stunning. Portland is in a coastal temperate climate which keeps the temperatures from getting too high in the summer with an average and very pleasant temperature of 81*.

Portland Based Companies

The Portland area is a melting pot of huge industries. We are often dubbed the “Silicon Forest” because of the number of tech industries in Portland and it’s suburbs. Here are the top 30 companies based in the Portland Metro area.

  1. Intel
  2. Nike
  3. Daimler Trucks North America
  4. Precision Castparts
  5. Boeing
  6. Columbia Sportswear
  7. Northwest Pipe Company
  8. Mentor Graphics
  9. Tektronix, Inc
  10. Xerox
  1. WaferTech, LLC
  2. Consolidated Metro, Inc.
  3. Greenbrier
  4. Blount International, Inc.
  5. A-dec
  6. Warn Industries, Inc.
  7. Qorvo
  8. ESCO Corp.
  9. Schnitzer Steel
  10. Adidas America
  1. SEH America Inc.
  2. Via Systems
  3. Erickson Air-Crane
  4. Lam Research Corp.
  5. Collins Cos.
  6. Reser’s Fine Food
  7. On Semiconductor
  8. Evraz Inc. NA
  9. IBM – Linus Technology Center
  10. Pacific Foods of Oregon

Jobs in Portland

Portland has a very strong job market and there are many places that you can go to search for jobs. Most of the major employers have portals directly on their sites to apply for jobs, or you can use a local resource like www.macslist.org, www.oregonlive.com/jobs, www.oregon.jobs, or www.jobdango.com. There are five major industries that dominate the job market and those are: high tech, athletics and apparel, manufacturing, healthcare, and food service.

Average Home Prices in Portland

Portland remains the most affordable city on the West coast to live. The average home price in 2021 for the Portland Metro is $597,000. That price is up 20% from 2020. So far the year has been a whirlwind. We are seeing the lowest inventory in Portland history, multiple offers, and super fast home sales. If you want to see the latest market stats, check out the real estate section of the blog here.

Portland Average Commute Times

As the city has continued to rapidly grow year over year congestion has become more of an issue. Depending on what area you decide to live and what area you decide to work, commute times can vary from 10 minutes to over an hour.

Living in Vancouver and working in Portland will require you to cross one of the two bridges that span the river. Both get congested during peak traffic hours and an hour commute should be expected into downtown. Similarly, Highway 26 gets backed up from the Western suburbs into downtown Portland. This highway tends to move more quickly, but commute times will be around 30-45 minutes into downtown at peak hours.

If you are going to live in Portland proper and be able to take interior roads, commute times usually linger around 20 minutes to most other parts of the city. We are happy to discuss specific traffic patterns if you have questions about what to expect. Just fill out the contact form in the side bar!

Best Restaurants in Portland

Portland has one of the best food scenes in the country. No matter the style of food you are in the mood for, there are multiple locations absolutely excelling in that style. We have multiple ‘Best of’ lists that you can check out here.

We also love to stay on top of the 38 Essential Restaurants by Eater. They are constantly updating the list and it’s one of the best ways to make sure you know all about the best of the best in the Portland food scene. You can also keep up with the newest and trendiest restaurants with the Eater Heatmap.

Portland Nightlife

Nightlife in Portland is just as fun and diverse as the restaurant scene. From private karaoke rooms, to large clubs for dancing, to dark dive bars, Portland has it all. Downtown Portland and the Pearl District are the best places to go for high end cocktails and mingling. While Southeast Portland is the best place to explore the many dive bars. We have featured a variety of different places in our ‘Hot Spot’ series. You can check those out here.

Outdoor Activities Near Portland

There are so many wonderful outdoor activities near Portland, that we consider it the best part of living in the Pacific Northwest! There is hiking and biking at multiple large parks right inside of the city. Or, if you want to get away, you can head into the Gorge for some of the best hikes in the country.

We are also situated at the foot of Mt. Hood which offers 3 great ski resorts in the winter, and some amazing camping in the summer. You can see some of our favorite camping spots here.

Portland also sits just North of some of the best Pinot grapes in the country. It’s hard to go wrong with any winery, but if you want to know about our favorites, just reach out! Lastly, we are only about 90 minutes from the Oregon Coast, which is a fantastic place for a weekend getaway for whale watching, surfing, or some salt water taffy. Bottom line, if you like the outdoors in any capacity, you will have endless amazing places to explore!

Highest Rated Schools in Portland

There are many great schools throughout the Portland Metro area. We like to use Niche.com to search school ratings, and you can jump straight to the Portland Metro by clicking here.

Portland Neighborhoods

the pearl district in northwest portland
NW Portland
dunthorpe neighborhood in southwest Portland
SW Portland
Ladd's Addition in Southeast Portland
SE Portland
Holly wood neighborhood in NE Portland
NE Portland
St. Johns Bridge in N Portland
N Portland

Portland Architecture

Portland is known for it’s cute houses. With much of Portland being built up in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s it’s hard to not fall in love with our houses. Here are some of the most popular styles that you can find as you are searching for homes.

Portland Oregon Bungalow Craftsman
Craftsman

Craftsman’s were typically built in 1910’s-1920’s and have lots of period details. Things like a front porch, built in’s around the fireplace, and an open floor plan are typical to find. It is common to have a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, a basement, and a finished upstairs.

Portland Four square
Foursquare

These homes were typically built between the late 1800’s and the early 1930’s. They are called foursquares because they have 4 rooms on the main floor and four rooms on the second floor with a staircase in the middle. These homes will also have period details, though usually less ornate than the craftsman homes.

Portland ranch style home
Ranch/ Mid century

The ranch style home was typically built in the 1950’s and 60’s and feature 1 level living. Some of the ranch homes in Portland will feature a full basement to help expand the square footage of the home. Typically you have an open floor plan with living spaces and bedrooms on opposite sides of the house.

Portland Tudor style Home
Tudor

Tudor homes were built from the 1920’s to the 1940’s. They are easily recognizable due to the brick or stucco exterior and steep roof lines. They are almost always 2 stories with living spaces on the main level and bedrooms on the second floor. You can frequently find fireplaces and leaded windows to add to the charm of the home.

Portland modern townhome, modern condos
Modern Attached Home

These new construction beauties have been popping up all over the city and are quickly gaining popularity. You have very tall ceilings, open floor plans, and modern amenities. They also help with the housing shortage in the city.

Homes for Sale in Portland

No matter the area, price point, or style you are looking for we can help you find it somewhere in the Portland area. You can search all of the homes currently on the market by clicking the button below. Or if you prefer to get a curated list emailed to you as new things come on the market, just fill out the form below and we will get in touch with you!

Search For Homes

We hope that you do decide to move to Portland soon! It is, after all, the best city in the West! If you have any further needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We can’t wait to help you!

Footer

Privacy Policy

Thank you for allowing us to help you with your real estate needs.

 

Loading Comments...