Portland Area Guide · No. 5
Residential options · Larger suburban-style areas
East Portland is the city's most affordable and most diverse housing market: mid-century ranches, townhomes, and newer subdivisions on larger lots, with the traditional main street of Montavilla, the transit hub of Lents, and the airport and Gateway employment corridors at its edges. It is where Portland buyers find the most house for the money while staying inside the city limits.
Portland · Multnomah County · Oregon
SE Stark Street · Montavilla
The latest verified news about the major employers and companies that anchor this area, with sources cited. Each item links to the reporting outlet that published it.
01
The Port of Portland opened the door to restore nonstop trans-Pacific flights between PDX and Asia, a route the airport has lacked since 2020.
Travel Oregon awarded the Port a $4.5 million grant, reported by the Portland Business Journal on September 29, 2026, to incentivize an airline to relaunch the route. It follows PDX's record 18.5 million passengers in 2025.
02
The Port of Portland declared the PDX main terminal reconstruction officially complete, the largest public infrastructure project in Oregon history.
The $2.15 billion, 11-year 'PDX Next' project was finished on June 30, 2026 on time and on budget, with mass-timber roofs, seismic upgrades, a reduced carbon footprint, and doubled potential visitor capacity, per the Port of Portland.
Source: Port of Portland, June 30, 2026
03
Prosper Portland is pursuing more retailers for the airport-adjacent Cascade Station district as the office market softens.
Portland Business Journal reported in December 2024 that the 120-acre mixed-use district anchors thousands of airport-area jobs and shopping. The economic development agency continues to market the district to retailers as the region's largest airport-adjacent commercial center.
Mid-century homes on a quiet Lents street
01 · Area Highlights
East Portland is the part of the city that grew fastest in the late 20th century, and it shows: wider streets, bigger lots, ranch and split-level homes, and newer subdivisions mixed with older neighborhoods. Montavilla is the main-street heart, with SE Stark Street's shops, restaurants, and the 1926 Academy Theater. Lents is the transit and community hub, with the MAX Orange Line and the new Lents Town Center.
Parkrose sits at the airport's edge, Hazelwood anchors the Gateway and Mall 205 corridors, and Powellhurst-Gilbert and Centennial stretch east toward Gresham with detached homes, townhomes, and larger lots. It is the most diverse part of Portland, with a food scene and community life to match.
01b · Navigable Map
Pan, zoom, and drag around this live map to get your bearings before you even call us: pin Montavilla, Lents, the MAX Orange Line, Powell Butte, and the neighborhoods this guide covers.
East Portland · Multnomah County
02 · Community Detail
East Portland is where Portland's housing diversity is easiest to see: classic mid-century ranches, newer townhomes, and subdivisions on larger lots, at prices that are hard to find anywhere else inside the city limits. Lents, Montavilla, Parkrose, Hazelwood, Powellhurst-Gilbert, and Centennial each keep their own identity.
The community is one of the most diverse in Oregon, and that shows up in the food, the festivals, and the neighborhood life. Transit access is strong along the MAX Orange Line and the I-205 and Powell corridors, and PDX is minutes from Parkrose.
A diverse neighborhood with older homes, newer development, and transit access.
Neighborhood restaurants, local shops, and a traditional main-street feel.
Residential properties, commercial services, and access to the airport area.
A large residential area with a variety of housing types and major transportation routes.
Residential development with a mix of detached homes, townhomes, and larger lots.
Farther east, with established residential areas and a variety of home styles.
Lents Town Center, on the MAX Orange Line
PDX anchors East Portland's economy
03 · Major Employers
East Portland's economy is anchored by the airport and the Gateway corridor, with healthcare and main street businesses woven through. Here are the anchors:
The dominant employer of East Portland, with nearly 10,000 on-site jobs across more than 130 businesses and an award-winning terminal at the neighborhood's north edge.
A 302-bed hospital at 10123 SE Market St in Hazelwood, the area's largest healthcare employer and a partner of OHSU.
A 458-acre business park along I-205 and Airport Way with offices, lodging, warehousing, and large-format retail.
The Gateway Transit Center and Mall 205 anchor Hazelwood's retail and office employment along the region's busiest transit corridors.
SE Stark, Glisan, and 82nd Avenue are lined with restaurants, shops, and services that anchor neighborhood employment.
04 · Restaurant Guide
Montavilla's main street and the 82nd Avenue corridor make East Portland one of the city's most exciting dining areas, with a heavy dose of family-run Asian kitchens. Some of our favorites:
The Observatory
VisitA neighborhood gastropub on SE Stark with a big patio, a wood-fired grill, and one of the best burgers in the city.
8115 SE Stark St
Yaowarat
VisitA Thai and Chinese kitchen on SE Stark serving the classic dishes of Bangkok's Yaowarat district.
7937 SE Stark St
Elmer's Restaurant
VisitA family-friendly breakfast and lunch spot on SE Stark, a Montavilla staple for pancakes and omelets.
9660 SE Stark St
Pho Van
A long-running Vietnamese restaurant on SE 82nd known for pho and banh mi, a cornerstone of the avenue's dining scene.
1919 SE 82nd Ave
Tik Tok Restaurant and Bar
VisitA lively Chinese restaurant and bar on SE 82nd with dim sum and a big menu.
3330 SE 82nd Ave
Worth exploring: SE 82nd Avenue, one of the most diverse dining streets in the Pacific Northwest, with Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and Middle Eastern kitchens block after block.
Family-run kitchens along 82nd Avenue
Powell Butte Nature Park and Mount Hood
05 · Activities
East Portland's parks are the quiet stars of the district, and Montavilla's main street keeps the calendar full. Here is how locals spend their weekends:
A 611-acre extinct cinder cone with miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails and sweeping views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and the Cascades.
A 10-acre neighborhood park with a community center, an outdoor pool dating to the 1920s, and sports fields.
A year-round Sunday market on SE Stark with local farms, hot food, and live music, the neighborhood's weekly gathering.
A restored 1926 movie palace on SE Stark showing second-run films for a few dollars, a Montavilla landmark.
The airport's newly renovated terminal is a destination in itself, with local restaurants, shops, and a forest of live trees under the roof.
From a Montavilla bungalow to a Lents ranch on a big lot, we know this side of the city block by block. Tell us what you are looking for and we will show you the home that fits.
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