Council Crest

Council Crest has many of Portland's famous qualities, such as greenery and diverse architecture. But like the city itself, those qualities owe their existence to one overarching factor: location. "I think people choose Council Crest first for the location, and then for the homes, because Council Crest has such a wide range of home styles," says Realtor Suzann Baricevic-Murphy of where Inc. real estate, who has been in the area for over 35 years. "It's near OHSU, downtown city center, the sunset corridor where Nike and Intel are located as well as 25 minutes to the airport, so the location is awesome."

Not only is the location unique, so is getting there. Many do so by cable car from the campus of Oregon Health and Science University – the largest hospital campus in the city. Once arrived, locals snake their way through winding, heavily wooded streets to their homes, and as they do, are often rewarded with a surprise view of Mount Hood through a clearing of trees waiting to be filled in with a new home. "It's a very scenic location in Portland,” says Baricevic-Murphy. “One of the biggest attractions to Council Crest in addition to the beautiful parks, is that the area is surrounded by a street named Fairmont, which is a scenic route where people ride bikes, run and walk." To guess what kind of home will fill an empty lot is a wasted effort – if there is an architectural style to be imagined, it's likely to be found in Council Crest, From Mid-century modern ranch-styles and Prairie homes to Half-timber Tudor styles and Colonial revival raised ranches, to even some Queen Anne styles. But a neighborhood like this comes with a higher-than-average price price tag. In general, a home in the area could sell for anywhere from $430,000 to $1,850,000, and a very small number have sold for above $10 million.

Neighborhood students attend the Portland Public School District, which is one of the top-performing districts in the greater Portland area and receives an overall Niche score of B. Depending on where they live, a young student in Council Crest might begin their education at either Ainsworth, which earns an A-minus from Niche, or Rieke Elementary, which earns a B-plus. When they reach middle school, students begin attending Gray Middle, which earns a Niche score of B-plus, or West Sylvan, which earns an A-minus score. The neighborhood's high schools, Lincoln and Ida B. Wells, do not have Niche scores but do receive scores from GreatSchools of 7/10 and 8/10, respectively.

While it might not look so on a map, Council Crest is a walkable area because of its parks. “Council Crest has access to all of our west side parks because there is a trail system that connects the west side park system to the zoo, the city and the waterfront, which is phenomenal,” says Baricevic-Murphy. "Without ever getting in any kind of motorized vehicle, you can go from Council Crest down to the river." One way to do that is by passing through Marquam Nature Park, a 204-acre park in the middle of the neighborhood with over 40 miles of trail. Some of the trailheads begin on Gibbs Street, allowing locals to walk from their homes to the cable car tram station when heading to the waterfront. When locals want a panoramic view of downtown Portland, they head up to Council Crest Park, the tallest point in the city. For those who prefer nature's fine details over its opulence, the Duniway Lilac Garden is sure to hold their attention with explosions of color from over 125 species of common lilac.

Some home buyers might want to consider Council Crest's lack of shopping amenities in the neighborhood. But considering where the neighborhood sits in relation to some of Portland's most commerce-heavy areas, it only means getting to a regular spot might take an extra minute or two. And when it comes time to do weekly errands, such as grocery shopping or buying pet supplies, residents have their pick between stores located downtown or further south in Hillsdale. Both directions are a short drive of roughly 4 miles away, though this can vary depending on the location of a resident's home, as the area's winding roads cause most routes to be indirect ones.

Written By

Tom Jakob

Photography Contributed By

Elizabeth James

Video By

Ellie Brown