Laurelhurst

Walkability, bike-ability and public transit

Quiet streets with sidewalks shaded by mature trees make Laurelhurst a walkable and bike-friendly neighborhood. Residents can reach the more commerce-heavy neighborhoods of Hollywood or Kerns within a mile, passing stately, historic Laurelhurst homes on the way there.

“In terms of public transit, you have quite a few bus lines available right there,” Cutile says. “Portland has an amazing public transit system.” Three different TriMet bus routes serve Laurelhurst, and Bus 19 takes passengers downtown, about 5 miles away. Commuters can also take Interstate 84 downtown, though the trip can take up to 15 minutes during rush hour.

Public schools serving Laurelhurst

As part of the Portland Public Schools system, children in Laurelhurst are among roughly 44,000 students across 81 schools that make up the district. Most children in the neighborhood are zoned for the top-rated Beverly Cleary K-8, named after a Portland native who went on to write the popular children’s Ramona Quimby series. Students may then move on to top-rated Grant High School, which offers dual credit opportunities. Students in the very southern portion of Laurelhurst are zoned for highly rated Sunnyside Environmental K-8 and the highly rated Franklin High School.

Amenities near Laurelhurst

Laurelhurst Park is by far the centerpiece of the neighborhood. “Laurelhurst Park is a daily staple for most,” Cutile says. The green space is the site of a spring-fed pond, once a popular swimming hole in the early 1900s; it has since been developed into a 3-acre lake, surrounded by picnic tables. In the autumn, multi-colored leaves are strewn across the park’s paved trails, which surround its off-leash dog run. Tennis, basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts — along with a small skate park — are clustered in the southeast corner of the green space.

While the neighborhood is largely residential, local restaurants are nearby on Burnside Street and Glisan Street. The former is home to a Whole Foods Market to the west, while the Providence Portland Medical Center is on Glisan Street in the east; both are about a mile away from the center of the neighborhood. The Laurelhurst Theater and Pub is also nearby; while the Art Deco building was finished in 1923, the theater offers modern amenities, including casual fare and alcohol.

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Neighborhood associations and community gathering spaces

The Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association organizes regular community events, from neighborhood picnics and garage sales to pruning classes. It also acquired ownership of the historic Laurelhurst Club in 2021. The Craftsman-style building — located across from Laurelhurst Park — has historically hosted galas, dances and the Women of Laurelhurst, who would gather there to package bandages for soldiers during World War I. It even served as a voting location before it was donated to the neighborhood association, which uses it for family-oriented events, like Breakfast with Santa.

Laurelhurst neighborhood history

Filled with original, early 20th-century homes, Laurelhurst is often noted for its history. The land was originally acquired by William Sargent Ladd in the second half of the 1800s, only to be sold by Ladd’s son to the Laurelhurst Company, named after one of its previously developed neighborhoods in Seattle. The Laurelhurst Company partnered with the Olmstead Brothers — the landscape architecture firm responsible for New York City’s Central Park — to create a design that embraced the neighborhood’s natural terrain. Marketed as “Portland’s Premier Residence Addition” at the time, Laurelhurst was one of the earliest developments with:

• Sidewalks
• Parking strips
• Fully paved streets
• Underground water, sewer and gas mains