Lents, Portland, Oregon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Lents Farmers' Market, at 92nd and Foster |
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| Neighborhood representation | |
| Association | Lents Neighborhood Association |
| Coalition | East Portland Neighborhood Office |
| Neighborhood geography | |
| Area | 7.86 km² (PDF map) |
| Location | Interactive map |
| Demographics (2000) | |
| Population | 15576 (density 1982/km²) |
| Households | 5756 (93% occupied) |
| Owned | 3192 (55%) |
| Rented | 2564 (45%) |
| Size | 2.71 persons (average) |
The Lents neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County line or City of Portland line on the south (whichever is farther south), SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. In addition to Powellhurst-Gilbert on the north and east, Lents also borders Foster-Powell, Mt. Scott-Arleta, and Brentwood-Darlington on the west and Pleasant Valley on the east.
The neighborhood is one of the larger in the city at 3.75 mi² (7.86 km²); one of its oldest; and one of its most diverse, with many Asian, Russian/Eastern European, and Latino immigrants,[1] although among locals Lents still has the reputation of being white and lower class.
Lents is 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Portland and lies within the 97266 ZIP code.
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[edit] History
Lents was originally platted as the Town of Lent by Oliver P. Lent (1830–1899) in 1892. The original town was bounded by SE Foster Rd., SE Duke St., SE 92nd Ave, and SE 97th Ave.
Lent's town was originally built as a self-sufficient town and suburb of Portland. In 1912, with a population nearing 10,000, Lents was annexed into the city of Portland.[2] Because of its distance from central Portland and lower income class, it was repeatedly neglected by the city in terms of street and sewer improvements.[2] The I-205 Freeway was originally destined for 39th Avenue, but the powerful residents of Portland's Laurelhurst neighborhood successfully lobbied to have the path changed to 52nd Avenue. By the time it came to final planning the city had grown and decided to move the freeway's path further out to 95th Avenue, effectively cutting the Lents neighborhood in half.[citation needed] In contrast, Maywood Park was able to establish itself as its own city and sued to stop construction of the freeway and a compromise was eventually reached.
[edit] Transportation
The I-205 Freeway cuts right through the center of the original town, where SE 92nd Ave. (the original road to Oregon City) met SE Foster Rd. (which led to Foster's Farm). Beginning in 1892, a streetcar ran from downtown Portland to serve the Town of Lent. The route traveled from downtown across the Hawthorne Bridge to SE 50th Ave. At SE 50th, an extant curve in the road shows the route going south. SE 50th Ave. runs into SE Foster Rd. The trolley continued on SE Foster Rd. to SE 72nd Ave., bearing south. Another extant curve to the left at Gray's Corner sent the trolley east on SE Woodstock Blvd. This road was followed through to the curve at 97th which sent it into the neighborhood south of SE Foster Rd. After several more blocks, the line ended at SE 100th Ave. where it met the Springwater Interurban Streetcar. The Springwater continued to points east, eventually ending in Estacada.
Lents is served by the TriMet bus lines 10-Harold, 14-Hawthorne, 17-Holgate, 19-Woodstock, 71-60th Avenue/122nd Avenue and 72-82nd Avenue.
U.S. Route 26 (SE Powell Blvd.) and Oregon Route 213 (SE 82nd Ave.) are major thoroughfares through the neighborhood.
[edit] Future
In recent years, Portland has seen the potential value of the Lents neighborhood and established it as an Urban Renewal Area, which allows the city to bond on future increases in property tax revenues to fund capital projects throughout the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area. Many new homes and businesses have been established and more are planned. The MAX light rail system is being expanded southward from the Gateway hub, along I-205 to the Clackamas Town Center.
[edit] Parks
- Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery (1909)
- Lents Park (1914)
- Bloomington Park (1940)
- Glenwood Park (1941)
- Lents Community Garden (1976)
- Ed Benedict Park (1986)
- Earl Boyles Park (1986)
- Springwater Corridor Trail (1990)
- Tenino Property (1994)
- Beggars Tick Natural Area
- Zenger Property
- I-205 Bike Path
[edit] References
- ^ Sadowsky, Dan (May 10, 2004). "Lents market bets future on immigrant farmers". Portland Business Journal. http://www.dansadowsky.com/lentsmarket.html.
- ^ a b MacColl, E. Kimbark. The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915-1950. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press. ISBN 0-9603408-1-5.
[edit] External links
- Lents Neighborhood Association Weblog and Forum
- Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area Information
- Lents Food Group
- Lents Neighborhood Plan (Portland Bureau of Planning, 1986)
- Lents, Portland, Oregon is at coordinates 45°28′31″N 122°33′43″W / 45.47540°N 122.56207°WCoordinates: 45°28′31″N 122°33′43″W / 45.47540°N 122.56207°W
