Buckman - Portland, OR

The center of the pre-20th-century city of East Portland, Buckman experienced major growth in the early 1900s. Despite a decline in population in the 1950s, the neighborhood implemented revitalization efforts and now acts as a cultural urban center in Portland. Locals embrace the idea of urban beautification with street art and commissioned murals on the sides of buildings.

Culture abounds in Buckman, where you can see a performance at the Oregon Ballet Theatre on 6th Avenue or a play at the Miracle Theatre Group, a place that specializes in Hispanic and Latino programs.

A top destination for foodies of every stripe, Portland offers a diverse array of food options — and the people who go to Portland for food invariably find themselves in Buckman, where you can find delectable dishes on every corner.

Don't dismiss food carts as throwaway street food. Some of Portland's most famous restaurants start as carts, and some stay that way. Find food cart villages on Burnside, Hawthorne or Grand, then order lunch or dinner from any of the half-dozen carts there. Besides carts, brick-and-mortar restaurants line up off of Buckman's main drags. Nightlife abounds, especially on Burnside and Hawthorne, near the neighborhood's borders to the north and south.

Buckman might lie far from the desert, but you can find fantastic Mexican food at Guero, a food cart favored by locals. Order the carnitas torta, then grab a seat at the nearby picnic tables and enjoy the rich flavors on lightly toasted bread. Don't miss the house-made habanero carrot sauce.

Head to another of Buckman's famous food carts, The Fried Onion, for gourmet versions of New-York-style hot dogs and sandwiches. Try the pastrami Reuben or the Italian sausage dog with grilled onions and peppers. Regulars gush about the owners as much as the food — these former New Yorkers serve up their food with friendly faces and great attitudes, often handing out samples for those having trouble choosing from all the menu options.

Buckman hosts Fire on the Mountain, a Portland staple where you can get crisp, juicy chicken wings topped with your choice of about a dozen house-made sauces. Flavors range from the easy-on-the-tongue Mild Buffalo to El Jefe, a sauce so hot that the Food Network featured it on "Outrageous Food." Fire on the Mountain places all their sauces, and some celery sticks, by the register for pre-order sampling. Vegans love the Portland Wings, an animal-free take on classic wings. For dessert, grab the fried Oreos.

Portland, home to more breweries per-capita than any other city in the world, definitely prides itself on its beer scene. You can find at least six breweries in Buckman itself, including the famous Cascade Brewing Company and the smaller Base Camp Brewing and Coalition Brewing. Stop by any of these spots and try a flight of beers brewed on site.

Oregon law requires all bars to serve hot food, so don't worry if you miss dinner before heading out for the evening. Slow Bar's slowburger draws patrons from across the city, and Bunk Bar serves some of the best sandwiches in the WIllamette Valley, including the pork belly Cubano.

If you're looking for entertainment not centered around food, try the Lovecraft Bar, where you can order menu items themed after H.P. Lovecraft's characters and creatures. See second-run films on the cheap at Cinemagic, or head to Holocene for comedy and live music.

Take any of the main east-west drags in Buckman to reach Interstate 5, which leads to Interstate 84. If you're driving in the neighborhood, you can usually find unmetered parking without much trouble. Parking grows more sparse on weekends, especially near Hawthorne and Burnside.

You can get along without a car in Buckman. With a walkability score of 88 and a bike score of 95, this neighborhood provides friendly passage for pedestrians and cyclists. Though the neighborhood takes up a small space on the map, it hosts tons of dining and shopping destinations, so you always have easy access to amenities. Nine Trimet bus lines and a MAX light rail line serve the area.

If you need a cab, call Radio Cab or Broadway Cab. Taxi drivers usually do not drive around the area looking for riders. Laws in Portland continue to keep out Uber and Lyft, but you can find Car2Go and ZipCar stations if you need a quick lift.

Portlanders come from all over the city to visit Buckman's Colonel Summers Park, which features basketball courts and expansive green space. During the warmer months, dozens of patrons flock to the park for Monday Funday. At this free informal gathering, you can catch a game of frisbee or get your face painted while you watch jugglers and people spinning light-up hula hoops. The weekly pickup dodgeball game draws the most participants. Portland loves dogs, and your canine friends can join you at Colonel Summers. There isn't a playground, but kids have lots of room to run around.

If you or your kids have a skateboard, look under the Burnside Bridge for a free skate park with an interesting history. Local skaters secretly poured the concrete to build the unsanctioned Burnside Skatepark, and the city approved it later. The park was featured in two Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games.

Cost of living in Buckman hovers right around the average for close-in, popular Portland neighborhoods, but it runs significantly higher than life in the suburbs. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment sits at $1,369. To get to the city center on transit, buy a Trimet day pass, good for all bus, rail and streetcar transportation, for $5. Expect to pay about $6 for a microbrew pint at the local pub, but check out happy hours. Portland loves happy hour, and many bars have one in the afternoon and one around midnight. Drivers pay about 9 percent more than the national per-gallon average for gas.

Portlanders make a point of buying local, and Buckman provides ample opportunity to do just that at its many locally owned shops. Head to any of the neighborhood's main streets to find boutique, vintage and specialty shops.

Herbivore Clothing Company occupies a proud spot in a strip mall on Southeast Stark that specializes in vegan goods. The shop sells sustainable, organic cotton and hemp clothing and accessories. The hoodies receive special praise, especially during Portland's chilly winters. Herbivore also stocks a huge collection of vegan reading material, including cookbooks.

Bike shops take up much of Buckman's commercial real estate. For an enormous selection of road and racing bikes, check out River City Bicycles on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The employees provide thoughtful service, and you can grab a free latte while you shop.

Many Buckman locals buy groceries at New Seasons, a small, natural foods chain centered in Portland. Vegans love Food Fight Grocery on Stark, a grocery store catering entirely to shoppers seeking animal-free products. Food Fight bills usually run lower than those at New Seasons, so stop by for pantry staples. Locals go to Sheridan Fruit Company or the weekly Eastbank Farmers Market for fresh produce.