Belmont Street, about 6 blocks north from Hawthorne, has its own eclectic charms. This strip is not nearly as busy as Hawthorne, but still boasts a number of places neighborhood residents and the adventurous enjoy. Zupan’s Market, a high-end grocery store, serves the Belmont area. Well-known and much-loved Portland coffee roaster, Stumptown Coffee, has a location here. And true beer lovers frequent the Horse Brass, a mecca of sorts for beer adventurers seeking a tapped keg of hard-to-find microbrews. If you’re looking to take some  beer home with you, Belmont is the place to go for wild and crazy beers. How wild and crazy? How does a Japanese beer made with blue yams sound?

Shopping

Antique stores and the Avalon, a classic arcade and movie theater, can be found along the densest commercial stretch. Movie buffs and casual watchers rent flicks at Movie Madness, a fantastic independent movie rental store with an outstanding selection and a great array of film props on display. If you’re looking for a uniquely curated selection of home decor and other goods, check out Noun: A person’s place for things.

The Area

Residents of both Hawthorne and Belmont are counter culture, professionals, blue-collar workers, or the next great performance artist. The only consistent factor is the diversity. There are some families in the area, but they aren’t the predominant residents. Single family and multi-family units can be found throughout the area.

Home styles in the area include Victorians, bungalows, Portland foursquares, and Craftsmans. There also numerous apartment buildings sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. On Belmont, a new and modern condominium building was constructed at SE 34^th and Belmont. The Sunnyside area (closer to Belmont Street) has a higher proportion of renters than the Richmond neighborhood, south of Hawthorne.

Multnomah County Library’s Belmont Location on SE Caesar Chavez (formerly SE 39^th) has been open since 1924. 5-acre Sewallcrest Park (at SE 31^st and Market Street) contains an off-leash dog area, a playground, recreation fields, a basketball court, and even WiFi for those seeking a quiet outdoor spot to surf the web from. From December 15 to December 31, each home on nearby Peacock Lane puts up a spectacular Christmas/holiday lights display. Most homes along the street are Tudors and they’ve been putting up their fanciful decorations since the 1920s.

Schools

The two elementary schools and two middle schools in Sunnyside are rated as strong by the Oregon Department of Education. The area high school (Franklin) is rated satisfactory. The Richmond neighborhood feeds into numerous elementary, middle, and high schools. Their ratings range from strong to satisfactory. Because of the substantial access to walking areas, shops, restaurants, and services, home prices in these neighborhoods has been steadily increasing.

Homes on streets with fewer apartment complexes command a higher value. Streets and home appearances can vary greatly from block to the next. Since both Hawthorne and Belmont are busy commercial neighborhoods, parking on streets within 1-2 blocks from these strips is sometimes difficult. Regular bus service runs along SE Belmont, SE Hawthorne, SE 11^th, SE 12^th, and SE Caesar Chavez (formerly SE 39^th). Large numbers of bicycle riders populate these neighborhoods; they often use side streets and try to avoid Hawthorne & Belmont when possible. By car, it’s a straight shot to downtown Portland by driving down Hawthorne and over the Hawthorne Bridge. It takes approximately 20-30 minutes by car to reach the Portland International Airport, depending on traffic.