King, Portland, Oregon

King is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Portland, Oregon. Like many of the surrounding neighborhoods, most residents have minority ancestry.

King straddles Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Ainsworth Street to Fremont and is at one end of the Alberta Arts District, a commercial district where locally owned shops, galleries, and cafes have brought new life. Once predominantly black, the neighborhood has rapidly gentrified since the 1990s and attracted more young residents. Previously an area of high crime rates related to gang activity, poverty, and the crack epidemic of the 1980-1990s, King and other inner northeast neighborhoods have attracted buyers who could not afford housing in predominantly white areas.

There has been some displacement of black residents whose rents increased, and some properties have turned over to white owners or renters in the process of an older generation passing on. Some long-time residents were also able to sell their homes to take advantage of increased prices if they wanted to move to smaller quarters. The neighborhood still has one of the highest concentrations of black residents in the city and as such is often still referred to as an African-American neighborhood. The neighborhood is considered along with Boise, Concordia, Eliot, Humboldt, Piedmont, Sabin, Vernon, and Woodlawn to be the center of Portland's African American community. Together, these neighborhoods have a combined population of 44,413 and are roughly 37% African American. It has the largest concentration of African-Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

Demographics (Race)

• 43.4% - non-Hispanic White
• 37.4% - African-American/Black
• 8.0% - Hispanic/Latino
• 6.0% - Some other race
• 3.8% - Asian
• 1.4% - Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Island^[1]

References

External links

• Speak Listen Heal-Gentrification Listening Circle
• King, Portland, Oregon is at coordinates 45°33′26″N 122°39′31″W / 45.55730°N 122.65855°W / 45.55730; -122.65855 (King, Portland, Oregon)Coordinates: 45°33′26″N 122°39′31″W / 45.55730°N 122.65855°W / 45.55730; -122.65855 (King, Portland, Oregon)
• King Neighborhood Map
• King Elementary School Website