Sellwood & Westmoreland, as a local tells it.

Sellwood has a quiet charm that is hard to fake. It sits at the south end of the city with the river on one side and Westmoreland just up the hill, and it manages to feel settled without feeling sleepy.

Who it suits

Families, and people who are thinking a few years ahead. This is a neighborhood people move into and then stay in, which tells you most of what you need to know. It also suits anyone who wants to be near the river without giving up a real main street.

The everyday

Oaks Bottom is right there for the trail walks, and the riverfront park is where the summer happens. Thirteenth has the antique shops and the restaurants, and Westmoreland gives you a second little commercial pocket a few blocks away. Huckleberry has opinions about which of these walks is best. He is wrong, but he is enthusiastic.

What I watch here

Homes here hold their value well, which cuts both ways: you are rarely getting a bargain, and you are rarely making a mistake. Lot sizes vary more than people expect, so I pay attention to what is actually behind the house. Older homes here have often been updated once or twice already, and I look closely at who did that work and when.