Beaumont-Wilshire

Leave it to Portland’s Eastside to have a neighborhood with an appellation right out of France.

Beaumont loosely translates from the French to “beautiful mountain,” and although the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood is not even close to a mountain, its southern boundary is marked by the Alameda Ridge, a substantial 250-foot bluff that divides the Beaumont-Wilshire from the lower areas of Hollywood and Grant Park. This high ground is marked by a collection of old-style Portland architecture: Craftsman, bungalows, and Tudors.

Sitting high and sitting pretty, the Beaumont-Wilshire, as the hybrid neighborhood has come to be known, hugs NE Fremont (Beaumont to the south, Wilshire north) where a lively street scene makes for an entirely walkable district. Indeed, the Beaumont-Wilshire is one of areas that has put Portland on the map as the new San Francisco where you can leave your car behind and knit yourself into your community, neighbors and merchants alike.

From 42nd Ave on the west to 50th Ave, restaurants, shops, and stores draw residents and tourists where on warm sunny days there’s a festive scene. There’s the flagship Beaumont Hardware store where they will even take whatever part you’re having trouble with into their back workroom and help the cause. And just across the street is the longtime icon, The Arrangement, a shop where you’ll find superbly curated gifts, cards, and clothing, including a great section for newborns and toddlers with plush stuffed animals that oftentimes become “the one,” little tykes bond with.

Then there’s the architecturally significant Dutch Village at 42nd and Fremont at with its cluster of shops including the flagship Beaumont Market and Beaumont Hardware. Further east is Blackbird Wine Shop, an unpretentious first-rate place to enjoy a sip either inside or out under umbrellas or heaters depending on the season.

After that comes Grand Central Bakery, a coffee and lunch house that holds down the east end of the Beaumont strip, while Jim and Patty's Coffee, “the center for sour cream coffee cake” over at 50th, holds down the west end along with All Weather Remodeling. In between there’s the new Blind Ox Taproom, the collectible shop Found on Fremont, and all manner of local businesses to patronize like Paper Jam, The Refinery, Silhouette Tailoring, and Green Dog Pet Supply.