Neighborhood in Portland is one of the coolest in the world, according to Time Out
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Do you live in East Portland? If so, you may be a resident of one of the coolest neighborhoods on the planet.
A new list from Time Out revealed that the Kerns neighborhood is the fifth coolest neighborhood in the world and the coolest neighborhood in the U.S. — beating out vacation destinations in Lisbon, Portugal and Paris, France.
But what makes a neighborhood “cool” anyway?
Time Out ranked neighborhoods selected by their writers according to several criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and “one-of-a-kind local flavour.” According to the list, these neighborhoods “reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district.”
“Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else,” according to the list.
Time Out said Kerns “feels like a perfectly-formed small town” despite belonging to a major city, thanks to stand out areas like NE 28th Avenue:
“Aside from a few modern apartments, this walkable thoroughfare is still mostly populated by one- or two-story brick buildings, which house some of the neighborhood’s coolest venues: record stores like Music Millennium, cozy German restaurant Stammtisch (perfect for a late-afternoon beer) and one of Portland’s favorite old cinemas, Laurelhurst Theater. Meanwhile Laurelhurst Park, on Kerns’s southeast border, hosts everything from music and comedy evenings to outdoor movies. You’ll find locals stocking up across the neighborhood on groceries – Olympia Provisions salami, Cowbell Creamery cheese and fresh produce from Providore Fine Foods – for picnics near the duck pond.”
Time Out’s top 10 coolest neighborhoods:
- Notre-Dame-du-Mont, Marseille, France
- Mers Sultan, Casablanca, Morocco
- Pererenan, Bali, Indonesia
- Seongsu-dong, Seoul, South Korea
- Kerns, Portland, USA
- Stokes Croft and St Paul’s, Bristol, UK
- Chippendale, Sydney, Australia
- Príncipe Real, Lisbon, Portugal
- Glória, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Windsor, Melbourne, Australia