Sellwood-Moreland is known as one of the most family-friendly and walkable neighborhoods in the city — and is home to one of the oldest, continually operating amusement parks in the country, Oaks Park. (Technically the area is two neighborhoods isolated away from the rest of Portland by 99/SE McLoughlin, with Milwaukie to the south and Brooklyn the north. Often overlooked, the business districts of SE Milwaukie and SE Bybee are technically West Moreland. But for the most part they function together, including in their neighborhood association.) The area was built on the land of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, but was named after an early English settler — an Episcopal minister named John Sellwood — who claimed the land in the 1800s as an independent, rival city to neighboring Portland.
The sun shone on Southeast 13th Avenue, outside of Grand Central Bakery. (Giulia Fiaoni/City Cast Portland)
Where to Eat & Drink
The Meddling Lime is a top-rated food cart offering Mexican-inspired fare using traditional Pacific Northwest ingredients and flavors. Tacos range from al pastor, to fried to chicken, to beet and avocado.
The Bible Club is a pre-Prohibition-era-themed speakeasy located inside a home built in 1922 and filled with antiques. Their website reads “PRAISE THE LORD & PASS THE BOOZE.”
Where to Shop
Sellwood-Moreland is known for its antique shops. Stars Antiques Mall has over 75 dealers. R. Spencer Antiques Inc. has been around since 1967 and features items spanning centuries of world history.
Wallace Books is a long-standing independent bookstore located in a 1930s house in the heart of Sellwood-Moreland featuring new, used, and vintage books on floor-to-ceiling shelves.
Where to Go
Moreland Theater is a single-screen 675-seat cinema built in 1926 offering showings for $8 a person before 6 pm.
Cloud Cap Games is a cozy board game, puzzle, and card game shop where you can try out games in-store or rent them for at-home play. They also have gaming events to join throughout the year.
City Cast Portland audio producer Giulia Fiaoni contributed today’s neighborhood guide.
