http://www.preservingamerica.com/portlandky.html
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| Portland | ||||||||||||||
| When moving down Market Street, the next neighborhood encountered is Portland. 9th Street serves as a type of divide between what is generally considered a "safe" urban area and a more "dangerous" urban area: a line in the proverbial sand. One can't miss the visible socioeconomic drop when crossing 9th Street: locations like the glassblowing shop at the edge of the Entertainment District are replaced by nail salons, shabby fast food establishments and rundown hardware stores. Trash is more prominently in the streets, homeslessness manifests itself on the street corners and graffiti litters recently rebuilt tenement homes. The decline in the material conditions between the two neighborhoods is almost startling. | ||||||||||||||
| Portland holds a fascinating place, though, beause it is a gateway community: Portland is the only primarily White/Caucasian community west of 9th Street and has a deep historical foundation. As of 2006, the Portland neighborhood was home to around 11,000 people, 71% of whom are white. Originally settled by French and Italian immigrants, a great mass migration out of this area occured after the flood of 1937 as many displaced immigrants filtered back in as the city was being rebuilt. Today, many of the people living and working in this area are workers in blue-collar jobs or low-paying service industries. Portland is home to many old mansions, most of which are now dilapidated and have long been abandoned. Most of the homes are shotgun style, with apartment buildings growing in record numbers. Portland has the lowest median home value in the city. | ||||||||||||||
| Portland's status as historically important to Louisville and economically impoverished make it an interesting misnomer that has attracted a great deal of attention. In 2006, Laura Bush launched a major effort in favor of Portland's revitalization by naming the area one of her Perserving America communities. Current restoration projects include rehabbing the last remaining 1800s maritime hospital in the United States and the construction of a waterfront park area. What's more, the entire district has been named the the National Register of Historic Places. However, the quality of business establishment leaves much to be desired, with little more than liquor stores, dry cleaners and fast food in the area. | ||||||||||||||
| For more information about Portland's place on the Perserving America list, visit: http://www.preservingamerica.com/portlandky.html |
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| Despite having one of the lowest per capita income rates in Greater Jefferson County and the greatest number of abandoned buildings, Portland has a relatively low crime rate and very few instances of violent crime. This is in contrast with other neighborhoods to the West, which are home to many of the city's most violent crimes. Portland's lack of crime makes it an ideal place for rehabilitation and future development, however, it devolves into a chicken-or-the-egg question: do more affluent economic conditions become enough to change the social norms and conditions of poverty or will social conditions have to change on their own first? | ||||||||||||||
| Next: Shawnee/West End | ||||||||||||||