Getting Around the Division/Clinton Neighborhood in SE Portland

Working Your Way From Ladd’s Addition Out to South Tabor

The inner SE Portland neighborhood surrounding SE Division and Clinton Streets is one of Portland’s best-developed and yet still up-and-coming neighborhoods. Starting from the area from around 10th and 11th Avenues, along the border with Ladd’s Addition, through the intersections with 20th and 26th Avenues, and all the way out to 39th and beyond, there are beautiful modern and period homes, lovely shops, fantastic eateries, and cozy little bars waiting for you to come and explore.

If you’re a new homeowner to this fantastic SE Portland neighborhood, or one of the nearby neighborhoods, congratulations! You’ve hit the quirky PDX jackpot with a fantastic blend of Old Portland charm and New Portland variety at your fingertips. And if you’re visiting the neighborhood from another part of the city or somewhere else in the world, brace yourself for a full double dose of everything that keeps Portland fantastic.  

Division From 10th Avenue Out to the Area Around 20th

The stretch of SE Division from the end of the bend at 10th Avenue out to the intersection with 20th is a great place to go shopping, grab a coffee or other beverage with a friend, or settle in for a great meal. The Ford Building, with its fantastic cafe, public art galleries, and lovely boutiques is a great place to begin your adventure on Division.  

The stretch of SE Division between 10th and 13th is home to a near-ridiculous amount of Portland chic and cool that may only be rivaled by another stretch of Division farther up the road. If you’re looking for fantastic bahn mi, you’re covered; a locally made messenger bag, you’re covered; vegan ice cream and pizza, yes!; a beer bar with more than twenty local and international taps, indeed! And that’s just a handful of the amazing shops that permeate this little stretch. 

Clinton From Around 20th to Around 26th 

SE Clinton Street runs parallel to SE Division, four blocks south, and though it is not as commercially developed as its busier sister street to the north, it is one Southeast’s key bike routes and has a couple of little districts well worth checking out.  

The area around the intersection with SE 26this anchored by the historic Clinton Street Theater and the iconic Dot’s Cafe, and then runs down to the intersection with 20th Avenue and its tattoo parlor, ice cream parlor, neighborhood bar, terrific restaurants, and fantastic grocery stores. 

 Division From 30th Out to 39th

This stretch of Division street is now home to several freshly developed multi-story mixed-use buildings with terrific little boutiques, bars, and eateries on their main floors and homes for new and old Portlanders alike above. 

Still, through all the new development, neighborhood mainstays are still anchoring the street. Mainstays like the original location of a Thai restaurant empire are serving locals and tourists alike, while newer neighborhood businesses sell imported Japanese stationary, or teach life drawing classes. 

Beyond 39th Avenue

If you believe some people, in Old Portland there was nothing worth doing or seeing beyond 39th Avenue except for the Space Room. The stretch of SE Division from 39th out to South Tabor puts that notion to rest. Whether you’re looking to get Korean barbecue at one of the city’s best food trucks, trade in a used instrument for something more to your liking, or get a coffee at one of the very first Stumptown Coffee locations, this stretch of Division is worth traveling a bit beyond the core.