Sullivan’s Gulch Apartments for Rent

Sullivan’s Gulch in East Portland was named for an early landowner, Timothy Sullivan, who emigrated from Ireland. It’s now a small neighborhood north of an actual gulch, which once held waterfalls and forest, but now holds the light rail and the Banfield Expressway. Sullivan’s Gulch is a walkable neighborhood of older homes and vintage apartment buildings as well as new rental complexes and condominiums.

A primordial flood 13,000 years ago covered what is now Portland and created the gulch and other landforms. Mr. Sullivan took title to the land in 1863, at 58 years old. During the Great Depression, the gulch was the site of a Hooverville, a shantytown built by the unemployed. Now, there are plans for a historic trail, which will roughly parallel the MAX light rail tracks and add to the network of city greenways.

The neighborhood north of the old gulch offers varied housing, close to the restaurants and nightlife of Broadway and Weidler streets. Nearby Lloyds Center Mall holds nationally-known stores, an ice rink, and a multiplex cinema. It is also a light rail stop.

The neighborhood’s Buckman Elementary focuses on the arts. Families throughout Portland may apply to have children attend the school, which teaches academics through art, music, theater, and movement. Buckman still functions as the local school too; all its students take part in the arts curriculum. Neighborhood students continue to Fernwood Middle School, and may attend Benson or Grant High School.

About three miles west of Sullivan’s Gulch, beyond downtown Portland, Washington Park and Pittock Acres are part of a chain of parks where hikers can walk for miles under the forest canopy. Not everyone goes that far, however. Many prefer to stop and spend time downtown, or even to stay near home and enjoy their dynamic neighborhood.