King

King neighborhood straddles Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (historically Union Avenue) and takes its name from Amos King, who received a land claim in the area in the 1850s. Like neighboring Humboldt and Boise, King was part of the original City of Albina and developed rapidly after the 1883 completion of the transcontinental railroad. By the early 20th century, the neighborhood was home to working-class families and a growing commercial strip along what would become MLK Blvd.

King intersects the Alberta Arts District at its western gateway — where NE Alberta Street meets NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd — placing the neighborhood at the cultural heart of North/Northeast Portland. Alberta Street is among Portland's most celebrated commercial corridors: a two-mile stretch of independent galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and music venues that hosts the famous Last Thursday art walk every month. Peninsula Park, located just to the west of King's boundary in Piedmont, is nonetheless the neighborhood's civic anchor.

Today King is celebrated as one of Portland's most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods. The Portland Playhouse community theater and Alberta Abbey multi-use music venue both operate here, contributing to a genuine live-arts scene. The neighborhood is extremely bikeable (Bike Score 97), and the MLK Blvd bus corridor connects residents directly to downtown Portland and the Lloyd District.