Spotlight: Portland’s Best Trick or Treat Neighborhoods & Halloween Weekend Happenings

Spotlight: Best Portland Trick or Treat Neighborhoods and Halloween Weekend Happenings

When I was a kid, Halloween was THE BESTEST ‘holiday’ next to Christmas. Zillow.com recently ranked Portland 3rd best in the US for trick-or-treating. Without further ado, here are some picks for the best places to trick or treat around the Portland area and a listing of Halloween happenings for this weekend; and please leave a comment if you’d like to share your tip for other places and neighborhoods that we may have surely missed. Happy Halloween!

NEIGHBORHOODS
– Trick or treat at the The House of Horror, located on The Street of Screams in North Portland along Portsmouth Avenue (between Lombard and Willamette) right by the University of Portland.

– Summerlake Park neighborhood in Tigard

– Orenco Station neighborhood in Hillsboro

– Lake Oswego

– Alameda / Grant Park / Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhoods

The following neighborhoods were selected by Zillow
– Laurelhurst (our personal favorite, just because we grew up around there!)
– Richmond (Hawthorne)
– Northwest Heights (Sylvan)
– Sellwood
– Eastmoreland

From the web site:

“Methodology….There is a common belief that wealthy neighborhoods are the Holy Grail for harvesting the most Halloween candy. However, to provide a more holistic approach to trick-or-treating, the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index was calculated using four equally weighted data variables: Zillow Home Value Index, population density, Walk Score and local crime data from Relocation Essentials. Based on those variables, the Index represents cities that will provide the most candy, with the least walking and safety risks.

About Portland’s Best Trick-or-Treat Neighborhoods
Richmond, whose northerly border is part of the anything-goes Hawthorne District, is a family friendly and young urbanite neighborhood with an “… artsy, down-home, community minded, green and eco-conscious bent.” The very active Richmond Neighborhood Association fought (and won) a battle in the 1970s against the development of a four-lane highway through the heart of Richmond and they also fought (and won) plans to build a drive-through fast-food restaurant. Proudly, the Richmond neighborhood vibe is anti-car and some even say anti-establishment.

Family focused and community conscious as well, the Northwest Heights neighborhood is a bit more upscale. Many homes are located in planned subdivisions with remarkable views of the Coast Range and the jewel of the neighborhood is the 5,000-acre Forest Park which offers miles of hiking trails for all age levels. Living in Northwest Heights is like living in a forested park — it’s hard to believe you’re actually in a big city.

Located in southwest Portland, Sellwood is a self-contained neighborhood filled with independently owned shops and cafes and the occasional food cart. The mood here is laid back and family friendly. On weekends, couples push strollers and walk their dogs while coffee shops are the place to lounge, read the paper and bring your laptop. Walking the streets of Sellwood-Moreland is gives a strong sense of neighborhood, family and community pride.

Due to an easy commute into downtown Portland and its older, more established charm, Laurelhurst is one of Portland’s most popular neighborhoods. Tree-lined streets are a mixture of charming bungalows and early-era craftsman homes with welcoming front porches that are perfect for trick-or-treaters.

Eastmoreland rounds out the list of the top five places to trick-or-treat in Portland, OR this year. This area offers a bit of an East Coast feel with larger homes and expansive lawns, and the scene is activity: cyclists, kids on bikes, strollers, dog walkers, runners and walkers.”

* * Other Halloween Events and Trick or Treating: Keep scrolling down below! * *

OTHER HALLOWEEN EVENTS AND TRICK OR TREATING:

– Sunset Esplanade, Friday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Costumed children must be accompanied by an adult. Supplies are limited, free trick or treat bag while supplies last.

– Tanasbourne Village trick or treating, Friday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Free bags and goodies for costumed children. Located at 185th and Sunset Highway.

– Gresham Town Fair Halloween Fun, trick or treat from 3:00pm – 5:00pm this Friday.

– Historic Downtown Oregon City trick or treat downtown this Friday from 4:30pm – 6:30 pm on Main Street, sponsored by the Downtown Business Coalition.

– Early Friday Halloween at Kennedy School with the Freak Mountain Ramblers this Friday night starting at 8:00pm, free.

– Dark Horse Comics Anime Halloween Event at McMenamins Bagdad Theater this Friday at 9:00pm, “The Blood and Guts Bash.” Free, 21 and over only.

– Jenkins Estate Spooktacular this Saturday from 11:00am – 4:00pm. Admission is $7.00 per child at the door (adults free when accompanied by children); features carnival games and prizes, crafts, hay ride to the pumpkin patch and more. The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District offers four other family friendly Halloween events, click here for more information.

– Clackamas Town Center Fall Family Festival this Saturday from 1:00pm – 6:00pm; kids ages 2-12 are invited to come in costume with their parents and enjoy a fun afternoon of family-friendly activities, make and take crafts, face painting and more! There also will be Trick-or-Treating throughout the mall from 4:00pm – 6:00pm.

– Oregon Zoo ‘Halloween at the Zoo‘ this Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 4:00pm with regular zoo admission. Trick-or-treaters in their various costumes will participate in an exciting scavenger hunt leading them to activity stations around the zoo. Goodie bags filled with candy and prizes will be given out for completed hunts at the zoo’s exit.

HALLOWEEN SUNDAY:

– Portland Saturday Market Costume Parade and Contest starting at 12:00pm; trick or treating from 12:00pm – 3:00pm.

– Tigard Farmer’s Market, 9:00am – 2:00pm this Sunday for costumed kids to get candy as they trick-or-treat the booths, meet Gentle Biff the Clown and have their faces painted for free.

– Bridgeport Village Streets of Treats this Sunday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Features games, music and prizes from Radio Disney as well as treats from participating stores – Just look for a Streets of Treats window decal in your favorite stores! Free flashlight from PGE while supplies last.

– Mississippi Avenue Trick or Treat venues this weekend

– Lloyd Center Mall trick or treating this Sunday from 4:00pm – 6:00pm.

– Jantzen Beach Super Center: Families and children are welcome to attend and enjoy free mall-wide trick-or-treating from 3:00pm to 6:00 pm. Children are invited to dress in their favorite costumes, fill their baskets with treats from participating retailers and take a free ride on our haunted 1921 Carousel during the above hours.

– Halloween at McMenamins Kennedy School with Willamette Radio Workshop performing “Vincent Price’s ‘Theater of Blood'” at 4:00pm and trick or treating around the property from 4:30pm – 6:30pm. Free.

– McMenamins Halloween at Grand Lodge this Sunday with trick or treating beginning at 4:30pm and live music beginning at 7:00pm. Free.

ONLINE GUIDES:

– PDX Pipeline weekend events listing of parties, haunted houses, trick or treat venues and more.

– Willamette Week’s “So, What Are You Doing for Halloween?” listing of music, edible treats, costume parties and more.

– Portland Tribune’s “Boo! These haunts add a little fright to Halloween.”

– Portland Mercury’s “Destination: Halloween!” event listings for this weekend.

– Oregonlive.com’s Portland Halloween events roundup “I remember Halloween.”

– Pearl District Portland events Saturday and Sunday include the Pearl Animal Hospital Howl-loween party, Pearl Rotary casino night, Harvest Party at City Bible Church and much more.

OTHER WEEKEND EVENTS:

– 12th Annual African American Homeownership Fair this Saturday from 10:00am – 2:30pm at Legacy Emanuel Hospital Medical Atrium, free and open to the public.

– Friends of the Hillsboro Library Fall Used Book sale begins this Friday and runs through Sunday, November 7th. Pick up a 50 cents off coupon at the information desk.

– Hillsboro Airport Open House this Saturday from 12:00pm – 4:00pm. Take a behind the scenes airport tour, see aircraft up close and check out the children’s flight simulator. Free.

– Portland Opera Preview: Hansel & Gretel at the Multnomah County Central Library this Sunday from 2:00pm – 3:00pm. Free.

– Submission: Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate! comes to the Rose Garden for 7 big performances over Halloween weekend.

“Let’s Celebrate!,” features more than 50 favorite Disney characters from 16 different stories in a jam-packed celebration of holidays and festivals from around the world.

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Thur-Sun October 28-31, 2010

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