Nestled in the shadow of Rocky Butte, where I-205 and I-84 meet, you’ll find a piece cut out of the Portland map. That’s Maywood Park, the enclave with its own mayor and City Council and a decidedly small-town feel. What its 900 or so residents lack in numbers they make up for in civic pride, and summertime brings out the best in the welcoming community. Here’s how the Fourth of July holiday weekend is shaping up:
🚗 Why You Should Visit This Week: A Parade and Live Performance
With plenty of tree cover and wide streets, Maywood Park is the ideal setting for the parade that kicks off its Fourth of July festivities. Departing from Northeast Maywood Place and Skidmore Street at 11 a.m. the procession will head southeast and then back toward the starting area via 99th Avenue and Campaign Street (forming a short, triangle-shaped route). Owners of classic cars and motorcycles, or simply decorated bicycles are all invited to join in — you can also just bring a chair or blanket to watch the spectacle from the sidewalks.
Of course, most of the people there will be neighbors, but you’ll find their friendliness extends to anyone who wants to celebrate. Following the parade, food trucks will set up in Maywood Commons (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), as will The Velvet Stingrays, a surf rock instrumental band featuring Maywood Park City Councilor Thomas Welande.
You won’t want to miss the pie-eating contest. (Patrick F. Smith)
⚠️ Origin Story: A Fight With The State
It took Maywood Park two attempts over several years to successfully incorporate, but in doing so, its citizens gained a better standing to protest the freeway planned for their backyards. In the end, ODOT wouldn’t budge, and more than 80 homes on the west side were demolished, but there were several smaller victories residents could be proud of. Most importantly — and why it’s so easy to miss Maywood Park as you’re driving by — I-205 was built with a deeply sunken grade, far below the level of the surrounding homes, in order to reduce the traffic noise. A grassy berm was built to further muffle the din. Today, people can host a barbecue, go to class, and otherwise live their lives in peace and quiet.
History: Digging Deeper
Rolling back the clock a bit more, you’ll find that automobiles were a main reason Maywood Park exists in the first place. At the turn of the 20th century, the region was predominantly semi-old-growth forest with farmland around its edges (where Parkrose is today). Being far east from downtown, the area was hard to get to, but in 1926, the city of Portland expanded Sandy Boulevard to four lanes, improving access and opening the door to swaths of homebuyers.
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