Buckman

Buckman is one of Portland's earliest platted neighborhoods east of the Willamette, developed in the 1870s and 1880s as the city expanded beyond the river. It was named for Cyrus Buckman, an early settler who owned land in the area. The neighborhood grew quickly as streetcar lines pushed development east along Burnside and Belmont.

By the early 20th century, Buckman was a dense, working-class residential neighborhood — modest Victorian and Craftsman homes, small apartment buildings, corner stores. Unlike some neighborhoods that saw wholesale demolition during urban renewal, Buckman retained much of its built fabric. The housing stock today is a mix of original structures and later infill.

In recent decades, Buckman has become known for its arts community and small creative businesses. Its proximity to the Central Eastside Industrial District, the Buckman Arts Magnet School, and established institutions like OMSI make it a nexus of the city's educational and creative infrastructure.

Buckman's SE Burnside corridor hosts some of Portland's most-discussed restaurants. Pok Pok, Andy Ricker's landmark Thai restaurant, put SE Division and the surrounding area on the national food map and operated out of the Buckman-adjacent zone for years. The neighborhood's density supports a mix of longtime local spots and newer arrivals. The SE Morrison and Belmont commercial strips are a short walk and offer even more options.

OMSI — Oregon Museum of Science and Industry sits on the east bank of the Willamette at Buckman's western edge. It's one of the top science museums in the Pacific Northwest — a submarine docked outside, a planetarium, and rotating exhibits that draw both school groups and adults who forget how much they love science.

The Buckman Community Garden is one of Portland's older community plots — a working demonstration of the neighborhood's cooperative culture. Laurelhurst Park, a short walk southeast, is a National Historic Landmark with old-growth trees and a duck pond.