Cully

Cully is named for Thomas Cully, an Irish immigrant who farmed the area in the late 19th century. The neighborhood remained largely rural — orchards, truck farms, and scattered residential development — well into the 20th century. Unlike many Portland neighborhoods that were fully built out in the streetcar era, Cully developed more slowly, and its street grid is notably incomplete in places, with dead ends, unimproved lots, and a patchwork character that still distinguishes it.

That unfinished quality attracted immigrants and working families throughout the 20th century — lower land costs and less neighborhood scrutiny made it accessible when other NE Portland neighborhoods were not. Vietnamese, Mexican, Somali, and Russian immigrant communities all established roots in Cully, giving the neighborhood a demographic complexity unusual even by Portland standards.

Today, Cully is consistently identified as Oregon's most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood — a fact that community organizations have worked to protect as development pressure increases. Groups like Living Cully have built coalitions to fight displacement and invest in community-controlled assets, including parks, gardens, and affordable housing.

Cully's food scene reflects its diversity in a way that most Portland neighborhoods can't match. La Auténtica, a taqueria that earned a national following, operated out of a food cart in Cully before becoming one of Portland's most celebrated spots. The neighborhood's immigrant-owned restaurants and food carts on NE Killingsworth and NE 42nd offer Vietnamese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Russian options that have served the community long before the neighborhood attracted attention.

The Cully Community Garden is one of the largest community gardens in Portland — a product of the neighborhood's urban agriculture culture and one of the Living Cully coalition's early organizing wins. The garden has been a model for community-controlled green space in underserved neighborhoods.

Verde, an environmental nonprofit based in Cully, has been a national leader in linking environmental justice with economic development — operating a social enterprise landscaping business while advocating for park access and green jobs in communities of color. Their work in Cully is studied by urban planners and environmental justice advocates nationwide.