Kerns

Average Sales Price

$882,180

Total Listings

Kerns is a compact inner Northeast Portland neighborhood wrapped around the NE 28th Avenue restaurant row and NE Sandy Boulevard. Homes are predominantly pre-1930 Craftsman bungalows, Old Portland foursquares, and pre-war apartment buildings on small lots. Laurelhurst Park sits immediately east, and downtown is a short bridge hop across the Willamette.

LISTINGS

$749,000

4 Beds1.1 Baths3,386 SqFt

2249 E BURNSIDE ST, Portland, OR 97214

Listed by Mauck Realty
$799,000

3 Beds3.1 Baths1,872 SqFt

2885 NE COUCH ST, Portland, OR 97232

Listed by Windermere Realty Trust
$199,000

1 Bed1 Bath560 SqFt

711 NE RANDALL AVE #301, Portland, OR 97232

Listed by Knipe Realty ERA Powered
$545,000

2 Beds2.1 Baths1,487 SqFt

627 NE RANDALL AVE, Portland, OR 97232

Listed by Windermere Realty Trust
$1,620,700

4 Beds1.1 Baths2,604 SqFt

722 NE COUCH ST, Portland, OR 97232

Listed by Apex Residential
$545,000

2 Beds2.1 Baths1,487 SqFt

623 NE Randall AVE, Portland, OR 97232

Listed by Windermere Realty Trust

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RECENTLY SOLD

$825,000

$850,000 2.9%

835 NE 33RD AVE, Portland, OR 97232

2 Beds2 Baths1,364 SqFt

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Listed by MORE Realty

$600,000

1004 NE 31ST AVE, Portland, OR 97232

3 Beds2 Baths2,298 SqFt

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Listed by Urban Nest Realty

$490,000

$488,000 0.4%

2714 NE EVERETT ST, Portland, OR 97232

2 Beds3 Baths2,292 SqFt

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Listed by Windermere Realty Trust

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Northeast Portland Neighborhood Guide

Living in Kerns

A compact inner Northeast neighborhood wrapped around the 28th Avenue restaurant row with quick bridge access to downtown.

Updated April 2026 by Joe Saling

Neighborhood Overview

What Kerns Is Really Like

Kerns is a small inner Northeast Portland neighborhood roughly bounded by I-84 on the south, NE Broadway on the north, NE 12th on the west, and NE 32nd on the east. At just under a square mile, it is one of the most compact and walkable neighborhoods in the city, structured on a flat grid with two active commercial spines: NE 28th Avenue between Burnside and Glisan, and NE Sandy Boulevard cutting diagonally across the northern half. Housing sits on the quiet blocks between those corridors.

Weekday mornings bring coffee lines at Coava and Heart, bike commuters heading west on the NE Couch and Ankeny greenways, and steady traffic along Sandy. Weekend evenings on NE 28th are the neighborhood's defining rhythm: the restaurant row between Burnside and Glisan fills sidewalk tables, people bounce between bars and dinner spots, and the mood shifts from residential to destination without leaving the neighborhood. Side streets south of Sandy stay low-traffic, with mature trees and tight parking that signal pre-war density.

Daily life here leans toward walking and biking for most errands. You see people heading to the grocery store on foot, pulling up to Coava with a dog on a leash, or riding the NE 28th Avenue bike route south into Southeast. A meaningful share of the housing is renter-occupied, which keeps sidewalk traffic consistent throughout the day. Remote work has become visible in the cafes along 28th through the weekday afternoons.

Looking for broader context on the area? Read my full Northeast Portland relocation guide for how Kerns fits into the wider district.

Housing & Style

Homes and Architecture in Kerns

Kerns' housing stock is older than most of Northeast Portland, with the majority of single-family homes built between 1905 and 1930. Expect Craftsman bungalows, Old Portland four-squares, English cottage-style homes, and a notable concentration of two and three-story pre-war apartment buildings and converted houses broken into units. Lots are small by Portland standards. The neighborhood's density is closer to Buckman or the Pearl than to outer Northeast, which matters for both noise and parking expectations.

Single-family inventory is thin in Kerns because of its size and density, so when a well-preserved bungalow hits the market it moves quickly. Condos and townhomes turn over more often, particularly in buildings along the 28th corridor and along Sandy. You will see a wider range of condition than in neighboring areas: some homes are fully updated to modern standards, others have been rental-held for decades and need systems work, and a handful are vintage fixers held by long-term owners. Street parking can be tight near the 28th restaurant corridor on weekend evenings, which matters if you are shopping homes without off-street parking.

Craftsman Bungalow
Old Portland Foursquare
Pre-war Apartment and Townhome
2,500 to 5,000 sq ft lots
Mid to upper range for Northeast Portland

Around the Neighborhood

Dining, Parks, and Daily Life

Ken's Artisan Pizza

Wood-fired pizza on NE 28th

One of the defining restaurants of the NE 28th corridor, known for naturally leavened wood-fired pizzas and a short, excellent wine list. Expect a wait on weekends; it is consistently one of Portland's busiest neighborhood restaurants.

Screen Door Eastside

Southern American on E Burnside

The eastside location of the long-running Portland Southern kitchen, known for fried chicken, biscuits, and weekend brunch lines. Sits at the southern edge of Kerns on E Burnside.

Coava Coffee Roasters

Specialty coffee on NE Couch

A flagship location for one of Portland's most respected roasters. The 1300 SE Grand space sits just south of Kerns, but the NE 28th and Couch shop is the neighborhood's daily standard. Heart Coffee on E Burnside handles the southern end.

Kerns Park and Laurelhurst Park

Pocket park plus adjacent major park

Kerns itself has limited park acreage, but Laurelhurst Park sits immediately east across NE 32nd and serves as the neighborhood's default green space. The Oval Pond, 27 acres of mature canopy, and walking loops are all within a 5 to 15-minute walk from most Kerns addresses.

Trader Joe's and New Seasons on NE Broadway

Full-service grocery

Trader Joe's on NE Broadway and the Concordia New Seasons on NE 33rd and Killingsworth are both short drives or bike rides. For walkable options within Kerns, Zupan's on W Burnside at 33rd and smaller specialty grocers along Sandy handle most needs.

Getting Around

Transit & Commute

Downtown Portland is a 5 to 10-minute drive via the Burnside Bridge or Morrison Bridge off-peak, and 15 to 20 minutes during rush hour. TriMet buses on NE Sandy, E Burnside, and NE Broadway all run direct downtown service. The NE 28th Avenue bike route and the Couch and Ankeny greenways provide flat, low-traffic bike commutes. I-84 eastbound and I-5 access via the Lloyd District are both under 5 minutes by car.

From Your Agent

Joe's Take on Kerns

Kerns is one of the densest, most walkable neighborhoods in Portland outside the central core, which is the appeal and the trade-off. You get a real walk-to-restaurants lifestyle, quick bridge access to downtown, and pre-war architecture on flat streets. In exchange you accept smaller lots, older housing stock with older systems, tighter parking, and real weekend noise on the 28th corridor. For the right buyer that trade is obvious, but it is worth walking the block at 9 PM on a Saturday before you commit.

The housing stock here matches buyers who want a compact footprint with strong walkability, or investors looking at small multifamily and ADU potential on the slightly larger corner lots. Single-level living is possible in some of the older cottages and in condo inventory along Sandy. The neighborhood supports a car-light lifestyle better than most Portland addresses outside downtown, with transit, bike routes, and daily errands all within a 10-minute radius.

Local due diligence in Kerns centers on three things. First, pre-1940 housing means knob-and-tube wiring, cast-iron sewer laterals, and in some cases oil tanks that were never decommissioned, all of which show up in the inspection. I always order a sewer scope and ask about oil tank status upfront. Second, sound exposure varies sharply by block; homes within a block of NE 28th between Burnside and Glisan hear weekend restaurant traffic, and homes along Sandy hear arterial traffic through the night. Third, if you are buying a condo in one of the pre-war conversion buildings, review the reserve study and recent assessments carefully because the deferred maintenance can be material.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Kerns

How do Kerns home prices compare to the rest of Northeast Portland?

Kerns sits in the mid to upper range for Northeast Portland. Single-family homes typically price above neighborhoods like Cully and Madison South, roughly in line with Sabin and Boise, and below Irvington, Alameda, and Grant Park. Condos and townhomes bring the entry point lower than most of the district. Current median prices for Northeast Portland are updated in the Lofty market data on this page.

What are property taxes like in Kerns?

Kerns is in Multnomah County, which has the highest effective property tax rates in the Portland metro area. Oregon's Measure 50 caps assessed value growth at 3 percent per year, so long-held homes often have assessed values well below market value. New buyers generally see taxes calculated on the most recent sale. Exact amounts can be verified on the Multnomah County Assessor's property lookup by address.

Which schools serve Kerns?

Kerns is served by Portland Public Schools. The default assigned elementary for most of the neighborhood is Buckman Elementary in adjacent Buckman, with Harriet Tubman or Hosford Middle School and Grant or Cleveland High School depending on the exact address. School boundaries can change, so always verify your specific address with the PPS boundary finder at pps.net. Current school ratings are published by GreatSchools and Niche.

What is the housing stock like in Kerns?

Kerns has some of the oldest housing in Northeast Portland, most of it built between 1905 and 1930. The mix runs heavy on Craftsman bungalows, Old Portland foursquares, and English cottage-style homes, with a notable share of pre-war apartment buildings and converted multi-unit homes. Lots are small, typically 2,500 to 5,000 square feet, reflecting pre-automobile density.

How long is the commute from Kerns to downtown Portland?

Downtown Portland is roughly 2 miles from Kerns. By car, plan on 5 to 10 minutes off-peak via the Burnside or Morrison Bridge, and 15 to 20 minutes during rush hour. TriMet buses on NE Sandy, E Burnside, and NE Broadway all run direct downtown service. Bike commutes on the NE Couch and Ankeny greenways take 10 to 15 minutes.

Is Kerns walkable?

Yes. Kerns consistently scores in the high 80s to mid 90s on Walk Score, making it one of the most walkable neighborhoods outside downtown Portland. The NE 28th, Sandy, and Burnside corridors handle daily dining, coffee, and errands. Bike Score is also high thanks to the 28th Avenue route and the Couch and Ankeny greenways. Most Kerns addresses are within a 10-minute walk of at least two commercial nodes.

How does Kerns compare to nearby neighborhoods like Buckman, Laurelhurst, and Sullivan's Gulch?

Buckman, just south across Burnside, has similar pre-war density, similar price range, and a heavier share of renters. Laurelhurst, east of NE 32nd, has larger lots, premier Craftsman and Tudor inventory, and a strong price premium. Sullivan's Gulch, on the other side of I-84, has similar architecture with less commercial walkability and direct freeway noise. Kerns sits between those three in scale and amenity density.

Can you build an ADU or run a short-term rental in Kerns?

Portland's ADU rules allow accessory dwelling units on most single-family residential lots. In Kerns, tight lot sizes can limit detached ADU feasibility, but attached ADUs and basement conversions are common. Short-term rental rules in Portland require a Type A or Type B permit, owner occupancy for Type A, and compliance with city registration. Always verify current rules with the Portland Bureau of Development Services before planning.

Thinking About Buying in Kerns?

I help buyers navigate Northeast Portland neighborhoods every week. Let's talk about what you need, what you can afford, and whether Kerns is the right fit.

Schedule a Free Consultation Or call Joe directly: (503) 910-7364

Joe Saling · Saling Homes at eXp Realty · 10+ years serving Portland metro buyers and sellers

Saling Homes at eXp Realty is committed to the principles of the Fair Housing Act and Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in the State of Oregon. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Verify all data independently before making real estate decisions.