Montavilla Portland Neighborhood Guide 2026: Homes, Prices, Schools, and Daily Life

by Kerrie Doerr

Montavilla is an eastside Portland neighborhood between Mount Tabor and I-205, with a walkable main street on SE Stark, a year-round farmers market, and MAX light rail at 82nd Avenue. The median home sale price was about $462,000 in August 2026 according to Redfin, slightly below Southeast Portland’s overall median, and homes there sold in a median of 12 days. The tradeoffs are freeway noise on the north and east edges, an older housing stock that varies a lot in condition, and ongoing construction on 82nd Avenue.

When buyers tell me they want close-in eastside Portland, a real neighborhood main street, and a price that doesn’t start with a six, Montavilla is usually one of the first places I bring up. It’s also one of the neighborhoods buyers know the least about. Most people have heard of Hawthorne, Alberta, and Sellwood. Fewer have spent a Sunday morning on SE Stark.

This guide covers what Montavilla actually costs, what living there day to day is like, how it connects to the rest of the city, what’s happening on 82nd Avenue and with the schools, and the tradeoffs I’d want any client to know before writing an offer.

Where Is Montavilla?

Montavilla sits on Portland’s east side, east of Mount Tabor and west of I-205. According to Wikipedia’s summary of city records, the neighborhood runs from the Banfield Freeway (I-84) on the north to SE Division Street on the south, and it borders North Tabor, Mount Tabor, South Tabor, Madison South, Hazelwood, and Powellhurst-Gilbert. It had about 17,000 residents as of 2020.

The name is a contraction of “Mount Tabor Villa,” an addition platted in 1889. By the early 1890s the community had shortened it to Montavilla, according to neighborhood historian Patricia Sanders in Village Portland. Electric streetcar service reached the area in 1892 and ran until 1948, per Wikipedia, which is part of why Montavilla has the compact, walkable street grid and small commercial node it does today.

If you’re comparing it with nearby neighborhoods, Montavilla is just east of the Mount Tabor area and north of the Foster-Powell and Woodstock areas I’ve covered in my Woodstock and Foster-Powell guide. For a wider view of the eastside, see my eastside Portland neighborhoods guide.

What Does It Cost to Buy a Home in Montavilla?

According to Redfin’s Montavilla housing market data, the median sale price in August 2026 was about $462,000, down 1.5% from a year earlier. Sixty-two homes sold that month, up about 13% year over year, and the median home went under contract in 12 days at about 101% of list price. The median price per square foot was $284.

For context, RMLS data put Southeast Portland’s overall median at $477,500 in August 2026, with a median of 57 days on market, as summarized in my fall 2026 Portland market update. Zillow’s Home Value Index put the typical home in the Portland metro at about $543,000, according to PicksByProperty.

Redfin and RMLS calculate these numbers differently, and one month of neighborhood data is a small sample, so don’t read too much into the exact gap. The pattern is still useful: Montavilla is priced a bit below the Southeast Portland median, and well-priced homes there are moving faster than the wider market. In a metro where many listings are sitting and taking price cuts, that’s worth knowing before you plan a slow, lowball approach.

What kind of homes you’ll find

Montavilla’s housing is a mix of eras. You’ll see early 1900s bungalows and Old Portland foursquares closer to Stark and the older parts of the grid, mid-century ranches and daylight basements as you move east and south, and a growing number of newer infill homes and townhouses on split or redeveloped lots.

That variety is part of the appeal, and part of the work. Condition ranges widely. Two houses at the same price on the same block can be very different purchases: one with updated electrical, a newer sewer line, and a heat pump, and one with original knob-and-tube wiring and a clay sewer lateral. My guide to buying older homes in Portland covers what to check, and in Montavilla I’d treat a sewer scope as non-negotiable on any older home.

What your budget gets you

As a rough guide based on what I see on the market:

Under about $425,000: Smaller bungalows or ranches, often needing updates, and some townhouses and newer attached homes.
About $425,000 to $525,000: The heart of the market. Three-bedroom bungalows and ranches with some updating, often with a basement or a usable garage.
Above about $525,000: Fully renovated older homes, larger lots, newer construction, and homes closest to the Stark Street core or Mount Tabor.

These ranges shift with condition and exact location, so treat them as a starting point rather than a rule.

What Is Daily Life Like in Montavilla?

Montavilla’s center of gravity is SE Stark Street between roughly 76th and 82nd Avenues. It’s a compact, walkable stretch of independent restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops anchored by the Academy Theater, a 1948 movie house restored in 2006, according to Wikipedia. It’s the kind of place where a weeknight movie and dinner doesn’t require a car or a reservation.

A few other things shape the rhythm of the neighborhood:

The Montavilla Farmers Market sets up at SE 76th and Stark on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through December, with every-other-week markets January through April, per Wikipedia. A year-round market is less common than you’d think. My Portland farmers markets guide compares it with others around the city.
The Montavilla Street Fair closes Stark between 76th and 82nd every summer. The 2026 fair was the 13th annual, with about 150 booths, four stages, and beer gardens from local breweries including Montavilla Brew Works, according to Montavilla News.
NE Glisan Street forms a second, more spread-out commercial strip on the north side of the neighborhood, with everyday errands and more restaurants.
82nd Avenue on the east side is the big-box and service corridor: groceries, auto shops, and a wide range of restaurants.

Parks and green space

The neighborhood’s two anchors are on opposite edges:

Montavilla Park, a 9.46-acre city park at NE Glisan and 82nd established in 1921, has a community center, an outdoor pool, and a futsal field, according to Wikipedia.
Mount Tabor Park sits just west of the neighborhood. It’s a dormant volcanic cinder cone with trails, reservoirs, and some of the best views on the east side, and for many Montavilla residents it’s a walk or short bike ride away.

If trail and park access are high on your list, my guide to Portland neighborhoods with the best park access has more options to compare.

How Do You Get Around From Montavilla?

This is one of Montavilla’s real strengths, especially for households that want to drive less.

MAX light rail. The 82nd Avenue MAX station is in the neighborhood, and the Gateway Transit Center sits just outside it, per Wikipedia. Both connect to downtown, the airport, and the wider MAX system.
Bus. TriMet buses run along Glisan, Burnside, Stark, and 82nd. On the south edge, Division Street has frequent-express bus service toward downtown.
Car. I-84 and I-205 are both right at the edges, which makes Montavilla convenient for anyone commuting to the airport, Gresham, Clackamas, or across the river to Vancouver.
Bike. The street grid has plenty of quieter residential streets, and the ride downtown is flat once you get around Mount Tabor.

For a realistic look at how families actually split car, transit, and bike trips in Portland, see my Portland getting-around guide.

What’s Changing on 82nd Avenue?

82nd Avenue has long been the neighborhood’s least-loved edge: wide, fast, and short on safe crossings. That’s actively changing, which matters if you’re buying anywhere within a few blocks of it.

The City of Portland’s Building a Better 82nd program aims to finish the sidewalk network, add or upgrade 14 pedestrian crossings and build or improve seven traffic signals between 2023 and 2027, upgrade curb ramps from NE Lombard to SE Clatsop, and repave the rest of the street. According to the city, Phase I construction wraps up at the end of 2026, with crossings and signals continuing through 2027 and curb ramp work targeted for completion by 2030. A new signal at Glisan and a crossing at Davis Street, both in the Montavilla stretch, are planned for 2027.

Separately, TriMet and Metro are planning frequent-express (FX) bus service on 82nd between Clackamas Town Center and Cully, with construction starting in 2027, according to the city’s September 2026 project update. That update also lists a Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project as part of the corridor work.

What this means for buyers: Expect lane closures and construction noise near 82nd through at least 2027. Longer term, safer crossings and better transit should make the east side of the neighborhood more walkable. I wouldn’t pay a premium today for improvements that haven’t been built yet, but I’d factor the direction of travel into how you think about a home near the corridor.

Which Schools Serve Montavilla?

Montavilla is in Portland Public Schools. Because school assignments depend on the exact address, and because boundaries are changing, I’m not going to list a single set of schools for the whole neighborhood. Vestal School is located in the neighborhood near NE 82nd, and depending on where in Montavilla you are, high school assignment is commonly McDaniel or Franklin. Always confirm a specific address with the PPS school finder.

The bigger issue is timing. PPS has proposed districtwide rightsizing changes that would take effect in fall 2027, with a school board vote planned for December 2026. According to the PPS scenario comparison published by OPB, both proposed scenarios include:

Boundary changes affecting McDaniel and Franklin high schools, along with Harrison Park and Mt. Tabor middle schools.
Moving Bridger’s 6th through 8th graders to Harrison Park Middle School, which would make Bridger a K-5.
Moving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program from Creston to Glencoe.

Under Scenario A only, the Vietnamese dual language program would move from Rose City Park to Vestal.

None of this is final. I break down what’s decided and what’s proposed in my PPS 2027 boundary changes guide, and you can see the district’s own regional scenario documents, including the Cleveland-Franklin and Grant-McDaniel areas.

What Are the Tradeoffs of Living in Montavilla?

Every neighborhood has them. These are the ones I talk through with clients:

Freeway edges. I-84 runs along the north edge and I-205 along the east. Homes closest to them get more traffic noise. Walk the block at rush hour before you buy.
The Stark and Washington couplet. SE Stark and SE Washington were turned into one-way streets in 1970 to move traffic toward Mall 205, and longtime residents have said it splits the neighborhood into segments, according to Village Portland. Those streets carry more traffic than the rest of the grid.
82nd Avenue construction. The improvements are real, but so are the lane closures, at least through 2027.
Housing condition varies. The wide range of ages and updates means inspections matter more here, not less.
Fast-moving well-priced homes. A 12-day median doesn’t leave much time to deliberate. Get pre-approved and know your must-haves before you tour.

On safety, I’d rather point you to data than generalize. My Portland safety guide explains how to look up neighborhood-level crime data yourself, which is the right way to evaluate any specific block.

Is Montavilla a Good Fit for You?

Montavilla tends to work well for buyers who want:

A walkable main street and farmers market without paying inner-eastside prices.
MAX access and easy freeway connections in the same neighborhood.
A range of home styles and price points, from fixer bungalows to new infill.
A neighborhood that’s still evolving, with long-term investment coming to 82nd Avenue.

It may be a harder fit if you want:

A quiet, uniform residential feel across the whole neighborhood.
Large lots or acreage.
A move-in-ready house without doing your homework on condition.
Total certainty about school assignments before fall 2027.

Why I Keep Sending Buyers to Montavilla

Montavilla is one of the best values on Portland’s east side right now, and the numbers show buyers have noticed. Homes there are selling in a fraction of the time of the wider Southeast Portland market, at or above list price.

What I like about it is that it doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. It has a real main street, real transit, and a real mix of houses. It also has freeways at its edges and a major corridor under construction. The buyers who are happiest there are the ones who picked their block carefully: close enough to Stark to walk to dinner, far enough from I-84 and the couplet to get a quiet night’s sleep.

My advice: spend a Sunday there before you make up your mind. Walk the farmers market, get coffee on Stark, then drive the residential streets north and south of it at 5 p.m. on a weekday. You’ll learn more about which part of Montavilla fits you in that one day than from any listing description.

Thinking About Montavilla?

If Montavilla is on your list and you want help figuring out which blocks fit your budget and priorities, I’d be glad to walk it with you. Reach out here, or call or text me at 971-443-1440.

FAQ

Where is Montavilla in Portland?

Montavilla is on Portland’s east side, east of Mount Tabor and west of I-205. It runs from I-84 (the Banfield Freeway) on the north to SE Division Street on the south, and its main commercial street is SE Stark between about 76th and 82nd Avenues.

How much does a house cost in Montavilla?

The median home sale price in Montavilla was about $462,000 in August 2026, according to Redfin. That’s slightly below the Southeast Portland median of $477,500 reported by RMLS for the same month. Prices vary widely with condition and location.

Is Montavilla a good neighborhood in Portland?

Montavilla offers a walkable main street on SE Stark, a year-round farmers market, MAX light rail at 82nd Avenue, and home prices below many inner-eastside neighborhoods. Tradeoffs include freeway noise near I-84 and I-205, varied housing condition, and ongoing 82nd Avenue construction.

Is there MAX light rail in Montavilla?

Yes. The 82nd Avenue MAX station is in Montavilla, and the Gateway Transit Center is just outside the neighborhood. Both connect to downtown Portland and the airport.

What schools serve Montavilla?

Montavilla is in Portland Public Schools, and assignments depend on the exact address. High school assignment is commonly McDaniel or Franklin. PPS has proposed boundary and grade changes for fall 2027, so verify any address with the official PPS school finder.

What is happening on 82nd Avenue in Portland?

The City of Portland’s Building a Better 82nd program is adding sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, upgraded signals, and repaving between 2023 and 2027, with curb ramp work continuing to 2030. TriMet is also planning frequent-express bus service on 82nd, with construction starting in 2027.

When is the Montavilla Farmers Market?

The Montavilla Farmers Market runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at SE 76th Avenue and Stark Street, May through December, with every-other-week markets January through April.

How fast do homes sell in Montavilla?

In August 2026, the median Montavilla home went under contract in 12 days at about 101% of list price, according to Redfin. That’s much faster than the Southeast Portland median of 57 days reported by RMLS for the same month.

School boundaries change. Always verify school assignment for a specific address with Portland Public Schools’ official school finder before making a purchase decision.