Focus on NW Gresham
Welcome to Bella Vista Park in the NW Gresham neighborhood
Every neighborhood in Portland and Gresham have their own feel and features that make them unique and desirable to different people. One of the things that I value are local parks and natural areas where I can commune with nature and just shut down my brain for a brief moment.
One of my listed homes, 2548 NW 2nd Terrace is located in NW Gresham. One day on a walk, I discovered Bella Vista Park. I had commissioned professional photos of the home in order to list it and my photographer, being an apt drone operator, captured images of Main City Park and Powell Butte Natural Area. These photos were lovely but little did I know, we were missing the park just down the street within 3 minutes of walking from the house!
Bella Vista Park is an 8.1-acre neighborhood park located in the Northwest Neighborhood, with swings and benches. Rolling hills and numerous trees showcase seasonal color and a walking path crosses the park around lawns.
I captured a photo of the park sign and the following is taken directly from the public sign in the park. I left off a little bit of the history so that there is something still for you to discover when you go to visit the park.
welcome
Sit on a bench and look around. Stay awhile, feel the breeze and listen to the children play. What you will experience is the magic of this public open space.
This park is here thanks to the vision and dreams of those who came before us when Gresham was a small and growing farming town.
Memories of our neighbors
Before the park was developed, Bob Parker, who built his house on Northwest Third Street in 1967, remember it as an open field where hay was cut and blackberries grew.
Work was being done when Sharon Kromer and her family moved across the street in 1974. “We saw them planting trees,” she said. “Many were donated by a nursery in the area. They were young, skinny baby trees” New generations might notice the evolution from skinny baby to tall towering trees.
Jason Hammons grew up riding his bike to park in the 1990s to hang out with friends. “It was the spot that we would gravitate to,” he said. He and his wife often visited the park when they began dating and now as the parents of four, they come as a family.
A Neighborhood park
In 2008, the Northwest Neighborhood Association (NWNA) adopted this park through the city’s Adopt-A-Park program.
Since then, neighbors have gathered at least two Saturdays each year to spread bark, pull weeds, pick up downed tree limbs and do special projects.
The NWNA has also organized an annual “Picnic in the park” since 2009.
In addition to these parks and natural areas, I strongly suggest you explore nearby Gresham Butte. In this area, you will find wonderful hikes in Gabbert Butte and Hogan Butte Nature Park. On a clear day you can enjoy stunning views of Mt. Hood.
Parks in and around NW Gresham neighborhood