Portland Tops Gentrification Study

Rob Wile reports on new research suggesting that between 2000 and 2013, 58 percent of Portland's previously low-income neighborhoods gentrified. This puts Oregon's largest city ahead of Washington, DC, which comes in second with a 52 percent gentrification rate. The researchers used median income and median home price data from Census tracts to determine if an upmarket shift occurred in eligible neighborhoods. 

Some Portland-area commentators report "chatter about the city becoming 'a playground for wealthy people.'" The article acknowledges ongoing debate around gentrification, and cites experts who claim it should be considered on a city-by-city basis. A list of the nine most gentrified metro areas in the U.S. accompanies the discussion.

Another notable takeaway is that Los Angeles hosts the nation's two most gentrified individual neighborhoods. They are Downtown, with a 579 percent jump in median home prices since 2000, and the Jewelry District, with a staggering 1,365 percent increase.