Cully is a highly-diverse, majority low-income neighborhood in Northeast Portland; standing on the site of a long standing native (Chinook) village called Neerchokikoo, It is named after English stonemason Thomas Cully (1810–1891), an early settler. Cully borders Sunderland, Concordia, and Beaumont-Wilshire on the west, Portland International Airport on the north, Sumner on the east, and Rose City Park and Roseway on the south. It was an unincorporated area of Multnomah County from first European settlement until its annexation to the City of Portland in 1985. Most of Cully’s development occurred between 1910 and 1960. Its character from the outset has had strong rural elements: large lots, unpaved and meandering streets, and low density. Cully is Northeast Portland’s largest neighborhood by land area and population; it is over 3 square miles, and its population as of the 2010 US Census is 13,322.
Over the past 30 years working families from many different cultures have moved to Cully making it the most diverse census tract in Oregon. Only 34% of Cully streets have sidewalks, 24% of residents live within ¼ mile of a park (regional average is 49%) 85% of Cully students qualify for free or reduced lunch and the poverty rate is 17% higher than the citywide rate of 13% (US Census 2010
Hacienda CDC, Verde and Naya are strong Cully-based organizations with a rich history of working together and complementary strengths and activities. Living Cully formalized these strong partnerships into a collective impact model in 2010, adding an additional partner, Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East.
Together Living Cully partners create economic, ecological and social benefit for Cully residents, particularly low-income and people of color, by: increasing job opportunities and building earnings for residents and neighborhood small businesses, providing opportunities for engagement, collective action and cultural expression, expanding safe, high-quality affordable housing in the neighborhood, increasing natural and built investment including parks, trails and healthy housing, and to working to ensure low levels of involuntary displacement from the neighborhood.