Unpaved alleys, chipped and peeling paint, and blaring music. The area between East 14th and 16th avenues and Hilyard Street is filled with these things. Because of its proximity to campus, housing in this neighborhood is filled mostly with student tenants.
Because it is a three-to-five block walk from the UO Bookstore, part of the attraction of living in the area is that students can sleep in and leave for class at the last possible minute, senior and area tenant Thinh Tran said.
Of the more than 800 existing housing units in the area, less than 10 are owned by the residents who occupy them. More than 80 percent are rented, according to the 2000 Census.
Hilyard Street is lively and a place of changing residents. With housing situations changing year-to-year, tenants are not interested in remodeling houses, Tran said.
According to the 2000 Census, 34 families lived in the area. The noise caused by students and traffic on Hilyard Street is a major reason why families can’t reside in the area, Tran said.
“Students stay up late,” Tran said.
Of the neighborhood’s approximate 1,200 residents, Gus Sackos, 21, fits the average neighborhood age of 21.6 years old — nearly 12 years younger than the city’s 33.
Sackos lives on Hilyard Street in what is known by neighbors simply as the “garbage house” for the number of beer cans on the front porch. Most mornings, this landmark serves as an example of some of the types of residences found in the area.
“Some of the frequent visitors are strange men wearing various outfits and costumes, wandering around the wee hours of the morning, pushing shopping carts,” Sackos said. “Although these guys are often very friendly, they have a tendency to make our front couches their home, which is completely unacceptable code for the ‘garbage house.’”
Senior Shane Morrison lives above Sackos in the house.
“Each journey up to my house is like a game of Russian roulette, never knowing whether the story is going to collapse or not,” Morrison said. “However, there is nothing better than waking up to blue skies and an invigorating game of window ball.”
Like many others in the zone, this duplex was once a single house owned by one owner.
The only store in this area is the Hilyard Street Market — located on the corner of East 17th Avenue and Hilyard Street — which consists of beer, candy and snacks. Various restaurants are located within walking distance.