Kenton, Portland, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States. The neighborhood was originally a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
founded in 1911 for the Swift Meat Packing Company
Swift & Company
Swift & Company is an American food procession company a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. , a Brazilian company that is the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than US$30 billion in annual sales as of 2010. It is also the largest beef processor in Australia.Swift &...
.
Geography
Kenton's northern border is formed by North Portland Harbor, the channel of the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
that separates the area from Hayden Island. Kenton's eastern boundary is Interstate 5
Interstate 5 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 5 traverses the state from north to south, passing through the major cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford.-Route description:...
and the neighborhood's southern edge is defined by North Lombard Street. The western border (traveling from north to south, respectively) follows North Portland Road, North Columbia Boulevard, and North Chautauqua Boulevard. The Columbia Slough
Columbia Slough
The Columbia Slough is a narrow waterway, about long, in the floodplain of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Oregon. From its source in the Portland suburb of Fairview, the Columbia Slough meanders west through Gresham and Portland to the Willamette River, about from the Willamette's...
passes through Kenton.
Neighborhoods bordering Kenton are: Hayden Island
Hayden Island, Portland, Oregon
Hayden Island is an island in the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The wide main channel of the Columbia passes north of the island. To the south, sheltered by the island, is a smaller channel known as North Portland Harbor...
to the north; Bridgeton
Bridgeton, Portland, Oregon
Bridgeton is a compact neighborhood of detached houses, rowhouses, apartment and condominium complexes, and houseboats in the North and Northeast sections of Portland, Oregon. It occupies a narrow strip of land around a levee between the Columbia River and Bridgeton Slough.In 1907 a one-room...
, Sunderland
Sunderland, Portland, Oregon
Sunderland is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Portland, Oregon.The Dignity Village homeless settlement is in Sunderland....
, and Piedmont
Piedmont, Portland, Oregon
Piedmont is a neighborhood in the North and Northeast sections of Portland, Oregon. The Piedmont subdivision was platted in 1889 by Edward Quackenbush and promoted in an early flyer as "The Emerald, Portland's Evergreen Suburb, Devoted Exclusively to Dwellings, A Place of Homes." The original...
to the east; Arbor Lodge
Arbor Lodge, Portland, Oregon
Arbor Lodge is a neighborhood in the North section of Portland, Oregon. Interstate 5 forms the eastern boundary of the neighborhood. The North Lombard Transit Center and the North Portland Blvd stations on the MAX Yellow Line provide light rail service to the neighborhood...
to the south; University Park
University Park, Portland, Oregon
University Park is a neighborhood in the north section of Portland, Oregon on the east shore of the Willamette River.* Acreage: 11.26* Acquired in 1953...
to the southwest; and Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Portland, Oregon
Portsmouth is a neighborhood in the North section of Portland, Oregon. It is named for Portsmouth Avenue, a major street in the district. It is bordered by Lombard Street to the South, Chautauqua Boulevard to the East, Columbia Boulevard to the North, and the Burlington Northern Railway to the...
and St. Johns
St. Johns, Portland, Oregon
St. Johns is a neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States located in North Portland on the tip of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River....
to the west.
Kenton is home to the Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....
and the Portland Metropolitan Expo Center
Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center
The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, usually referred to as the Expo Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the Expo Center now hosts over 100 events a year, including...
. The historic site of Vanport City, a public housing project built to provide homes for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
shipbuilders, and later destroyed by a 1948 flood, is also located within the current boundaries of the Kenton neighborhood.
History
Kenton was a company townCompany town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
built by the Swift Meat Packing Company
Swift & Company
Swift & Company is an American food procession company a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. , a Brazilian company that is the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than US$30 billion in annual sales as of 2010. It is also the largest beef processor in Australia.Swift &...
, with major development beginning circa 1911. The area was later annexed by the City of Portland
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
, becoming home to Portland's main stockyards and the center of the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
cattle trade for a time.
The 1959 Oregon Centennial
Oregon Centennial
The Oregon Centennial was the 100th anniversary of the statehood of the U.S. state of Oregon. The day of the anniversary was February 14, 1959, but centennial events took place throughout the year...
celebrations were held in Kenton. A large statue of Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
was built at the intersection of North Interstate Avenue and North Argyle Street (just north of Kenton's historic business district on North Denver Avenue) as a reminder of those centennial festivities. The statue now stands at the corner of North Interstate and North Denver, across from the Kenton/N Denver Ave light rail station, and is considered a symbol of the neighborhood. The Paul Bunyan Statue
Paul Bunyan Statue
Paul Bunyan Statue is a -tall concrete and metal sculpture of mythical logger Paul Bunyan in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1959 to commemorate the centennial of Oregon's statehood during the Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair, which was...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on January 28, 2009.