Northwest District, Portland, Oregon
Encyclopedia
The Northwest District is a densely populated retail and residential neighborhood in the Northwest section of Portland, Oregon
. Craftsman
- and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with grand old apartment buildings and sleek new condominiums, within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and shops. The Portland Streetcar
terminates here, connecting the district to the Pearl District and Downtown Portland
.
The district stretches west to east from the base of the West Hills (Tualatin Mountains)
to I-405
(between NW 15th and 16th avenues), and north to south from NW Nicolai St. and the Willamette River
to W Burnside St. It borders the neighborhoods of Forest Park
and Hillside
on the west, Northwest Industrial
on the north, the Pearl District on the east, and Goose Hollow
on the south.
This part of Portland is known more by names for various streets and areas within it than by its official name. These include:
Beyond NW 21st and 23rd are residential districts and recreational areas, such as the forested Macleay Park (acquired 1897, in the Forest Park neighborhood
). Parks within the Northwest District include Couch Park
(1977) and Wallace Park
(1920). Northwest District public schools include Chapman Elementary School and the Metropolitan Learning Center
. Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center and Linfield College
-Portland Campus are located between NW 23rd and NW 22nd avenues.
Several characters in Portland native Matt Groening
's television show The Simpsons
have names based on the alphabetically named streets in the Northwest District: Ned Flanders
, the bully Kearney, Reverend Lovejoy, Mayor Quimby, Milhouse Van Houten
(actually in North Portland), and possibly C. Montgomery Burns[ide] (also named for the large Montgomery Park
, formerly Montgomery Ward, sign).
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...
. Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
- and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with grand old apartment buildings and sleek new condominiums, within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and shops. The Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
terminates here, connecting the district to the Pearl District and Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
.
The district stretches west to east from the base of the West Hills (Tualatin Mountains)
Tualatin Mountains
The Tualatin Mountains are a range of hills on the western border of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States...
to I-405
Interstate 405 (Oregon)
Interstate 405 is a short Interstate Highway in Portland, Oregon. It forms a loop from Interstate 5 that travels through downtown Portland west of the Willamette River.-Route description:...
(between NW 15th and 16th avenues), and north to south from NW Nicolai St. and the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
to W Burnside St. It borders the neighborhoods of Forest Park
Forest Park, Portland, Oregon
Forest Park, a neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Portland, Oregon, combines rolling green pastures, views east and west, and proximity to the attractions of Northwest District. The Forest Park neighborhood is named because of its proximity to Forest Park, the southern portion of which lies...
and Hillside
Hillside, Portland, Oregon
Hillside is a Northwest Portland neighborhood in the city's West Hills. It is anchored by the Hillside Community Center, the former site of Catlin Gabel School, which was designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi. The center features neighborhood meeting spaces, a soccer field and a basketball...
on the west, Northwest Industrial
Northwest Industrial, Portland, Oregon
Northwest Industrial is an almost entirely industrial neighborhood in the Northwest section of Portland. According to the Portland Bureau of Planning, it "is one of the few remaining large urban industrial districts in the United States" and "one of the premier heavy industrialdistricts in the...
on the north, the Pearl District on the east, and Goose Hollow
Goose Hollow, Portland, Oregon
Goose Hollow is a neighborhood in southwest Portland, Oregon. It acquired its distinctive name through early residents’ practice of letting their geese run free near the wooded ravine in the Tualatin Mountains now known as the Tanner Creek Canyon and in the now infilled Tanner Creek Gulch...
on the south.
This part of Portland is known more by names for various streets and areas within it than by its official name. These include:
- NW 23rd Ave. Dubbed Trendy-third, this major shopping street is lined with swanky clothing boutiques and other upscale retail, mixed with cafes and restaurants. This area is also known as Uptown (particularly its southern end near W Burnside St.) and includes Nob Hill (centered on NW 23rd Ave. and NW Lovejoy St.). Music retailer Music MillenniumMusic MillenniumMusic Millennium is an independent record store located in Portland, Oregon. Its founding in 1969 has led it to claim it is the oldest continually-existing record store in the Pacific Northwest...
, considered a local icon and national leader in the music-selling industry, operated what was then its main store on NW 23d Avenue from 1977 until 2007. - NW 21st Ave. The neighborhood’s other main commercial district is a dining and entertainment destination, with popular restaurants, an independent film theater, and numerous bars, pubs, and nightclubs.
- The Alphabet Historic District, an area zoned for historic preservationHistoric preservationHistoric preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
running roughly from NW 24th Ave. to NW 2nd Ave., and from NW Vaughn St. to W Burnside St. It is named for the alphabetical progression of street names in the area and in 2000 was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Beyond NW 21st and 23rd are residential districts and recreational areas, such as the forested Macleay Park (acquired 1897, in the Forest Park neighborhood
Forest Park, Portland, Oregon
Forest Park, a neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Portland, Oregon, combines rolling green pastures, views east and west, and proximity to the attractions of Northwest District. The Forest Park neighborhood is named because of its proximity to Forest Park, the southern portion of which lies...
). Parks within the Northwest District include Couch Park
Couch Park
Couch Park is a city park in downtown Portland, Oregon. The park was founded in 1977, and is named after John H. Couch....
(1977) and Wallace Park
Wallace Park (Portland, Oregon)
Wallace Park is a city park in northwest Portland, Oregon. The park was acquired in 1920, and is named after Hugh W. Wallace, the city councilman responsible for getting the property allocated as a city park. One art installation in the park is a 1980 sculpture by Manuel Izquierdo called Silver Dawn...
(1920). Northwest District public schools include Chapman Elementary School and the Metropolitan Learning Center
Metropolitan Learning Center (Portland, Oregon)
Metropolitan Learning Center is a public K-12 school in Portland, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 2008, 86% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 35 students, 30 graduated, 4 dropped out, and 1 received a modified diploma....
. Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center and Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
-Portland Campus are located between NW 23rd and NW 22nd avenues.
Several characters in Portland native Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
's television show The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
have names based on the alphabetically named streets in the Northwest District: Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
, the bully Kearney, Reverend Lovejoy, Mayor Quimby, Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
(actually in North Portland), and possibly C. Montgomery Burns[ide] (also named for the large Montgomery Park
Montgomery Park (Portland, Oregon)
Montgomery Park is an office building and former Montgomery Ward mail-order catalog warehouse and department store located in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1920. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under its historic name Montgomery Ward & Company Building...
, formerly Montgomery Ward, sign).