Guide to the Hillside King's Heights Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

This part of Northwest Portland lies upon a portion of the Tualatin Mountains that overlook downtown Portland. with the 5,000-acre plus Forest Park immediately to the west (Macleay Park is a part of Forest Park) and the shops and restaurants of Northwest Portland at the foot of the neighborhood immediately to the east, there is easy access to both urban amenities and the beauties of nature. Downtown Portland is minutes away.

The promoters of the original Westover development called the area "the finest residential section in the United States." The Westover developers' plan to terrace the hill, then known as "Scotch Nubbin", so that they could build homes. That was completed in 1914 and homes started to be built. Since then the neighborhood has grown to approximately 575 households.

The photo above was taken from King's Heights looking east into Mt. Hood. Courtesy of the Portland Photo Archival.

How Hillside got its name is unknown but we can assume because it is on a hillside. The neighborhood is commonly known as King's Heights. About 1852, Amos Nahum King purchased the rights to 513 acres and part of the property included the Hillside neighborhood. That part of the property up in the hills in the Northwest area soon became known as King's Heights. Amos' acreage also include the neighborhoods of Northwest District (aka Nob Hill), Arlington Heights, Goose Hollow, among others.

Many homes have a view of the city or mountains like the photo above. Some can see the ships lying to the northeast on the Willamette River. Most of the homes on the steep, winding streets are gracious older homes, generally without much of a yard. Some condominium complexes have been built in the lower reaches of the neighborhood. This is expensive real estate and most homes are in the million and above range.

You will find English Tudor, Queen Ann Victorian, Colonial, and Foursquare homes in the neighborhood. Contemporary homes that are built on steep lots using modern building technology are evident.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. View Hillside/King's Heights homes currently for sale by clicking here.

Macleay Park is a natural area for hiking located at NW 29th Avenue and Upshur Street. It was acquired in 1897 and has a history bordering on the Appalachians "Hatfields and McCoys." Danford Balch was the original owner and settler of this area. He arrived in Oregon in 1847 and settled his donation land claim in 1850. A nearby claim was taken by the Stump family. The two families did not care for each other. Mortimer Stump, the eldest son of the clan, began courting Anna, the oldest of the Balch daughters. Danford warned Mortimer to stay away from his fifteen-year-old daughter, but Mortimer paid no heed. When Anna turned sixteen, she and Mortimer ran away to Vancouver, Washington, where they eloped. Two weeks later, Danford took his shotgun and met members of the Stump family, including his new son-in-law, at the Stark Street Ferry. As the ferry was loading, Danford shot both barrels into Mortimer, who died instantly. On October 17, 1859 he was hanged at a public gallows in front of over 500 witnesses. The creek that runs through the property bears his name because for years after his hanging people still referred to the area as the Old Balch Place. The property was eventually acquired by Donald Macleay, a prominent Portland merchant. Hence the name of Macleay Park.

The Hillside Community Center facilities includes classrooms, gymnasium, tennis courts, soccer field, outside play area, kitchen, and office.

The story of how the Community Center started tells one a lot about the character of the neighborhood. Owned by an art school who could not afford its upkeep, the building was about to be sold to developers. Residents felt that the site would be better used as a park and community center. The problem, of course, was money. The community was given a year to raise $106,500 to purchase the land and the buildings on it. After an exhaustive neighborhood fundraising effort, plus contributions from the City Council and private foundations, the community was still $25,000 short. To make up the difference, twelve families took out second mortgages on their homes to guarantee the loan that finalized the purchase. This group was known as the 'Trembling Twelve.' In spring of 1974, the neighbors turned the property over to the City of Portland, which accepted it as a public park and agreed to maintain it and staff a community center there.

The Pittock Mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s, their lives and work paralleled the growth of Portland from a small Northwest town site to a thriving city with a quarter million population. With its eclectic architectural design and richly decorated interior, including family artifacts, the Pittock Mansion stands today as a living memorial of this family’s contributions to the blossoming of Portland and its people.

English-born Henry Lewis Pittock journeyed on a wagon train from Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1853 where, at the young age of 19, and in his own words, “barefoot and penniless,” he began working for Thomas Jefferson Dryer’s Weekly Oregonian newspaper. In 1860, at the age of 26, he married 15-year-old Georgiana Martin Burton of Missouri. A consummate businessman, Henry Pittock took ownership of the Weekly Oregonian in 1860, changing its format to the daily paper we read today. He went on to build an empire incorporating real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining, and the pulp and paper industry.

Henry and Georgiana were at the pinnacle of their successful lives when they commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design and build their new home overlooking Portland, the city they loved. They began planning and designing their new home in 1909. The mansion was completed in 1914, replete with stunningly progressive features including a central vacuum system, intercoms, and indirect lighting. The threat of demolition at the hands of land developers, and the extensive damage caused by a storm in 1962, brought concerned citizens together to raise funds to preserve the site. Seeing this popular support, and agreeing that the house had tremendous value as a unique historic resource, the City of Portland purchased the estate in 1964 for $225,000. Fifteen months were spent restoring it. The mansion opened to the public in 1965, and has been a community landmark ever since.

The mansion is located in the Hillside neighborhood and it is open to the public. Below is a video of many area of Portland to include a brief tour of the Pittock Mansion.

Walking in the Hillside Neighborhood

The 5,000 plus acre Forest Park borders the King's Heights neighborhood on the west and its 70 miles of trails are used daily by many of the King's Heights residents.

We recommend Laura Foster's Portland Hill Walks book. It's no ordinary guidebook as it contains no restaurant ratings, no rehashed explanations of how the city got its name. Instead, in twenty meandering, view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask. It's available from Timber Press here in Portland. The book includes lots of city history, while pointing out fun ways to get to know your backyard.

Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. Below is a Walk Score for an address in the center of the Hillside neighborhood. Some of the homes along the east edge of the neighborhood will have a Walk Score in the 80s.

Map of Hillside Neighborhood

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More About Hillside

Hillside Neighborhood Association Web Site Visit the Hillside Neighborhood Association to learn more about the neighborhood. This site is seldom updated so expect old information.
Location of Neighborhood Look directly West into the hills while shopping and browsing along NW 23rd Avenue and you're see the Hillside neighborhood.
²Drive Time to Downtown Ten minutes.
Topography Winding roads that go up and down - very hilly. Mature trees in yards in parks.
Streets and Sidewalks Most of the streets are narrow and winding. Sidewalks are fairly common.
Livability Study 96% of Hillside residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good." See Livability Study.
Public Transportation TriMet serves the Hillside neighborhood with two bus routes. No MAX light rail or streetcar lines in Hillside.
³2000 Demographics Population: 1,285 persons. Area (acres): 300. Average population density: 2.24 persons per acre. Number of households: 575. Homeowners versus renters: 95 percent owners. Diversity: 3% non-Caucasian.
Crime Stats 2008: No violent crime, 2 residential burglaries, and 3 auto thefts. Total crimes per 1,000 people was 3. For the latest crime statistics for the Hillside neighborhood, click here.
Sex Offenders Click here for the State of Oregon Sex Offender Inquiry System. After agreeing to the "Conditions of Use Statement" you will be redirected to a "Enter Search Criteria" page. Insert a zip code in the "Zip" field and click on the "Query" button. Arlington Heights zip code: 97210.
⁴Shopping and Services Hillside does not have any services in the neighborhood. Just minutes away in the Northwest District, Hillside residents can shop at a large supermarket along with numerous specialty shops. Besides the large food markets such as Zupan's and Fred Meyers, Northwest residents shop at Trader Joe's on NW Glisan Street, City Market on NW 21st Avenue, and Elephant's Delicatessen just off West Burnside. It also has a couple of good bakeries along with a meat market.
Eating Out It all lies at the bottom of the hills and just minutes from the homes. The Norwest District offers numerous restaurants. Urban Spoon rates over 100 restaurants, coffee places, and sandwich shops in the Nob Hill neighborhood.
Public Library The closest library is the Northwest District Branch located at 2300 NW Thurman Street.
Who Lives in Hillside The 'Movers and Shakers' of Portland. See the "Average Price" below.
Cars in the Neighborhood Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, and other luxury autos along with a second car which is usually a SUV.
Schools Elementary school: Chapman. Middle school: West Sylvan Middle School. High school: Lincoln High School.
School Report Card Grades Elementary school: B. Middle school: A. High school: A. Click here for report card grades.

______________________________________________¹Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by Graphical Data, Homequest, and RMLS™.²Drive Time to Downtown Estimated commuting time obtained from Yahoo Maps and Google Maps. Drive time was calculated from a central intersection in each neighborhood to Pioneer Courthouse Square during the morning peak commute time.³Demographics Data Numbers were obtained from Census 2000 and www.portlandmaps.com.⁴Shopping and Services Numbers were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library systems.