Some
of the locals call it "Trendy-third Avenue." But most Portlanders simply
call the area "Northwest." Another name commonly used for the area is Nob
Hill after the San Francisco area. Portland trendiest shopping is on ten
blocks of Northwest 23rd Avenue between Burnside and NW Northrup streets.
'Twenty-third' is the place to go if you want to walk and
people-watch and browse through shops. NW 21st Avenue is edgier. Wooden
utility poles there have held so many concert posters that the rusty staples
may be all that hold them up.
This is the neighborhood Bill Walton lived when he played
for the Blazers in the 70s. He was the star when the Blazers won the
NBA championship in 1976-77. Bill was (and still is) a popular guy
in Portland.
The
Northwest Examiner
reported (June 2010 issue) that in the spring of 2010, famed urban planner/architect
Andres Duany visited Portland in May and fell in love with Northwest 21st
Avenue. He called it the “glory of Portland” and the 21st and Johnson crossing,
in particular, the “quintessential Portland intersection.” Duany, a leader
in the international New Urbanism movement, was in town for several speaking
engagements, and his comments on 21st Avenue were part of a lecture at Metro
headquarters. Duany praised the blending of “great old commercial buildings”
and multi-story apartment structures on the avenue, resulting in a self
sustaining level of density, manageable parking demands, affordable retail
rents and a compatible mixture of uses. It's worth visiting the intersection
(NW 21st and NW Johnson) to view the type of buildings.
The citizens of Portland love their pets (Portland rank
first in the country with 5.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents) and
Dove Lewis Emergency Animal
Hospital is an important part of the Nob Hill neighborhood. Dove Lewis
specializes in the emergency and critical care of pets. According
to their Web site, they are open "24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide
proficient, compassionate care."
You can
download
a map of the Northwest District − it also includes
Washington Park.
History of Nob Hill
The area's history begins in the 1840s when Captain John
H. Couch (pronounced Coo-ch) decided that Portland should be Oregon's largest
city instead of Oregon City, which was the main settlement at the time.
A sailor, he came to believe that Oregon City, further downstream, presented
too many navigation problems. So the Captain in 1845 speculated on a land
claim in what is now part of the Pearl and Northwest District. Couch
made his fortune sailing ships with supplies between Portland and San Francisco
during the gold rush era as the miners were on a spending spree. Three
of his daughters built homes along NW 19th Avenue and that became the core
of Nob Hill. Couch subdivided his land and investors build luxury
rental apartments as well as large homes.
When Portland's grown exploded following the 1905 Lewis
and Clark Exposition, the neighborhood began to add more multifamily housing
units. During WWII, with thousands working in the Kaiser shipyards,
Nob Hill was densely occupied as many homes were divided into rental units.
After the war, residents took to their new automobiles and fled to the suburbs.
The area became depressed until the city underwent a revival in the 70s
thanks in large part to higher gas prices as the suburbs began to lose their
appeal. The area became attractive to investors, preservationists,
and young people. Many of the vacant commercial buildings along NW
21st and 23rd began to attract businesses and now these buildings are occupied
by restaurants, national chains, and boutiques. You know the area
is thriving when it takes ten minutes to find a parking spot.
Origin of the Names Northwest and Nob Hill
"Northwest" came about because of common usage
whereas "Nob Hill" most likely was adapted from "Nob Hill" in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Chronicle defines Nob Hill and Russian Hill area as within
Bay Street, Van Ness Avenue, Taylor Street, and Pine Street.
Alphabet Historic District
Hats
off to Douglas Taylor, superintendent of streets when Portland, East Portland,
and Albina consolidated in 1891. Because of the street name duplication
between the three areas, Mayor W.S. Mason referred the matter to the City
Council "Streets Committee" which passed the problem off to Superintendent
Taylor. Taylor and his staff recommended to the "Streets Committee"
a street naming pattern in the Couch subdivision (Northwest District and
Pearl District) that is easy to remember; numbers in one direction and letters
in alphabetical sequence in the other. Thus we have going from south
to north: Burnside (the street that divides southwest from northwest as
well as northeast from southeast), Couch, Davis, Everett, Flanders, Glisan,
Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, and so forth. Some of the street names (Couch
to Irving) continue across the river into Northeast Portland. The numbers
are also in sequence of course. Taylor must have been a pretty good
politician − he gave the "Streets Committee"
a list of alternative names for most streets and he let them pick and choose.
The "Alphabet Street" is a Historic District and listed
on the
National Register of Historic Places. The area is roughly bounded
by NW Lovejoy Street, NW Marshall Street, NW 17th Avenue, W. Burnside Street,
and NW 24th Avenue.
Nob Hill Home Styles
You will find a variety of housing in Northwest.
Everything from classic brick apartment houses, new condos, apartments that
have been converted to condos, new townhomes, plexes, and detached single
family homes. Prices range from the low 100s to well over a million.
There is something for practically everyone's billfold. You will find
apartments on every block with over 75-80 percent of the residents residing
in an apartment. This area is changing rapidly as developers buy a
couple of older homes, remove them, and build 6-8 new townhomes. Or
they buy a run-down commercial building, demolish it, and erect a new condominium
in its place.
The 1,569 acre
Alphabet Historic District (also known as Portland West End Historic
District) is roughly bounded by NW Lovejoy Street, NW Marshall Street, NW
17th Avenue, W. Burnside Street, and NW 24th Avenue. The National
Register of Historic Places has identified 478 buildings in the Alphabet
Historic District. Homes styles include Bungalow/Craftsman and Queen
Anne.
1Northwest District Home Prices
Number of homes sold in Northwest District in 2010:
146 and over 100 of these were condos and townhomes. Distressed properties
sales were 16%.
Median price for homes sold in Northwest District:
$340,000 in 2010; $317,500 in 2009; $325,000 in 2008; $289,950 in 2007.
1-year median sales price change in 2010 from 2009
in Northwest District: -5%.
5-year median sales price change in Northwest District:
-6%.
Metro area median home prices: $239,900 in 2010;
$247,000 in 2009; $278,000 in 2008; $290,000 in 2007.
Metro area average home prices: $282,100 in
2010; $289,900 in 2009; $330,300 in 2008; $342,000 in 2007.
Please be aware that the above figures are subject to
error and are intended as guidelines only. To view Nob Hill homes
currently for sale click
here.
Parks and Community Centers in the Neighborhood
Northwest District residents have two parks within their
borders and easy access to the 5,000 plus acre Forest Park.
Wallace Park (5.39 acres) is located at NW 25th Avenue and NW Raleigh
Street adjacent to the Chapman Elementary School. Facilities include
a basketball court, dog off-leash area, horseshoe pit, picnic site,
playground, soccer field, softball field, tennis court and restrooms.
Couch Park (2.39 acres) at NW 19th Avenue and NW Glisan Street includes
an outdoor basketball court, restroom, dog off-leash area, and playground.
The
Friendly House
is located at NW 26th Avenue and NW Savier and it is truly a community asset.
Founded in 1930, the "neighbor helping neighbor" philosophy is at the heart
of Friendly House and its programs. It has programs for children,
adults, and seniors. Although small in size, it does have a room full of
exercise equipment along with a gym that is used constantly.
The Northwest District has 15 acres of park land
and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks
and Recreation.
Northwest 21st & 23rd Shopping and Dining
A
popular commercial area exists on Northwest 23rd Street (and to a lesser
extend on 21st Street) running 10-12 blocks. Some of the
Portland's best dining spots are located along these two streets.
23rd is a browsers paradise with numerous shops ranging from clothing boutiques
to book stores. West Burnside is solid businesses from auto dealerships
(Volvo and Jag) to mini-malls.
Portland's new
streetcar
line that began in July 2001, connects the Northwest District with downtown
and South Waterfront. Its route is circulator
− a transit service that moves people through the Central City.
Northwest is an Entertainment Center! This is where the
"characters" hang out because they come to the Fred Meyer Stadium branch
supermarket (the locals called it Freddy's) and unload their soda cans and
bottles (Oregon Bottle Bill) and collect their money. Some then shop
at Freddy's. I once asked a check-out person at the stadium branch
if she ever got bored working at Freddy's. "Yes," she replied, "when
I worked at a Fred Meyer store in the suburbs."
PlayDate
PDX created a 7,500 square foot indoor play place at 1434 NW 17th Avenue
that is tailored to create a safe and energetic environment that stimulates
the imagination and gives your children space to roam at the same time giving
parents a comfortable and soothing environment to relax and enjoy a warm
cup of Stumptown coffee. With help from their landlord and International
Play Co., which designs and builds play structures, two ER doctors transformed
a light-industrial space on the border of the Pearl and Northwest districts.
Now the building is a Land of Make Believe-themed playground, with passageways
and slides snaking through a pretend castle. On one side, kids and an adult
or two engage in a squishy-ball shootout on the air-cannon range. In another
corner, a light-up dance floor flashes. The play area covers a third of
the 7,500-square-foot floor space, not counting its second and third levels.
Filling much of the rest are a central seating area and several party rooms
for rent.
Click
here to access a shopping guide to Nob Hill.
Slabtown
This
area of the Northwest District — historically known as Slabtown, more recently
dubbed NoLo (north of Lovejoy) by real estate agents — is an area of approximately
50 square blocks. In the 1880s, the poor, working-class residents
in part of Northwest Portland used slabs of cheap wood from sawmills as
fuel for their fireplaces. Slabtown became a semi-derogatory term for the
area by the rich, who could afford cordwood that was cut to size.
St. Patrick’s Church, 1623 NW 19th Avenue, was in the middle
of the poor neighborhood, while the wealthy lived closer to West Burnside
Street, around 15th and 16th Avenues. So says Richard Engeman, staff historian
at the Oregon Historical Society. Today, the prominent 'Slabtown' sign at
the corner of Northwest Lovejoy Street and 15th Avenue, a relic from the
1970s, is one of the only reminders of the term. The sign was the inspiration
for the bar and music lounge of the same name, Slabtown, located at 1033
NW 16th Avenue and is famously known as the birthplace of the Portland band
the Dandy Warhols.
Slabtown is labeled the “transition area” in city documents.
It is changing, adding dozens of town houses and condominiums. Town houses
and condos are replacing old industrial plants. A 25-town house development
opened in May 2006 on NW 20th Avenue and Pettygrove Street, with units priced
around $500,000. The historic Lane-Miles Standish building, for 85 years
home to a printing business at NW 19th Avenue and Raleigh Street, has been
converted to a mix of office space and five levels of residences.
Vaux Swifts at Chapman School
In
early September you can sit on the lawn at Chapman School and watch the
spectacular aerial display of thousands of Vaux's Swifts as they gather
and spiral into the school's chimney to roost. The swifts begin gathering
in the sky above the Chapman School neighborhood in large numbers 40 to
60 minutes before sunset. Closer to sunset the swifts begin circling directly
above the school chimney in a large flock −
this is a dramatic sight and ideally you will be there before it begins.
They begin to enter the chimney within 10 to 30 minutes after sunset. Portland
Audubon volunteers are always on hand nightly to answer questions and offer
views through spotting scopes.
Video Tour of Nob Hill
Scenes from the Northwest District
along with background music.
Walking in the Northwest District
Here are some walking tours in
the downtown area of Portland:
Public Art Walking Tour The Regional
Arts & Culture Council (RACC) along with the Portland Oregon Visitors
Association have a Public Art Walking Tour map/brochure – a colorful
guide to nearly 100 public art pieces in downtown Portland and the near
eastside. This free brochure is available at Portland-area visitor centers,
or by calling RACC at (503) 823-5111. You can also download a copy by
clicking here.
Walking Tour to Pittock Mansion This
2.8-mile walk begins in Northwest Portland and climbs some of the city's
longest staircases through Westover Heights. It ends at the Pittock
Mansion, a restored French Renaissance Revival chateau. The home,
its grounds, and fabulous views are open to the public. Click
here to download the guide.
Walking Tour Nob Hill and the Pearl District
This 3.3-mile walk begins at PGE Park it takes you through historic
neighborhoods to shops, galleries, restaurants, and theaters in the
Pearl District and Nob Hill. Click
here
to download the guide.
The NW23rd/Pearl District Gallery & Walking Map
The combined Northwest District (aka Alphabet District, Nob Hill, or
NW23rd) and Pearl Gallery map provides key information for Portland
First Thursday gallery walkers. Galleries, public art, restaurants,
coffeehouses, pubs & bakeries are clearly labeled on the map and in
the index. Parking, mass transit, and key landmarks are shown. If your
time is limited, you can see at a glance what blocks have the greatest
density of galleries, bakeries, or restaurants. Click
here to download the map.
Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40
U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. Northwest is
the #5 most walkable neighborhood in Portland. This neighborhood is a 'Walker’s
Paradise' with an average Walk Score of 91. Below is the Walk Score for
an address in the center of the Northwest District.
More About Northwest District
Location West of downtown.
When you cross I-405, you are in the Northwest District. The streets
are all "NW . . ." and if they say "SW . . .", you are in the Goose
Hollow neighborhood.
Northwest District WiFi Hotspots
To locate WiFi hotspots in the Northwest District click
here.
Neighborhood News The Northwest Examiner
is a free monthly publication that covers the community. You can
download the the current issue as well as past issues The
Neighborhood Activist is a two to three page monthly print newsletter
produced by
Neighbors
West-Northwest. You can download the latest issue.
2Drive Time to Downtown
Four minutes.
Topography Mature trees in yards and parks.
Hilly with winding roads along on the west border of the neighborhood
bordering Forest Park.
Sidewalks and Streets There are
many cars in this neighborhood so streets are full of cars, especially
east of NW 25th. Sidewalks everywhere in the neighborhood and
wide enough for two people to walk together.
Livability Study 90.3% of Northwest
District residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good."
See
Livability Study.
Public TransportationTriMet has six
bus routes in Northwest. The
streetcar line travels to the neighborhood from the Pearl District
via NW Northrup Street, goes a couple blocks up NW 23rd Avenue and heads
back east on NW Lovejoy Street. Ride downtown to Portland State
University or on to the South Waterfront.
Transit Score
provides a 0-100 rating indicating how well an address is served by
public transportation. Ratings range from "Rider's Paradises" to areas
with limited or no nearby public transportation.
3Demographics
Population: 11,455. Area size: 849 acres. Average population
density: 14 persons per acre (includes vacant spaces). Number
of households: 7,567. Percent of home owners: 17%. Percent
of renters: 83%. Median household income: $43,527. Diversity: 20% non-Caucasian.
4Crime Stats for 2010
63 violent crimes. Total crimes per 1,000 people was 71. For the
latest crime statistics for the Nob Hill 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. Northwest District zip code(s): 97209,
97210.
5Shopping and Services
Number of supermarkets/food stores: 4. Number of health clubs:
3. Number of coffee shops: 16.
The Northwest District has a large supermarket (Fred Meyer) along with
numerous specialty shops. Besides the large food markets such
as Zupan's and Fred Meyers, Northwest residents have access to Trader
Joe's on NW Glisan Street, City Market on NW 21st Avenue, Food Front
Coop on NW Thurman and 24th, and Elephant's Delicatessen just off West
Burnside. It also has a couple of bakeries along with a meat market.
Farmers Markets The Wednesday
market is held between Southwest Salmon and Main streets. 10 am-2 pm
Wednesdays, May-October. The Saturday market is held at the
South Park Blocks by PSU between Southwest Harrison and Montgomery
streets. 8:30 am-2 pm Saturdays, March-December. The Northwest
District/Nob Hill farmer is between Northwest 23rd Avenue and Savier Street, 3 pm-7
pm Thursdays, June-September. Pioneer Courthouse Square
(downtown) is held
10:00 am-2:00 pm on Mondays from June-December. More information at
Portland
Farmers Market.
Eating Out Restaurants cover the
complete range from "Gourmet Magazine Top 100" to shops serving a slice
of pizza. These make everyone's list of best restaurants in the
Northwest District: Balvo, Bewon, Cafe Mino, Carlyle, Ken's
Artisan Bakery, Paley's Place, and Wildwood.
Urban Spoon rates over 100 restaurants, coffee places, and sandwich
shops in the neighborhood.
Public Library A branch of the
Multnomah County
Library system is located on 2300 NW Thurman Street.
Who Lives in the Northwest District
Young singles who want to be close to the action. People of all
ages live in the Northwest but children are not very evident in the
neighborhood. The median age is 34.
What They Drive in Nob Hill
Hondas, Nissans, and Toyotas. Limited number of SUVs. Because
of the large number of apartments and restaurants, parking is a problem
no matter what kind of car you own.
6Biking The quality
if high/fair. The Northwest District has 14 miles of bike lanes.
1Real Estate Values
Data on real estate values provided by RMLStm.
Distressed properties refer to the percentage of total homes sold that
were short sales and bank-owned properties.
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.
4Crime Statistics
Numbers on crime represent total crimes for 2010 and were obtained from
Portland Police Bureau. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape,
robbery, and aggravated assault. Crimes per 1,000 are based on reported
incidents of violent crime, as well as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle
theft.
5Shopping and Services Numbers
were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library
systems.
6Biking Quality rating
based on the 2007 Cycle Zone Analysis conducted by the City of Portland
Office of Transportation. The six-tier ratings have been reduced to three
levels: High, Fair, and Low.
7School Report Card Grades
Schools ratings from the Oregon Department of Education 2009-2010 performance
assessment. "O" = Outstanding; "S" = Satisfactory; "I" = In Need of
Improvement; NR = Not Rated.
West
Burnside on the South side and the I-405 freeway to the East. North:
Northwest District extends to NW Front Avenue, NW Nicolai Street and St.
Helens Road. West: defined by the east boundaries of Forest
and Macleay Parks, and a line running 600 feet west and parallel to Cornell
and Westover Roads.
To learn more about the
Nob Hill neighborhood
visit Portland Maps.
It will provide you with a list of businesses, demographic data,
crime stats, parks, schools, aerial photos, maps,
elevation, etc.
All you need is a property address − use
"2000 NW Flanders Street"
Learn More
About the
Northwest District Neighborhood
Map of
Streetcar Line
Click to View
Route Map
The streetcar
line travels to the Northwest District neighborhood from the Pearl District
via NW Northrup Street, goes a couple blocks up NW 23rd Avenue and heads
back east on NW Lovejoy Street.
Some
of the locals call it "Trendy-third Avenue." But most Portlanders simply
call the area "Northwest." Another name commonly used for the area is Nob
Hill after the San Francisco area. Portland trendiest shopping is on ten
blocks of Northwest 23rd Avenue between Burnside and NW Northrup streets.
Hats
off to Douglas Taylor, superintendent of streets when Portland, East Portland,
and Albina consolidated in 1891. Because of the street name duplication
between the three areas, Mayor W.S. Mason referred the matter to the City
Council "Streets Committee" which passed the problem off to Superintendent
Taylor. Taylor and his staff recommended to the "Streets Committee"
a street naming pattern in the Couch subdivision (Northwest District and
Pearl District) that is easy to remember; numbers in one direction and letters
in alphabetical sequence in the other. Thus we have going from south
to north: Burnside (the street that divides southwest from northwest as
well as northeast from southeast), Couch, Davis, Everett, Flanders, Glisan,
Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, and so forth. Some of the street names (Couch
to Irving) continue across the river into Northeast Portland. The numbers
are also in sequence of course. Taylor must have been a pretty good
politician − he gave the "Streets Committee"
a list of alternative names for most streets and he let them pick and choose.
A
popular commercial area exists on Northwest 23rd Street (and to a lesser
extend on 21st Street) running 10-12 blocks. Some of the
Portland's best dining spots are located along these two streets.
23rd is a browsers paradise with numerous shops ranging from clothing boutiques
to book stores. West Burnside is solid businesses from auto dealerships
(Volvo and Jag) to mini-malls.
This
area of the Northwest District — historically known as Slabtown, more recently
dubbed NoLo (north of Lovejoy) by real estate agents — is an area of approximately
50 square blocks. In the 1880s, the poor, working-class residents
in part of Northwest Portland used slabs of cheap wood from sawmills as
fuel for their fireplaces. Slabtown became a semi-derogatory term for the
area by the rich, who could afford cordwood that was cut to size. 
In
early September you can sit on the lawn at Chapman School and watch the
spectacular aerial display of thousands of Vaux's Swifts as they gather
and spiral into the school's chimney to roost. The swifts begin gathering
in the sky above the Chapman School neighborhood in large numbers 40 to
60 minutes before sunset. Closer to sunset the swifts begin circling directly
above the school chimney in a large flock −
this is a dramatic sight and ideally you will be there before it begins.
They begin to enter the chimney within 10 to 30 minutes after sunset. Portland
Audubon volunteers are always on hand nightly to answer questions and offer
views through spotting scopes.
