North Portland

North Portland, locally referred to as NoPo, is a mix of close-in residential hot spots, booming commercial districts, quiet neighborhoods with their own “downtowns”, and a bustling industrial areas. Also known as “The Fifth Quadrant”, North Portland starts just across the river from downtown then sprawls along the Willamette River and up to the Columbia River and the edge of Oregon.

Close to downtown, and very “bikeable”, the Historical Mississippi District and the Vancouver/Williams corridor (aka Boise Elliot) are two of the hottest commercial districts in Portland. They are lined with food carts, boutiques, coffee shops, and pubs and host a mix of old homes being rehabbed and new green urban housing projects. The addition of the Max line up Interstate Avenue in 2004 gave a great boom to several NoPo neighborhoods further north including Overlook, Arbor Lodge and Kenton. These areas are now popular particularly with first time homebuyers who like the quiet streets lined with small bungalows and the easy access to downtown on public transportation.

The University of Portland makes its home in the University Park neighborhood which sits on the bluff with beautiful views of downtown and the West Hills. St. John’s, Portland’s northernmost neighborhood, centers around quaint commercial district making it feel like a small town all its own. Pier Park, on the edge of St. John’s, boasts one of the best Frisbee golf courses around and the St. John’s Bridge, one of Portland’s most scenic bridges, conveniently connects the area to NW Portland.