Southwest Portland:

Southwest Portland offers the perfect mix of picturesque neighborhoods and bustling retail districts – all in Portland, Oregon’s city center.

SCHOOLS

With a total of eight elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools, the Portland Public School District also serves the Southwest Portland area.

Located in the southernmost end of Portland’s city limits resides the Dunthorpe neighborhood, known for having its own public school system – the Riverdale School District – which serves more than 600 area families.

The International School also located in Southwest Portland offers a multi-lingual and multi-cultural curriculum for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The first of its kind in the area, the International High School of Portland (IHS Portland) resides nearby in close proximity to Portland State University (PSU); continuing the international curriculum from The International School.

The state of Oregon’s only health and research university, Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU), acts as a sentinel overlooking Southwest Portland. The Oregon College of Art & Craft sits on the hill below OHSU, and offers a gamut of programs from fine art to applied craft and design.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the urban epicenter that personifies the 49-acre Portland State University (PSU) campus in downtown Portland, more than 24,000 students are enrolled in a range of undergraduate and graduate courses.

RECREATION

Despite hosting the majority of the city of Portland’s business districts, there is no shortage of green space in Southwest Portland. In 1852, 11 downtown Portland blocks were designated as public park space during the initial city planning stages. Today, there are 12 South Park Blocks, which remain a popular city landmark and boasts several major dedicated artworks.

Portland Parks and Recreation also maintains neighborhood parks like Burlingame Park, Gabriel Park and Marshall Park in Southwest Portland, which all offer picnic areas, walking trails, playgrounds and sport fields. In addition, the 175-acre Marquam Nature Park offers residents access to hiking trails that wind through nearby wooded areas.

ENTERTAINMENT

Those living in Southwest Portland enjoy an unmatched array of cultural attractions and public spaces. Portlanders can see the latest movies at the Regal Fox Tower Stadium 10 movie theater, take in a concert at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall or watch a Broadway show at Keller Auditorium.

The Multnomah County Library and Portland Art Museum also make Southwest Portland the cultural hub of the metropolitan area. The museum is internationally renowned, boasting awe-inspiring permanent collection galleries, six stories of modern art, regular featured showcases and more.    

The Hillsdale Farmers Market in Southwest Portland is the only year round farmers market in the Portland metropolitan area. Attendance at the market is often over 3,000 people each Sunday. The winter schedule is every other week from November to April.

NEIGHBORHOODS

Neighborhoods in Southwest Portland include:

Cultural District
The city’s major cultural institutions and elegant high-rise residences border Southwest Portland’s Park Blocks, prompting the area’s name – the Cultural District. A stroll through this stately neighborhood offers block after block of ancient elms, rich green lawns and inviting park benches. Flanking this green space include such Portland landmarks as the historic Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Antoinette Hatfield Hall of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, the nationally recognized Portland Art Museum,  the Oregon Historical Society and the campus of Portland State University.

Schools:
Elementary: Chapman; Middle: West Sylvan; High: Lincoln


Corbett/John’s Landing
When urban renewal encroached on the north end of this older neighborhood, a backlash resulted in the establishment of the Corbett/John’s Landing Historic Conservation District, the first protected historic district in Portland. The area’s riverfront is currently in the process of converting from heavy industry to residential development at a density that is expected to double the neighborhood's population. Already offices and health facilities employing several thousand have located to the neighborhood. In addition, John’s Landing is home to many locally-owned shops, restaurants and taverns.

Schools:
Elementary: Capitol Hill; Middle: Jackson; High: Wilson


Hillsdale
With the close proximity of schools, parks, a library and a shopping center, many families find the Hillsdale neighborhood the perfect mix of suburbia and downtown Portland. Hillsdale is home to a multitude of parks, including Hillsdale, Himes, DeWitt and most notably the 90-acre Gabriel Park.

Schools:
Elementary: Rieke and Capitol Hill; Middle: Gray; High: Wilson


Multnomah Village
In 1908, the Oregon Electric Railway stopped in Multnomah Village on its way from Portland to Salem. Since then, the Village has maintained a small town atmosphere of good service with imaginative establishments. More than 100 different businesses and community services, you will find antique stores, galleries, gift and specialty shops, distinctive restaurants and much more. There is something for every mood, every preference and every individual.

Schools:
Elementary: Rieke and Maplewood; Middle: Gray; High: Wilson


South Waterfront
The South Waterfront area is Southwest Portland’s newest urban renewal project along the Willamette River. Baby boomers and urban professionals seeking urban housing have fueled a great demand for more condominiums in the Portland area. Similar to the towers in the Pearl District, the Meriwether, John Ross, Atwater Place and 3720 are premium condo projects developed with sustainable green building practices.

The South Waterfront neighborhood is anchored by Oregon Health & Sciences University’s (OHSU) campus expansion. The district plans to include apartment buildings similar to the condo towers, office buildings, restaurants, movie theaters, boutiques and more. Two new parks will be centrally located in the South Waterfront. A riverfront park will feature a pedestrian path and urban beach that will connect the South Waterfront to the rest of downtown Portland.

Schools:
Elementary: Capitol Hill; Middle: Jackson; High: Wilson and Lincoln


Sylvan
The heavily wooded Sylvan neighborhood just west of downtown offers narrow winding streets. Its attraction is the quick drive to downtown and its closeness to the Oregon Zoo and Hoyt Arboretum trails. Many of the houses that now face Highway 26 are from the 1930s and 1940s when houses were built along the south edge of the neighborhood near the Portland Racquet Club. The rest of the neighborhood sprang up in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

Located in the Sylvan neighborhood, Washington Park’s 130 acres include the International Rose Garden. The park includes a gift shop, playground, soccer field, stage and a splendid vista point overlooking the city and Cascade Range. 

Schools:
Elementary: Ainsworth and Chapman; Middle: West Sylvan; High: Lincoln