About the Neighborhood

Northwest Portland has a rich history dating back to 1845, when Capt. John Couch sailed from Massachusetts to Oregon. Couch staked his claim to a square mile of present-day Northwest just north of what was then called the Lovejoy-Pettygrove Townsite.

At that time, the urban-residential area we now know and love as Northwest Portland was still lush forest with streams running down from the West Hills to the Willamette River.

When Capt. Couch returned to Portland four years later, he did so with his sailor-brother-in-law Capt. George Flanders (another name that graces a street in our neighborhood). Together, the two men helped develop the Northwest area economically, with Couch himself living in a log cabin near the present-day Union Station train yard.

Capt. Couch, for whom a park and a street are named in Northwest, is the man we have to thank for the "alphabet" designations for our north-south running streets (the actual street names given to replace those letters of the alphabet used did not occur until 1891). This area, as reported in our bi-monthly Northwest Real Estate Values newsletter received its status in 2001 as "the Historic Alphabet District," making it a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, any given block of Northwest Portland serves up a tantalizing stew of architectural styles. Next to a Georgian Revival mansion are Beaux Arts apartments, adjacent to Streetcar Era commercial, next to a Queen Ann cottage, across from a Byzantine Synagogue, near a Craftsman Bungalow.

Without a doubt, Northwest offers the richest feast of resources in the city for people who like to take life easy and stroll to goods, services, and entertainment. We’ve got everything in easy walking distance: restaurants (scads of them), schools, parks, newsstands, bookstores, Portland’s most beloved cinema/art house, dry cleaning, shoe repair, hair salons, sports facilities, community centers, pharmacies, hardware and lumber stores for fixing up your home, and even tires for your car when you do decide to actually get in the car. Our neighborhood is like a well-stocked village, and it’s all right here!

Below, by click on the link, you’ll find a handy resource list of Northwest businesses, landmarks, and personal favorites — including (where appropriate) the names, addresses, and telephone numbers where you may find more information.

Welcome to Northwest! -- Click Here for Details