At the heart of Portland is City Center. It’s located on the western bank of the Willamette, extends west into Forest Park and Willamette Park, north into the industrial district, and south to a rather hilly area where you’ll also find Council Crest City Park and OHSU.

Portland’s City Center is quite unique when compared to other cities considering that at its founding, streets were designed to be rather narrow and blocks were made square. This design encouraged walking and increased real estate values by allowing for more corner lots. One rather convenient side effect of the design is that each block (plus street width) is around 264ft., meaning that 20 blocks equals one mile (+80 ft.). Rather convenient when planning your morning walk!

Real Estate

All Active MLS Real Estate Listings For Sale in Portland City Center:

Click below to view full listing details or create your own custom search of homes for sale in Portland City Center.

Portland City Center Map

Neighborhoods

Arlington Heights

As one of the smaller neighborhoods in the City Center area, Arlington Heights is overlooks most of downtown Portland and is neighbored by Goose Hollow, Portland Heights, Southwest Hills, Sylvan Heights, and Westover. Nearly all of the neighborhood is comprised of open park space, primarily Washington Park and offers a nice, quiet retreat from the busyness of downtown Portland located just downhill.

Downtown Portland

Portland has a vibrant, active downtown thanks to brilliant city planning, hard work and that Northwest spirit! At the heart of downtown Portland is Pioneer Courthouse Square. It is often called “Portland’s Living Room” because of its numerous events and prime location.

Goose Hollow

The Goose Hollow neighborhood in located the southwest area of Portland’s City Center. Goose Hollow is home to PGE Park and the Portland Timber’s soccer team, and is currently being renovated as it readies for MLS games beginning in late March/early April just in time for MLS games. South of the PGE Park stadium is a wide collection of building including condos, older portland homes, businesses, and retail stores.

Nob Hill

-The Nob Hill neighborhood is a major shopping area, centered around 21st and 23rd Avenues. Couch Park is located next to the Metropolitan Learning Center and Wallace Park is next to Chapman Elementary. Each park has it’s own off-leash dog park for local residents. Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center and Linfield College are located on NW Northrup between 21st and 23rd Avenues.

NW Industrial

-The NW Industrial district is located along the Willamette and borders the Pearl District, Nob Hill, Willbridge and Willamette Heights neighborhoods. The area is primarily industrial and most the land has been designated the Guild’s Lake Industrial Sanctuary, to preserve the land for long-term industrial use and to resist pressure for residential development.-

Pearl District

Just as the name implies, the Pearl District grew from what was once a decaying industrial warehouse area in downtown Portland. Years of planning and renovation have transformed it into one of Portland’s premier neighborhoods.

Portland Heights

Just south of Goose Hollow is a neighborhood known as Portland Heights. It overlooks downtown Portland and across the Willamette river to the east. The entire neighborhood is built on a series of steep slopes and throughout the neighborhood are many staircases built to encourage walking.

Southwest Hills

Tucked away in the southwest corner of Portland’s City Center is the appropriately named Southwest Hills neighborhood. On a clear days it’s possible to see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Saint Helens in the distance. The neighborhood borders Council Crest Park (Portland’s highest peak) and boasts some of the grandest, most luxurious homes in the city.

Westover

The Westover neighborhood is full of elegant homes and breathtaking views. Residents of Westover have ready access to Forest Heights to the west and downtown Portland to the east. The area is quiet and great for morning walks. Sidewalks and trails run between houses and meander all the way down to Nob Hill. There’s even a great trail leading all the way up to the Pittock Mansion.

Willamette Heights

On the western border of Portland’s City Center is Willamette Heights. Like the Westover neighborhood to the south, Willamette Heights is much quieter and more family oriented than other parts of the downtown Portland area. Most of the homes here are within walking distance of the northern area of Nob Hill and many restaurants and several retailers.

Bridges

Portland’s often been known as Bridge City because of our abundance of bridges. There are eight bridges that link directly into the city center area. From north to south, these bridges are:

Fremont Bridge – Quite possibly one of the most distinct bridges in Portland, the Fremont Bridge carries I-405 between the Pearl District, Nob Hill and NW Industrial and on into downtown

Broadway Bridge – Classic steel bridge, connects the Chinatown area of the Pearl District with the Rose Quarter

Steel Bridge – MAX trains and Trimet busses make up most of this bridge’s traffic. Random Portland trivia: This is the only double-deck bridge in the world with two independent lifts.

Burnside Bridge – Connects east and west Portland. Like the rest of Portland’s bridges, it’s owned and operated by Multnomah County.

Morrison Bridge – The Morrison Bridge leads from central Eastside into the main business district of downtown.

Hawthorne Bridge – The Hawthorne Bridge runs from downtown into the heart of SE Portland

Marquam Bridge – Otherwise known as the I-5 bridge, the Marquam Bridge carries I-5 from east Portland into the southern area of Portland’s City Center. Even in rush hour traffic you’re sure to find some great views up here.

Ross Island Bridge – Connects Powell Blvd. (US Route 26) to the Corbett-Lair neighborhood where you’ll find the newly built South Waterfront neighborhood.

Buildings

In nearly every photo of the downtown Portland skyline there are several buildings any Portlander can easily recognize and serve as great landmarks. Here’s a collection of the five tallest buildings in Portland:

Wells Fargo Center: Tallest building in all of Oregon, it was originally built in 1972 and was the subject of much public criticism because of it’s height, effectively leading to height restrictions and ensuring it’s title as the tallest building in Oregon. The Wells Fargo Center houses the regional headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank and numerous other businesses.

US Bancorp Tower: “Big Pink” stands 536 feet tall with 42 floors. The building opened in 1983 and is one of the most unique buildings in Portland. The combination of pink granite, glass, and parallelogram footprint due to the street grid, the building is constantly changing color and shape throughout the day

KOIN Center: This multi-purpose building stands 509 feet tall with 35 floors. The first several floors are mixed office/retail space, floors 4-19 are strictly office space, and the final 11 floors are privately owned condos. The distinctive spire is nearly exclusively used for radio and television signal broadcasting.

PacWest Center: Standing at 418 feet, the PacWest Center was completed in 1984 and is primarily owned by Mitsubishi Estate Co. since the it’s construction

Fox Tower: As one of the newest buildings in downtown Portland, Fox Tower is easily recognizable by its distinctive curves and angular exterior. Street-level retailers include: Marios, Banana Republic, Regal’s Fox Tower 10 movie theater, Elephant’s Delicatessen, and Ringside Steakhouse (although this location is temporary it’s received such good reviews there’s a good chance this will become a 2nd location).

Events

Portland Rose Festival – Portland’s most famous event is the annual Rose Festival. It’s been celebrated for over 100 years now and highlights all that makes the American Northwest great. It was even named Best Festival In The World in 2007!

The Bite of Oregon – the Bite of Oregon is a celebration of all that makes Oregon great. Food, music, drinks, dance. Held every year at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, bring the family and be sure to arrive hungry.

Holiday Ale Festival – This is the only outdoor beer festival in the Northwest to be held in December. A large tent retains what little heat there is. The craft beers, food and entertainment make the bitter cold well worth it. Held annually at Pioneer Courthouse Square the first week of December.

Farmers Market – There are several farmers markets scattered across Portland. In the downtown area the local farmers markets are:

Portland State University – Saturday from March through December at SW Park Ave & SW Montgomery

Pioneer Courthouse Square – In Downtown, Mondays from June through September at SW Broadway & SW Morrison St

Shemanski Park – Across from the Schnitzer Concert Hall, Wednesdays from May through October at SW Park Ave & SW Salmon St

NW 23rd – In the Nob Hill neighborhood, Thursdays from June through September at NW 23rd Ave & NW Savier St

Cinco De Mayo Fiesta – Quite possibly Portland’s largest multi-cultural event held on the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The “Plaza de Artesanos” is filled with demonstrations of handcrafted artwork, Features live music, dance and art.

Turkey Trot at the Zoo – Annual fundraiser for the Oregon Zoo. Participants start at the World Forestry Center, loop around at the tennis courts outside the Japanese Gardens, then back to the Oregon Zoo in Washington Park all while wearing their favorite turkey costume. Only in Portland!

ZooLights – Portland’s premier winter family event, ZooLights transforms the Oregon Zoo into a Winter Wonderland. Millions of lights, music, food, and the Zoo Train make the night one the kids will love.

Real Estate in downtown Portland varies greatly but like any neighborhood there are always great deals to be found if you know what to look for. If you are interested in buying a home in Portland’s City Center/Downtown check out the list below for current listings or contact me directly if you’re looking to sell.