Communities
Downtown: Portland Oregon Neighborhoods
In This Section
A vibrant quilt where the city’s many interests overlap, Portland’s downtown is accessible and active, yet less frantic than other major cities. Shoppers flock here for tax-free deals at world-class retailers, specialty shops and small boutiques, while diners satisfy their hunger at gourmet restaurants and thrifty, tasty food carts.
Quick facts:
- Downtown is in the city’s southwest quadrant, so all street addresses are labeled “S.W.”
- The Transit Mall, on Fifth and Sixth avenues, carries the MAX light rail yellow and green lines, as well as most bus lines. MAX red and blue lines run on Yamhill and Morrison streets, while 10th and 11th avenues carry the Portland Streetcar.
All train and streetcar rides are free in downtown, which is inside the Free Rail Zone.
- You’ll find visitor information and transit tickets, maps and assistance beneath the fountain in Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Districts:
- Downtown’s Cultural District (located between Market and Salmon streets to the north and south, and Broadway and Tenth Avenue from east to west) has long been the city’s backbone for fine art and classical music.
- A growing collection of boutiques, restaurants and shops in the area known as the “West End” offers a contemporary counterpart to those timeless charms. Technically, the West End is bounded by Broadway, Interstate 405, West Burnside and Portland State University, but the activity is concentrated closer to Burnside.
