City Layout

Portland is in northwestern Oregon at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. To the west are the West Hills, which rise to more than 1,000 feet. Some 90 miles west of the West Hills are the spectacular Oregon coast and the Pacific Ocean. To the east are rolling hills that extend to the Cascade Range, about 50 miles away. The most prominent peak in this section of the Cascades is Mount Hood (11,235 ft.), a dormant volcanic peak that looms over the city on clear days. From many parts of Portland it's also possible to see Mount St. Helens, a volcano that erupted violently in 1980.

With about two million people in the entire metropolitan area, Portland remains a relatively small city. This is especially evident when you begin to explore the compact downtown area. Nearly everything is accessible on foot, and the city authorities do everything they can to encourage walking.

Main Arteries & Streets

I-84 (Banfield Fwy. or Expwy.) enters Portland from the east. East of the city is I-205, which bypasses downtown Portland and runs past the airport. I-5 runs through on a north-south axis, passing along the east bank of the Willamette River directly across from downtown. I-405 circles around the west and south sides of downtown. U.S. 26 (Sunset Hwy.) leaves downtown heading west toward Beaverton and the coast. Oregon Highway 217 runs south from U.S. 26 in Beaverton.

The most important artery within Portland is Burnside Street. This is the dividing line between north and south Portland. Dividing the city from east to west is the Willamette River, which is crossed by eight bridges in the downtown area. From north to south these bridges are the Fremont, Broadway, Steel, Burnside, Morrison, Hawthorne, Marquam, and Ross Island. Additional bridges beyond the downtown area include the Sellwood Bridge, located between downtown and Lake Oswego, and the St. John's Bridge, which connects Northwest Portland with north Portland.

For the sake of convenience, we have defined downtown Portland as the 300-block area within the Fareless Square. This is the area in which you can ride for free on the city's public buses, the MAX light-rail system, and the Portland Streetcar. In downtown, the Fareless Square is bounded by I-405 on the west and south, by Irving Street on the north, and by the Willamette River on the east. A Fareless Square extension also allows transit riders to travel free between downtown Portland and both the Oregon Convention Center and Lloyd Center Mall. There is no charge to ride either the MAX light-rail trolleys or any of the buses that connect downtown with the Rose Quarter and Lloyd District across the Willamette River in northeast Portland.

Finding an Address

Finding an address in Portland can be easy. Almost all addresses in Portland, and for miles beyond, include a map quadrant -- NE (northeast), SW (southwest), and so forth. The dividing line between east and west is the Willamette River; between north and south it's Burnside Street. Any downtown address will be labeled either SW (southwest) or NW (northwest). An exception to this rule is the area known as North Portland, which is the area across the Willamette River from downtown going toward Jantzen Beach. Streets here have a plain "North" designation. Also, Burnside Street is designated either "East" or "West."

Avenues run north-south and streets run east-west. Street names are the same on both sides of the Willamette River. Consequently, there is a SW Yamhill Street and a SE Yamhill Street. In Northwest Portland, street names are alphabetical going north from Burnside to Wilson. Naito Parkway is the street nearest the Willamette River on the west side, and Water Avenue is the nearest on the east side. Beyond these are numbered avenues. On the west side you'll also find Broadway and Park Avenue between Sixth Avenue and Ninth Avenue. With each block, the addresses increase by 100, beginning at the Willamette River for avenues and at Burnside Street for streets. Odd numbers are generally on the west and north sides of the street, and even numbers on the east and south sides.

Here's an example: You want to go to 1327 SW Ninth Ave. Because it's in the 1300 block, you'll find it 13 blocks south of Burnside and, because it's an odd number, on the west side of the street.

Street Maps

Stop by the Portland Oregon Visitors Association Information Center, 701 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 1 (tel. 877/678-5263 or 503/275-9750; www.travelportland.com), in Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland for a free map of the city.

Powell's City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St. (tel. 866/201-7601 or 503/228-4651), has an excellent free map of downtown that includes a walking-tour route and information on many of the sights you'll pass along the way.

Members of the American Automobile Association (AAA) can get a free map of the city at the AAA offices at 600 SW Market St. (tel. 503/222-6734; www.aaaorid.com).