| Northwest District | |
| Settlement Type: | Neighborhood |
| Map Alt: | Northwest District neighborhood boundaries |
| Coordinates: | 45.5326°N -122.6987°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | PDF map |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type2: | City |
| Subdivision Name2: | Portland |
| Leader Title1: | Association |
| Leader Title2: | Coalition |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.44 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 11,455 |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Housing |
| Demographics1 Title1: | No. of households |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 7,567 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Occupancy rate |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 94% occupied |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 1,137 households (15%) |
| Demographics1 Title4: | Renting |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 6,430 households (85%) |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Avg. household size |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.51 persons |
The Northwest District is a densely populated retail and residential neighborhood in the northwest section of Portland, Oregon, United States. Craftsman-style and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with old apartment buildings and new condominiums, within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and shops. The Portland Streetcar's first line (the NS Line) terminates there, connecting the district to the Pearl District, Downtown Portland and points south to the South Waterfront, and several TriMet bus lines also serve the district.
The district stretches west to east from the base of the West Hills (Tualatin Mountains) to I-405 (between NW 15th and 16th avenues), and north to south from NW Nicolai Street and the Willamette River to W Burnside St. It borders the neighborhoods of Forest Park and Hillside on the west, Northwest Industrial on the north, the Pearl District on the east, and Goose Hollow on the south.
This part of Portland is known more by names for various streets and areas within it than by its official name. These include:
The Alphabet Historic District, a portion of the larger Alphabet District area zoned for historic preservation, extending roughly between NW 17th and 24th Avenues, and between W Burnside and NW Marshall Streets, is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.[6] [7]
Beyond NW 21st and 23rd are residential districts and recreational areas, such as the forested Macleay Park (acquired 1897, in the Forest Park neighborhood). Parks within the Northwest District include Couch Park (1977) and Wallace Park (1920). Northwest District public schools include Chapman Elementary School and the Metropolitan Learning Center. Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center and Linfield University-Portland Campus are located between NW 23rd and NW 22nd avenues.
Several characters in Portland native Matt Groening's television show The Simpsons have names based on the alphabetically named streets in the Northwest District, e.g. Reverend Lovejoy, Mayor Quimby and the bully Kearney.[8]