Pearl District

North of Burnside, East of I-405, West of Broadway and South of the Willamette River
Portland, OR

Submitted by: Jon Winslow

New Urban Neighborhood incorporating many New Urbanist ideas.

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Why It Works

This is the model for urban neighborhoods throughout North America. It is a former industrial area now a hip loft area with galleries and upscale shops and restaurants. The streetcar plays an important role in the success of this area. Many old brick buildings such as warehouses have been converted to housing plus a lot of new construction. This is the place to live, shop, work, play, etc.

What Makes Pearl District a Great Place?

Pearl is connected seamlessly to the upscale residential area known as Northwest Portland (NW 23rd and NW 21st), and also with the vibrant downtown area primarily because of the Portland Streetcar but also due to the pedestrian-friendly nature of the streets and neighborhood. There is no real center for the area; however, since the streetcar opened in 2001, it has centered on the area around NW 10th and 11th Avenues. The place is so accessible that many people have gotten rid of their cars or use them very rarely. The sidewalks are very inviting with storefronts lining them. The streets are narrow and include Portland's famous 200 foot grid block system.

The Pearl is attracting people from all over the country, both to visit and to live in. It is very clean and friendly. Streets and parks are maintained daily. The neighborhood constantly has people walking around from early in the morning to late at night; I have gone outside at 1:00 am and have not thought once about my safety. Vehicles have their place here: in garages or traveling at slow speeds, respectful of pedestrians. Plus there is a sign on one of the new buildings saying "GO BY STREETCAR" and the "GO BY TRAIN" sign is also visible in the area from the nearby train station.

The space is constantly in use by residents, shoppers, diners, people relaxing in the park, dog walkers, delivery people, construction workers, art gallery browsers, college students from the art college, people waiting for the streetcar and people working in the industrial buildings. The residents are primarily young singles or couples without children or empty nesters, but there is a growing number of young children in the area and a few teens. There are lots of galleries, shops and restaurants. The park is especially popular; it is not uncommon to see over 100 people in the small one-block park known as Jamison Park. Children and their parents come from all over the metro area to this park. I can honestly say that everything in the area is well used at almost all hours. The largest bookstore in the country is here, bringing in tens of thousands of people a day. However, this place does not give the feeling of being overcrowded or too populated. There is a great diversity here of different kinds of buildings, from townhouses to lofts to condos to apartments, from affordable housing to high income; from residential to commercial to industrial to office.

Everyone is very social and gets along very well. There is a real friendly and close-knit feeling here. The park and streetcar as well as the sidewalks make this place successful. Mostly locals but on the First Thursday of the month people congregate here for the galleries and stores which stay open late. Jane Jacobs would be happy here.

History & Background

City Planners from all over the country are coming to the Pearl to study it. Transportation planners are traveling from all over the country to study the success of the streetcar. There is nothing like it in the country.

Contact Info:

Pearl District Neighborhood Association: daugust@pearlliving.com

User Comments:

10/11/04 Shin-pei Tsay said:: We visited Pearl District in September 2003, and found it to be sparkling with potential, but lacking in some ways. Despite the highly touted designer shops and restaurants, activity was somewhat quiet on the streets and sidewalks. (We walked around on a Friday afternoon). It was also too separated from the rest of the city, particularly the urban areas that have a lot of vitality. There were few visible access points, and it was somewhat hard to tell if you are actually in the district once you enter its formal boundaries. Still, it was a fun time walking around. We are really interested in seeing how the Pearl District will grow.
01/25/09 John Breski said:: I disagree with the previous poster. I have lived in many cities and seen most of the major cities of the world. I recently found the Pearl and moved here. It is definitely the finest city in the country at this time. The poster was obviously a tourist with limited experience. They wrote that the Pearl is "too separated from the rest of the city, particularly the urban areas that have a lot of vitality." I am not able to understand what they are referring to. The Pearl is in the heart of the urban core. To reach the other "urban" neighborhoods you can just walk a few blocks, of bicycle as most residents do or take the bus or the MAX. Portland is one of the most compact cities I can think of with no large "empty areas". In most cities in the U.S. you travel from one upscale area into slums and then the suburbs. Portland is not like that at all. The entire urban center is connected and compact and there are no slums. Perhaps this is why the previous poster was confused about what district they were in. A resident can easily see what district they are in. I think the previous poster was probably in Portland less than a day or two and didn't have the Portland "experience." As for the fact that they found the sidewalks empty, that is rare but the Pearl is definitely not crowded or congested, which is a good thing. On sunny days and particularly on weekends, parts of the Pearl are crowded with people from the suburbs whose S.U.V.'s are not welcomed.
02/25/09 Adam Wood said:: The two comments previously posted and the date on which each is posted is a testament to how much the Pearl District as changed over the last 5 years or so. I went in the winter of 2005 and then again in the Summer of 2008. Three years had gone by and I honestly did not recognize the place. It is simply amazing how much has changed.