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Some
one once made the remark that Portland's West Hills was Boston's Beacon
Hill without the dress code. The dress code in Portland is a bit
relaxed as Gore-Tex is more common than cashmere. One similarity between
Boston and the West Hills of Portland is both share narrow streets.
Carl Abbott, in his book Greater Portland, talks
about the development of the West Hills. Below is a quote:
"The advent of family automobiles opened the
steep slopes to the west to residential development. By
the 1920s the West Hills were Portland's new elite district.
For three generations the affluent highlanders of King's Heights,
Arlington Heights, Willamette Heights, Portland Heights, and Council
Crest have enjoyed views of Mount Hood and ten-minute commutes to
downtown offices. Separated by elevation from the lower income
residents of the downtown fringe, successful businessmen, ambitious
professionals, and monied families have been able to maintain social
status and leafy living without needing to flee to suburbia."
Perhaps you have hear the
Everclear
musical group's
song with the line, "I will buy you that big house, way up in the West
Hills." Everclear is from Portland, and they are referring to Portland's
West Hills where Everclear's founder Alexakis lived in the late 90s.
It certainly easy to understand why someone who works
downtown would want to live in the West Hills. But the West Hills
is also home to many of the computer chip workers located in Hillsboro
and Beaverton - these communities are located on the far west side of
the Portland metro area. Rather than live in the suburbs close to their
work, many chose the West Hills. They prefer the classic architecturally
style of older homes, the quality education available in the West Hills
area public schools, and to be close to a vibrant downtown.
West Hills Location From downtown look
West and you'll see the West Hills. The hills extend along a ridge that
covers both the northwest and southwest (south and north of Burnside
Street). A simple definition is that area to the immediate west of
downtown where many of the homes offer a view such as the one in the
photo above. The following are West Hills neighborhoods: Arlington
Heights, Council Crest, Hillside, Forest Heights, Forest Park, Northwest
Heights, and Portland Heights.
West Hills Neighborhoods of Winding Roads, Hills, and
Classic Homes
 The
West Hills are littered with historic homes and even a couple of
castles. Common styles found in the hills include English Cottage,
Foursquare, Colonial, Tudor, and Arts & Crafts. Most West Hills homes
were built in the early part of the 20th Century. Many homeowners
in the hills have built additions and/or updated their West Hills home
so what started as a home with a definite style in its original state,
is today a home lacking any architectural style.
When "pier" construction (concrete piers with steel
and/or wooden beams) began in the late 1950s, builders began to
construct homes on steeper lots. Today, contemporary homes are
being built on narrow and steep lots. These modern homes are
multi-level structures with lots of glass. Many homes in the West Hills
are without a lawn - just lots of scrubs, flowering plants, and roses.
The downside of living in the West Hills is driving the
up and down winding roads. The West Hills is not a grid layout.
Few streets run in one direction. Another thing about West Hills living;
you may experience a short power outage or two during the winter,
usually during a wind or ice storm. A fallen tree or a large branch is
usually the culprit.
West Hill Slides
During the winters of 1996-97, when the Portland area
received record rainfall, the West Hills had over 350 slides (the entire
metro area had 630 plus slides). The majority of the slides caused minor
damages but a few wiped out homes and a some caused structural problems
to homes. Many people were shocked to learn that their standard
insurance policy didn't cover slides.
Because of the '96 slides, the City of Portland
requires geotechnical engineers in slide hazard zones to drill soil
samples, evaluate the firmness of underlying soils and measure depths to
bedrock. The city requires geotechnical reviews at new building
sites or for major remodeling projects, existing homes and buildings do
not get the same scrutiny.
As a result of the renewed study, what became better
known is that most of the homes in the West Hills are built on glacial
loess
− windblown glacial particles. The windblown
silt ranges from a few feet deep in some places to 100 feet in others
over basalt. Although most have survived just fine through decades of
Oregon rainstorms, there can still be problems. Portland State
University Bill Burns states that "The particles are not as packed
together as they could be, which makes them more moisture sensitive.
Combine that with the steep slopes and the risk for landslides goes way
up."
Determine a Property's Exposure to Slides and Earth
Quakes As part of its mission to assess geological hazards and
natural resources to protect the life, safety and welfare of Oregonians,
the Oregon Department of Geology & Mineral Industries, in partnership
with the United States Geological Survey, has acquired 441.5 square
miles of digital Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data for portions
of the Portland metro area and the Columbia River. Other government
authorities, such as the City of Oregon City, also have acquired and
provided LIDAR data.
How to Use LIDAR to Access Slide and Earth Quake
Information for Properties in the Portland Metro Area
Here is the link to LIDAR:
http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/lidar/index.htm. You can
access the interactive maps in one of three ways:
You can zoom directly to your address, if it is in the
mapped area. The
Help text is very useful to fully understand how the LIDAR system
works and it explains many of the terms.
To read more about land slides and what homeowners can
do about them, visit my page about Portland
Metro Area Land Slides.
Why People Live in the West Hills
West Hills doctors, lawyers, VPs, managers, and small
business owners have one of the shortest commutes in the USA; just
minutes to their downtown office. Evenings, they can attend a
performance downtown and be sound asleep in the West Hills home minutes
after the outing. While they sleep, their contemporaries are still
driving the freeway heading to their home in the suburbs.
Portland Monthly Magazine Neighborhood Guide
 The
Portland
Monthly
magazine features neighborhoods in their April issue every year. It has
a ton of information about neighborhoods to include their pick of the 20
best neighborhoods for the year.
To help those in the housing market, the magazine
combines all the data from approximately 120 neighborhoods and
communities in the Portland metro area in one easy-to- read document.
Include in the document are housing prices, school ratings,
demographics, crime statistics, parks, commuting information, and
services. Click
here to view the report.
Walking in the West Hills
Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities
to help you find a walkable place to live. The top 7 neighborhoods
in Portland are Walkers' Paradises. 45% of Portland residents have a
Walk Score of 70 or above. 83% have a Walk Score of at least 50—and 17%
live in Car-Dependent neighborhoods. We have created a Walk Score
for each of the neighborhood profiles below. Please note that we use an
address in the center of each neighborhood to determine the Walk Score.
Scores will vary in a neighborhood depending upon the address.
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Portland Heights to Zoo Walking Tour
This 5.6-mile walk combines stunning views of downtown and the
Cascades, 19th century
homes, wooded paths and a ride on Portland's only subway. Stop
for a snack at Strohecker's Grocery on your way to an afternoon
visiting the Oregon Zoo. Click
here
to download the guide.
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Portland Hill Walks is no ordinary
guidebook. No restaurant ratings, no rehashed explanations of how
the city got its name. Instead, in twenty meandering, view-studded
strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively
travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask.
It's available from
Timber Press
here in Portland. Here is a review from The Oregonian:
"Pick up a copy of Portland Hill Hikes, lace up some hiking shoes
and leave the gas guzzler in the garage. Takes explorers into 20
city neighborhoods and includes lots of city history, while pointing
out fun ways to get to know your backyard."
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Southwest Trails Group
The SW
Trails Group is a committee of Southwest Neighborhoods Inc that
uses volunteer efforts to make trail improvements, lead walks, work
with Safe Routes to School, plan and advocate for pedestrian and
bicycle safety and other improvements in SW Portland Their
walks are the second Saturday of each month, meet at 9 a.m. sharp
under the Hillsdale Oak, behind the Dance Studio at SW Sunset Blvd
and SW Capitol Highway near the concrete bleachers of the Wilson
football field.
Search for Homes in
Portland's West Hills
 To
search for homes in Portland's West Hills, go to
Search West Hills. You can use over 100 search parameters and
then select a specific area off a neighborhood map by drawing a box
around that area. Alternatively, you can just specify the criteria
and obtain all the current listings in the West Hills.
Complete Information About the Below West Hills Neighborhoods
Below are four West Hills neighborhoods. We have created separate web pages for each to give
you details about each of them.
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