MEET THE TEAM Principal Broker Transaction Coordinator The first eCertified real estate With over a decade of first-rate agent in the world— Rob’s tech customer service and sales savvy resources will direct your experience, Kathy brings buying needs by using technol- administrative strengths and ogy to it’s fullest capabilities. organizational expertise to the After settling in Portland in team. She is responsible for 1984, Rob has been a li- our paperwork, closings, and censed Realtor in Portland the overall smooth transaction since 1988. experience. Rob Levy [email protected] [email protected] Kathy Grant Buyer Specialist With over 16 years in the busi- ness, Judie’s specialty is matching the client to the best neighborhood ensuring long term home happiness! Before joining our team Judie also sold condos in the Pearl dis- trict so knows all facets of resi- dential real estate. Judie Simpson [email protected] Communicating With Us We are all available via the main office line which also has voice mail. Please re- spect our hours though, we all have lives outside of real estate and will always get back to you. Also, for all of us—email is always the very best option. Office Number: (503) 906-1444 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 2 YOUR GUIDE TO PORTLAND The Basics Page One Cover Page Two Meet the Team Page Three Portland Guide Page Four History of Portland—The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Page Five Demographics Page Six Weather Page Seven Portland Lingo Attractions Page Eight Local Attractions—For Kids! Page Nine Sightseeing in the City Page Ten Portland and the Arts! Page Eleven Portland—Outdoors Page Twelve Restaurant Recommendations by the Rob Levy Team The Neighborhoods Page Thirteen Portland Neighborhoods Page Fourteen Southeast Portland Page Fifteen Northeast Portland Important Information Page Sixteen Transportation Page Seventeen Oregon DMV Page Eighteen Libraries in Multnomah County Page Nineteen Libraries in surrounding areas Page Twenty Hospitals and Healthcare Page Twenty-one School Districts Page Twenty-two Portland District Map Page Twenty-three Beaverton District Map Page Twenty-four Lake Oswego District Map/Forest Grove District Map Page Twenty-five Portland Media Page Twenty-six Wireless Internet Hot Spots Page Twenty-seven Wineries Page Twenty-eight Casinos Page Twenty-nine Rob Levy Team Mission Statement Accompanying web links available at www.RobLevy.com All the Portland information you could ever need! 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 3 HISTORY OF PORTLAND The Coin Flip It all began with a gorgeous view of land located on the banks of the Willamette River. In 1843, Tennessee drifter William Overton saw great potential for this timber-rich land surrounded by mountains, but lacked the 25 cents required to file a land claim. He struck a bargain with his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts: for a quarter, Overton would share his claim to the 640-acre site known as “The Clearing.” Overton grew bored with working the land and sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. The new partners could not agree to a name for their new township as both wished to name the city after their own hometown. They decided to flip a coin, now known as the “Portland Penny,” to settle the dispute. Pettygrove won two tosses out of three, thus naming their new home Portland. The Dark Side Portland’s history has a dark side that began in the late 1800’s with Joseph “Bunco” Kelly, a hotelier who was notorious for kidnapping young men into the shanghai trade. Shanghaiing was the illegal act of abducting able-bodied men who hung around the Portland waterfront area and selling them to ship captains to be used as free slave labor. Many of the bars in Portland had trap doors that were used to drop the victim into the Portland Underground, a series of tunnels that were linked to the basements of various buildings. These tunnels contained cells that the unfortunate victims were locked in until they were sold to a ship captain. Location, Location, Location Portland’s prime location gave the city an advantage over the nearby ports and it quickly grew. With access both to the Pacific Ocean, by way of the Columbia River, and to the agricultural Tualatin Valley, via the “Great Plank Road” (now U.S. Highway 26), it was shipping and receiving that made Portland prosperous. It remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890’s, when Seattle’s deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by railroads, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River. The City of Roses The first known reference to Portland as “The City of Roses” was made by visitors to an 1888 Episcopal Church convention, the nickname continued growing in popularity after the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition where Mayor Harry Lane suggested that the city needed a “festival of roses.” The first Portland Rose Festival was held two years later, and remains the city’s major annual festival a century later. The Bubblers The turn of the century brought a close to Portland’s colorful early years with secure jobs in lumber mills and new found wealth from supporting the California Gold Rush. To encourage the changing times, lumber baron and philanthropist Simon Benson, commissioned 20 elegant freshwater drinking fountains to curb the consumption of alcohol by thirsty employees. 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 4 Benson Bubbler DEMOGRAPHICS Portland Oregon MSA Population: 2,289,800 (2012) including Clark County WA. 48% of Oregon’s population lives in the Portland area Livin’ Large: Portland is the largest city in Oregon and second largest in the Pacific Northwest Location: Portland is 173 feet above sea level, situated 30 miles north of the 45th parallel north Time Zones: Portland is in the Pacific Time Zone. Income: Portland has a median household income of $64,290 (2010) Nature Abounds: Portland is 45 miles from Mount Hood and 78 miles from the Pacific Ocean City Parks: Portland has 37,000 acres of parks in the metropolitan area, including the 5,000-acre Forest Park & is home of the world’s smallest dedicated park, 24-inch Mill Ends Park Beer Capital of the Nation: Portland has over 40 microbreweries and brewpubs in the metropolitan area 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 5 WEATHER While many people think of Portland as rainy, the climate is temperate and seasonal with only 155 days of measurable precipitation—less than Seattle, Baltimore, Houston or Atlanta! Weather Info: 503.275.9792 Portland Weather by the Numbers: Average Annual Rainfall: 39 inches Average High Spring Temperature: 56º F Average High Summer Temperature: 74º F Average High Autumn Temperature: 73º F Record High is 107º F Record Low is –3º F Average High Winter Temperature: 48º F 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 6 PORTLAND LINGO Portlanders love to make up names for their favorite locations, so don’t be surprised if you hear these phrases and have no clue what they mean…. Bridgetown Another nickname for Portland. A uniquely planned neighborhood in inner SE Portland named after William S. Ladd's Addition Ladd, two time Mayor of Portland. Nob Hill A trendy district in northwest Portland encompassing NW 23rd & NW 21st. No-Po The neighborhoods in north and northeast Portland that are up-and-coming. Pearl District Area of mostly newer condos and restaurants in NW Portland, just north of town The FAA code for the Portland International Airport. PDX Also a nickname for Portland. South Waterfront Area of all new condos south of the Marquam (I-5) bridge next to the river P-Town Another name for Portland. Rose City Local nickname for Portland, short for City of Roses. Original name of Portland (currently a nickname.) Stumptown Also a local coffee roaster (the best in town!) Sun Breaks The weather report means there may be a chance of rain. Local name for Highway 26 as you cruise west toward the Pacific from down- Sunset Highway town Portland to highway 101 intersection at the beach. The nickname for Interstate 84, named for Thomas Harry Banfield, Chairman of The Banfield the Oregon Transportation. But there are no signs so don't be confused. The name Portlanders call the beautiful forested section of the Columbia River The Gorge Gorge spanning from Portland to The Dalles. The Gorge @ The name Portlanders call the arid section of the Columbia River Gorge in central George Washington that has a great amphitheatre for live music! The trendy downtown district of lofts, shops and galleries to the north of The Pearl Burnside and west of the Willamette. The Saturday The open air market located under the Burnside Bridge on the waterfront Market (actually open Saturday and Sunday March - December) The beautifully restored concert hall dating back to the late 1920's. Named after The Schnitz Arlene Schnitzer, a notable philanthropist, who (with husband Harold) donated $1 million to the restoration. 503.906.1444 www.RobLevy.com 7 CHILDREN’S ATTRACTIONS Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Science can be fun for all ages when visiting OMSI. As one of the highest rated science centers in the world, OMSI provides an interactive education of all things science. Visitors can watch or partake in demonstrations, create experiments at OMSI’s hands-on workshops, tour the USS Blueback submarine and experience films in gigantic proportions at the OMNIMAX Theater. 1945 SE Water Avenue World Forest Discovery Center Explore, discover and educate at the Forest Discovery Museum. The adventure begins with an in-depth look at the world of trees using hands- on tools, videos, and displays.