Neighborhood in Portland · Multnomah County

Northwest District

Portland’s Northwest District includes the shopping streets often called Nob Hill, with businesses along NW 21st and 23rd avenues among older houses and apartment buildings.

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Brickwork and bay windows of a building on NW 23rd Avenue in Portland’s Northwest District, photographed in 2016. — Architecture on NW 23rd Avenue, photographed in 2016

Architecture on NW 23rd Avenue, photographed in 2016

NW 21st and 23rd Avenue shops, older architecture and a neighborhood park

About Northwest District

Portland’s Northwest District includes the shopping streets often called Nob Hill, with businesses along NW 21st and 23rd avenues among older houses and apartment buildings. Wallace Park supplies a neighborhood green space, and the streetcar connects the NW 23rd Avenue end of the district with the Pearl and Downtown.

Two avenues of shops and older buildings

NW 23rd and NW 21st avenues concentrate shops, cafes and restaurants within the Northwest District. Some businesses occupy converted Victorian houses, adding porches, bay windows and domestic-scale facades to the commercial streets.

Nob Hill is a common name for this shopping area. The wider Northwest Portland quadrant also contains the Pearl and wooded hillsides, so that broader geographical label describes much more than these two avenues.

Wallace Park near NW 25th and Raleigh

Wallace Park sits at NW 25th Avenue and Raleigh Street, with a playground, sports facilities, paved paths and a fenced dog area. Its open recreation space lies among the district’s residential streets.

A nature patch created in 2025 adds rain gardens and stormwater swales, native flowering plants, logs and boulders. Public art includes small bronze sculptures scattered around the park and adjoining schoolyard.

Portland Parks — Wallace Park

The streetcar’s NW 23rd Avenue end

The streetcar serves NW 23rd Avenue and Marshall Street, with stops along Northrup and Lovejoy connecting this end of the district with the Pearl. The original service opened between NW 23rd and Portland State University in 2001.

Later extensions continued through Downtown to the South Waterfront. Lovejoy and Northrup carry stops for different travel directions, making the named stop useful when locating a boarding point.

Check these on a visit

Try these in person before you commit to an address in Northwest District.

Walk a section of both NW 23rd and NW 21st to see their shops and older buildings.
Find Wallace Park at NW 25th and Raleigh for recreation and its stormwater garden.
Use the named streetcar stop on Lovejoy, Northrup or NW 23rd for the direction you need.

Neighborhoods and districts near Northwest District

The closest neighborhoods and districts in Portland, measured center to center.

Under 1 miPearl DistrictThe Pearl District combines former warehouse buildings with homes, galleries, shops and newer public spaces north of Downtown Portland.

All Portland neighborhoods and districts

Schools near Northwest District

The 6 closest schools within 5 miles, including any outside the city. Being nearby does not mean a home is zoned for a school: confirm attendance zones with the school or district.

All schools in Portland

Chapman Elementary SchoolElementary
about 0.3 mi · Public · Grades K–5 · 353 students
Class AcademyElementary
about 0.4 mi · Private · Grades Pre-K–5 · 120 students
Metropolitan Learning CenterK–12
about 0.6 mi · Public · Grades K–12 · 319 students
Childpeace Montessori SchoolK–8
about 0.6 mi · Private · Grades Pre-K–8 · 186 students
Lincoln High SchoolHigh
about 1.1 mi · Public · Grades 9–12 · 1,611 students
Harriet Tubman Middle SchoolMiddle
about 1.5 mi · Public · Grades 6–8 · 329 students

Distances are approximate. They are straight lines from the centre of Northwest District, not travel distances, and a home at the edge of the area can be noticeably closer to or farther from a school.

Sources & data notesReferences, reporting periods, and how to use this information

Information on this page is compiled from multiple sources and provided for general information. It may be incomplete or out of date, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Independently verify important details with the original source, relevant authority, or a qualified professional before making decisions.

Statistics keep their reporting periods. Survey estimates are not current asking prices or quotes for an individual property. Displayed values are rounded.

Shopping streets and reused Victorian buildings
Travel Portland — Northwest / Nob HillSource checked 2026-10-18
Broader quadrant and NW 21st/23rd corridors
Travel Portland — Northwest PortlandSource checked 2026-10-18
Park location, recreation and stormwater garden
Portland Parks — Wallace ParkSource checked 2026-10-18
NW 23rd and Marshall, Lovejoy and Northrup stops
Portland Streetcar — Stops and arrivalsSource checked 2026-10-18
NW 23rd to PSU route and later South Waterfront extension
Portland Streetcar — System historySource checked 2026-10-18

Photo credits

Image credits and license
Architecture on NW 23rd Avenue, photographed in 2016
Creator: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives
Original source
License: CC BY 4.0
Changes: Resized and converted to WebP; may be cropped for display.
Architecture on NW 23rd Avenue, photographed in 2016
Image credits and license
Creator: Steve Morgan
Original source
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Changes: Resized and converted to WebP; may be cropped to fit the display
Portland Streetcar heading westbound on Northrup in Portland's Northwest District, Oregon.
Image credits and license
Creator: Tedder
Original source
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Changes: Resized and converted to WebP; may be cropped to fit the display
View of Montgomery Park building and hills in Portland's Northwest District, Oregon.
Image credits and license
NW 23rd Avenue at Irving Street, photographed in December 2022
Creator: DJ Cane
Original source
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Changes: Resized and converted to WebP; may be cropped to fit the display
NW 23rd Avenue at Irving Street, photographed in December 2022