The city of Portland, Oregon, has more than 10,000 acres (4,000ha) of public parks and other natural areas,[1] including one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, Forest Park. Many are managed by Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). One of the smallest—at 61 centimetres (24in) in diameter—is Mill Ends Park, the smallest city park in the world. There are at least 279 parks and natural areas in Portland.
Acquired in 1940, Arbor Lodge Park includes a dog off-leash area, horseshoe pit, paved paths, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, public art, and tennis courts.[2]
Acquired in 1968, Cathedral Park includes a boat dock, boat ramp, canoe launch, disabled access restroom, dog off-leash area, paths—paved, picnic tables, and stage. The park is named for the cathedral-like arches of the St. John's Bridge.[3]
Acquired in 1932, Chimney Park includes a fenced off-leash area for dogs. Located on the one-time site of the city's incinerator, the park is named for the incinerator's chimney, which has since been removed.[4]
Acquired in 1891, Columbia Park includes baseball, softball and soccer fields; tennis and volleyball courts; an accessible playground; a picnic area; and a splash pad. The park was acquired to be the City of Albina's first park, but it was not developed until after the cities of Albina and Portland were consolidated.[5]
Acquired in 1921, Dawson Park includes basketball and volleyball courts, picnic areas, an accessible playground, and a stage. The park is named after Rev. John Dawson, an Episcopal minister and advocate for child welfare and civic improvement.[6]
Acquired in 1950, Delta Park includes a dog off-leash area—fenced, football field, paths—paved, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, and volleyball court. Delta Park is built on the site of Vanport, the war-time city destroyed by flood in 1948.[7]
Acquired in 1940, Farragut Park includes a basketball court, a playground, restroom, paved paths, picnic tables, and softball field. The park is named after David Farragut, an admiral who fought for the North in the Civil War and became famous for saying, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"[8]
Acquired in 1910, Gammans Park includes paths and a playground with a racetrack for tricycles "complete with tunnels, bridges, and miniature highways with white lines down the middle".[citation needed] It was named after George G. Gammans, a Portland lawyer whose wife Laura gave the city six lots for a park to memorialize him.[9]
Acquired in 1971, George Park includes paths and an accessible playground. The park is named for Melvin Clark George, a state senator, U.S. Congressman, and State circuit court judge.[10]
Acquired in 1984, Kelley Point Park includes a canoe launch, hiking, picnic areas, and a view of the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. The park is named for Hall Jackson Kelley, a promoter of settlement in the Pacific Northwest whose unsuccessful attempt to establish a city at this point was commemorated in 1926 by naming the location Kelley Point.[11]
Acquired in 1941, Kenton Park includes a basketball court, restroom, paved paths, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, and water play area.[12]
Lillis–Albina Park
N Flint Ave. and Russell St.
3.93 acres (1.59ha)
Acquired in 1940, Lillis-Albina Park includes picnic tables, a playground, a soccer field, and a softball field. Originally named after the former city of Albina, its name was changed in 1947 to also honor Michael Edward Lillis, a well-liked neighborhood police officer and strong advocate for the park and for children in the area.[13]
Lotus Isle Park
N Tomahawk Island Dr.
1.65 acres (0.67ha)
Acquired in 1992, Lotus Isle Park features paved paths, picnic tables, and an accessible playground. The park is named after Lotus Isle, a 128 acres (52ha) amusement park on Tomahawk Island that operated from 1930 to 1932.[14][15]
Madrona Park
N Greeley Ave. and Going Ct.
9.45 acres (3.82ha)
Acquired in 1921, Madrona Park features a basketball court, an accessible playground, unpaved paths, and a natural area. The park is named after the heritage-designated Pacific Madrona tree located on Wygant Street on the east edge of the park.[16]
Mocks Crest Park, also known as the Skidmore Bluffs, was acquired in 1998 and is found on a 7-mile stretch of bluffs that runs along the east side of the Willamette River from Pier Park to the Fremont Bridge. The park overlooks Union Pacific's North Portland rail yard, the West Hills, and Portland's city skyline to the south.[19][20][21]
Northgate Park
N Geneva Ave. and Fessenden St.
10.87 acres (4.40ha)
Northgate Park, acquired in 1940, features a baseball field, restroom, playground, soccer field, softball field, tennis court, and water play area, along with paved paths and picnic tables.[22]
Patton Square Park, named after pioneer and Portland landowner Matthew Patton, was acquired in 1960 and features paved paths, picnic tables, and a playground area.[24]
Peninsula Crossing Trail
N Willamette Blvd. to Columbia Blvd.
9.07 acres (3.67ha)
Peninsula Crossing Trail connects N Willamette Blvd to Columbia Blvd. Acquired in 1996,[25] this multi-use paved path is 5.1 miles long and is wheel-chair accessible.[26]
Acquired in 1909, Peninsula Park includes basketball and tennis courts, soccer and softball fields, a playground, covered picnic tables, the city's first public rose garden, and a 100-year-old fountain.[27]
Sumner–Albina Park was acquired in 1998 and features paved paths.[32]
Trenton Park
N Hamlin Ave. and Trenton St.
2.3 acres (0.93ha)
Acquired in 1941, Trenton Park includes a basketball court, picnic tables, and playground.[33]
University Park
9009 N Foss Ave.
11.49 acres (4.65ha)
University Park, acquired in 1953, is not named for its close proximity to the University of Portland, but for its once close proximity to Portland University, a Methodist college during the 1890s. The park features a playground, soccer field, softball field, paved paths, picnic tables, and public art.[34]
Acquired in 1921, Alberta Park includes a basketball court, dog off-leash area, playground, soccer field, softball field and tennis court, as well as paved and unpaved paths and picnic tables. The park is maintained by a volunteer group known as Friends of Alberta Park.[36]
Argay Park
NE 141st Ave. and Failing St.
8.93 acres (3.61ha)
Argay Park, adopted by the Argay Neighborhood Association, offers a basketball court, dog off-leash area, playground, soccer field and softball field, along with paved and unpaved paths, picnic tables, and tennis courts. The park was acquired in 1984.[37]
Buckman Field
NE 12th Ave. and Everett St.
11.48 acres (4.65ha)
Buckman Field, acquired in 1920, features a baseball field, football field, playground, soccer field, softball field and track, along with paved and unpaved paths and picnic tables.[38]
Acquired in 1950, Frazer Park was once the site of the Frazer Detention Home for the Juvenile Court. The building's cement floor is now used as a play court. The park also features a basketball court, dog off-leash area, picnic tables, and playground.[42]
Consisting of a stone memorial and small triangular park, Firefighters Park is dedicated to David Campbell, a former Portland fire chief who died in 1911.[87]
Downtown Portland (Naito Pkwy. between SW Harrison St. and NW Glisan St.)
30.90 acres (12.50ha)
Acquired in 1927, Tom McCall Waterfront Park features riverfront views, public art, statues, fountains, boat docks, and a large plaza lined with 100 ornamental cherry trees. The park was completed in 1978 after the removal of Harbor Drive.[89]
Acquired in 1998, the Eastbank Esplanade features riverfront views of Downtown Portland, a public boat dock, paved paths, hiking and biking trails, and a 1,200 foot floating walkway on the Willamette River.[106]
Acquired in 1909, Laurelhurst Park includes basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, a soccer field, a playground, picnic tables, paved and unpaved paths, a dog off-leash area, and a 3-acre spring-fed lake. The land was originally part of a cattle farm owned by early Portland mayor William S. Ladd. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[127]
Acquired in 1909, Mt. Tabor Park encompasses a volcanic cindercone in Southeast Portland. The park features basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, a playground, picnic tables, a dog off-leash area, extensive paved and unpaved trails, and several open reservoirs which predate the construction of the park.[136]
Located in the Wilkes neighborhood. Includes a large sloping field in the middle of the park.[217]
Hazelwood HydroPark
1017 NE 117th Ave
Located in the Hazelwood neighborhood. The East Portland Neighborhood Office is located on the corner, and a water conservation demonstration garden showcases water-efficient landscaping.[217]
Sabin HydroPark
1907 NE Skidmore
Located in the Sabin neighborhood. In 2012, a micro hydro-turbine generator was installed at this site to convert the thrust of water into useful electrical energy at an estimated rate of 150,000 kilowatt hours per year. This electricity is used to help power area water facilities and excess electricity is sold back to PacifiCorp. The extra revenue is used to keep the overall cost of delivering water service to a minimum.[217]
The Metro regional government operates 20 parks, 4 of which are located in Portland.
Name
Image
Location
Description
Broughton Beach
4356 NE Marine Drive
The park offers a sandy beach, Columbia River access for swimming and small watercraft, picnicking, beachcombing, restrooms. A parking fee applies.[218]
Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous county in Oregon. As of 2020, Portland had a population of 652,503, making it the 26th-most populated city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA metropolitan statistical area, making it the 25th most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.
Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 census.
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is 187 miles (301 km) long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia.
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA metropolitan statistical area. Though smallest in area, Multnomah County is the state's most populous county. Its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city.
Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, such as Intel, locally known as the Silicon Forest. The population was 106,447 at the 2020 census, making Hillsboro the 5th most populous city in Oregon.
Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 21,119 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in 1903 and is the birthplace of the Bing cherry. The city is now a suburb of Portland and also adjoins the unincorporated areas of Clackamas and Oak Grove.
Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah County, 6 miles by air and 12 mi (19 km) by highway northeast of downtown Portland. Portland International Airport is often referred to by its IATA airport code, PDX. The airport covers 3,000 acres of land.
Forest Park is a public municipal park in the Tualatin Mountains west of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Stretching for more than 8 miles (13 km) on hillsides overlooking the Willamette River, it is one of the country's largest urban forest reserves. The park, a major component of a regional system of parks and trails, covers more than 5,100 acres (2,064 ha) of mostly second-growth forest with a few patches of old growth. About 70 miles (110 km) of recreational trails, including the Wildwood Trail segment of the city's 40-Mile Loop system, crisscross the park.
Washington Park is a public urban park in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It includes a zoo, forestry museum, arboretum, rose garden, Japanese garden, amphitheatre, memorials, archery range, tennis courts, soccer field, picnic areas, playgrounds, public art and many acres of wild forest with miles of trails.
The Bull Run River is a 21.9-mile (35.2 km) tributary of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the lower end of Bull Run Lake in the Cascade Range, it flows generally west through the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit (BRWMU), a restricted area meant to protect the river and its tributaries from contamination. The river, impounded by two artificial storage reservoirs as well as the lake, is the primary source of drinking water for the city of Portland, Oregon.
Director Park is a city park in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 2009 at a cost of $9.5 million, it covers a 700-space underground parking garage, which connects underground to the Fox Tower and the Park Avenue West Tower. Located in downtown on Southwest Park Avenue, the nearly half-acre urban park lacks any natural areas and contains little vegetation.
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon is a part of the Western United States, with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.
The city of Portland, Oregon is ideal for growing roses outdoors due to its location within the marine west coast climate region, its warm, dry summers and rainy but mild winters, and its heavy clay soils. Portland has been known as the City of Roses, or Rose City, since 1888, after Madame Caroline Testout, a large pink variety of hybrid tea rose bred in France, was introduced to the city. Thousands of rose bushes were planted, eventually lining 200 miles (320 km) of Portland's streets in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905.
Horse rings, remnants of a time when horses and horse-drawn vehicles provided the primary mode of transportation, can be found throughout Portland, Oregon. They were removed from curbs and sidewalks for safety purposes until the late 1970s, when one Portland resident complained about the rings disappearing. Today, the city of Portland helps to preserve the rings by requiring them to be replaced following sidewalk construction or repair.
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