You’ll also have a better idea of where
you should live, whether it’s in Portland,
Vancouver (just across the Columbia River)
or any of the surrounding suburbs.
THE BIG FIVE
With the Willamette River winding north
and south through the middle of the city,
Portland is divided into five sections: Northwest and Southwest on the west side, and
North, Northeast and Southeast on the
east side. Burnside Avenue cuts across the
city horizontally, serving as a dividing line
between north and south.
This makes Portland somewhat easy to
navigate, as the city even prefixes its street
names with a handy N, NE, SE, NW or SW,
depending on the area. The artsy NE Alberta
Due to the fact that the Willamette meanders
to the west as it meets with the Columbia
River, Portland also has a north section that
contains historic St. Johns neighborhood, the
hip Mississippi Avenue and sleepy Kenton.
GETTING AROUND TOWN
IN YOUR CAR
If you do need to use a vehicle, it’s worth
noting that Portland has three interstate
highways running through it: I- 5, I- 84 and
I- 205. I- 5 runs north and south, coming
down from Vancouver, moving through
downtown Portland and heading south
toward Salem. I- 84 runs east and west with
its western terminus at I- 5, heading east to
the suburbs of Gresham and Troutdale and
the scenic Columbia River Gorge.
I- 205 runs north-south, east of Portland’s
city core and serves as a 37-mile bypass
route of I- 5, allowing commuters to avoid
traveling through downtown, especially
during times of heavy traffic. Both I- 5 and
I- 205 connect Vancouver in the north to
Portland and its suburbs in the south.
Portland is also known for its bridges—all
11 of them—that allow commuters to move
across the Willamette River. It’s important
to note that five of these bridges have lifts,
One of the challenges of moving to a new city is figuring out
how to get around, especially when it comes to avoiding rush
hour traffic or navigating public transit. Fortunately, once
you’re able to understand the basic layout of Portland and the
various transportation options available, getting to where you
need to go efficiently becomes fairly simple.
GE T TING
AROUND
PORTLAND
