Old Town Chinatown

Old Town Chinatown

Old Town Chinatown (also Old Town or Chinatown) is Portland's oldest neighborhood and considered by some to be the heart of Portland. Compared to its neighbor the Pearl District, Old Town is typically considered less affluent and more culturally diverse. It also serves as Portland's most historic neighborhood.

Boundaries

Old Town Chinatown is predominantly situated in Northwest Portland, with a small portion spilling over into Southwest Portland. It is bounded on the north and east by the Willamette River. Its southern border, separating it from Downtown, runs along W. Burnside from Broadway until SW 3rd, then SW Pine to 2nd, SW Oak to SW 1st, and finally SW Stark to the river. Its western border, separating it from the Pearl District, is NW Broadway.

History

A lithograph from 1886 illustrating some occupations of Chinese immigrants in Chinatown

Old Town encompasses the original township of Portland that was platted by Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove. Today, Old Town includes both the Skidmore Historic District as well as the Historic Japantown New Chinatown District.

Culture

Gateway to Chinatown at W Burnside Street

In the past, Chinatown was host to a large Chinese immigrant community, and later a Japanese immigrant community. Remnants of these communities are still evident, perhaps most prominently with the large number of Chinese restaurants and the grandiose gate to Chinatown.

Old Town has a large homeless population and is served by a number of soup kitchens, shelters, and homeless outreach and aid organizations like Sisters Of The Road.

Landmarks

• Portland Chinese Classical Garden
• Japanese American Historical Plaza
• Portland Saturday Market
• Oregon Jewish Museum
• Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
• Oregon Maritime Museum

Locally owned food and drink establishments

• Vegetarian House
• Voodoo Doughnut

Adjacent Neighborhoods

• Downtown to the south
• Pearl District to the west

Resources

• Official site