Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Tabor
Neighborhood
Downtown Portland, Oregon, seen from Mount Tabor Park.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
City	Portland
Area
• Total	1.60 sq mi (4.14 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,751
• Density	6,719/sq mi (2,594/km2)
Housing
• No. of households	4756
• Occupancy rate	93.9% occupied
• Owner-occupied	2808 households (65%)
• Renting	1508 households (35%)
• Avg. household size	2.2 persons
Race Distribution: White 81%, Asian 7.5%, Hispanic 6.2%, Black 2.8%

Mount Tabor is a cool neighborhood in Southeast Portland, Oregon. It gets its name from a special hill in the area. This hill is actually an old volcano and a big city park. The neighborhood completely surrounds this park.

The name "Mount Tabor" comes from a famous mountain in Israel. It was named by Plympton Kelly. His father, Clinton Kelly, was an early settler in Oregon City.

Exploring the Mount Tabor Neighborhood

Mount Tabor Reservoir

The Mount Tabor neighborhood has clear boundaries. On the west side, it's bordered by SE 49th Ave. (or SE 50th Ave. south of SE Hawthorne Blvd.). To the east, you'll find SE 76th Ave. The northern edge is E Burnside St., and the southern edge is SE Division St.

• Neighbors: Mount Tabor shares its borders with several other neighborhoods.
  • To the west, it's next to Sunnyside and Richmond.
  • To the north and west, you'll find North Tabor.
  • Montavilla is to the north and east.
  • And to the south, it borders South Tabor.

What Makes Mount Tabor Special?

The most important part of the neighborhood is Mount Tabor Park. This park is built on the old volcano itself! Just south of the park, you'll find the campus of Warner Pacific University. This university is connected to the Church of God (Anderson).

The neighborhood also marks the eastern end of the popular Hawthorne District. This area is known for its shops and restaurants. On the western slope of Mount Tabor, there's another school called Western Seminary. It has great views overlooking downtown Portland.

A Look Back: Mount Tabor's History

The historic Portland Sanitarium Nurses' Quarters, built in 1928

Before it became part of the city of Portland, Mount Tabor was a quiet farming area. This was back in the 1850s. In 1846, a big wildfire burned a lot of the land around Mount Tabor. After the fire, people started building trails and farmhouses in the area.

Becoming Part of Portland

In 1903, an expert named John C. Olmstead suggested something important to the city of Portland. He said the city should buy a lot of land on this "prominent and beautiful hill." Just two years later, in 1905, Mount Tabor officially became part of Portland.

It wasn't until 1974 that Mount Tabor was officially recognized as a city neighborhood. The neighborhood boundaries set at that time were much smaller than the historical farming area.