South Portland, Oregon facts for kids

South Portland is a special part of Portland, Oregon. It's like a partner to North Portland, and together they make up important areas of the city. South Portland is defined by its natural borders.

This area is located next to the Willamette River on its east side. To the west, it's bordered by Southwest Naito Parkway, Southwest View Point Terrace, and Tryon Creek State Natural Area. South Portland is home to about 10,000 properties. It includes neighborhoods like Collins View and South Waterfront. You can also find parts of the Lewis and Clark College and Oregon Health & Science University campuses here.

The Story of South Portland

Why South Portland Was Created

Before it became its own area, South Portland was part of a larger section called Southwest Portland. The Willamette River makes a curve past the city center. This curve caused a problem with addresses. Some addresses east of Naito Parkway had a "0" at the beginning (like 0100 SW). This was to show they were different from addresses on the same street to the west (like 100 SW).

However, this "leading zero" caused issues. Emergency services and map programs had trouble understanding these addresses. It made it harder for them to find places quickly. Because of these problems, a change was needed to make addresses clearer and safer.

How South Portland Became Official

The Portland City Council is the group of elected leaders who make decisions for the city. They decided to create South Portland as a separate area. This decision happened on June 6, 2018.

After this, addresses that used to have a leading zero in Southwest Portland were changed. For example, 0100 SW became 100 S. This made the addresses simpler and easier to use. City workers started putting up new street signs in May 2020. The older signs will be taken down by 2025. The United States Postal Service, which delivers mail, can use either the old or new address system for now.