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About Hillsdale

Hillsdale is just minutes up I-5, from downtown. You will see it on your right as you drive up the hill and through the Terwilliger curves. Healy Heights is sometimes considered part of Hillsdale, connected right at the top of the Hill. The higher up the hill, the better the views of Mt. Hood and Downtown Portland. Also see Council Crest for more information on Healy Heights .

In Hillsdale you will find a great mixture of quiet small town feel with the all the conveniences of the suburbs. The great part is you are still so close to downtown! You can walk or bike to cute little shops, pubs, restaurants and coffee houses. There is a Wild Oats, Noah's Bagels, starbucks and my favorite, Baker and Spice.

Baker & Spice Bakery

One restaurant that is fun is The Capitol Coffee House and Bistro.

It was once a train depot and then a coffee shop. It has cool old fashioned fixtures and outdoor seating. The food is Franco-Cuban-Cascadian. Also, it has one of Portland 's famous McMenamins. It is a Brewery and Public House. That also has outdoor seating in the summer.

HILLSDALE BREWERY & PUBLIC HOUSE

Families love Hillsdale because it is very community involved. It has three great community centers close by. The Mittleman Jewish Community Center

http://www.oregonjcc.org/

Next door in the Multnomah neighborhood you will find the Southwest Community Center.

It has swimming and exercise classes, etc. It is located in the 90 acre Gabriel Park.

The Fulton Community Center

It is located just across the Hillsdale west boundary and It Includes a basketball court indoors, community center, gymnasium, kitchen- reservable, meeting room- reservable, party room- reservable, and stage- indoor.

They can also walk or ride bikes to many schools and parks. The library and a shopping center is close by too.

The neighborhood has three parks within its boundaries.

George Himes is a 35 acre park located in the southeast corner of the neighborhood which has a natural area and great unpaved trails for hikers and runners.

The 103-acre Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard Park is a favorite for running, biking and hiking. It has paved trails, picni c tables and a playground. It is known for its "heavily wooded character" and follows the winding Terwilliger Blvd.

Hillsdale Park is located at SW 27th Avenue and Beaverton Highway . The 5.17 acre park offers a dog off-leash area and picnic tables.

The 1.13 acre DeWitt Park is for great for kids. It has a playground and picnic tables.

Stephens Creek (3.38 acres) is part of the Willamette watershed, one of three major watersheds in southwest Portland . It has a natural area with a perennial creek running through it. The park is valued as neighborhood open space and as a refuge for wildlife and native plants.

About a quarter mile to the southwest of Hillsdale lies the 90 acre Gabriel Park in the Multnomah neighborhood.It has everything! A

baseball field, basketball court outdoor, disabled access picnic area, disabled access play area, disabled access restroom, dog off-leash area, fountain, paths paved, paths unpaved, picnic site reservable, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, statue or public art, tennis court outdoor, and volleyball court.

The landscape is gorgeous with rolling hills and winding streets. Many homes on the south side of the hill have an incredible view of Mt. Hood , the Willamette River and downtown. The other side also has great views of trees, valley or territory. The lots are big and well kept, with a variety of lush greenery.

The architectural style ranges from mainly the 1940's to 1970's with some older and newer mixed in.

History

In 1851, John Slavin, a pioneer from Missouri , built a cabin and barn at what is now Capitol Highway and Sunset Boulevard. Slavin's Road was later named Capitol Highway .

In the 1880's, Hillsdale was settled by German, Swiss and Italian immigrants. These new settlers cleared the forests and operated dairies and vegetable farms to supply food for the growing city of Portland .

In the 1890's, Southern Pacific Railroad built a line from Portland to Forest Grove, running along present day Barbur Boulevard , to what is now known as Bertha Boulevard . The Hillsdale stop was named the Bertha Station after the wife of one of the Southern Pacific officials.

In 1912, Terrwilliger Blvd opened.In 1950, Fred Meyer built a large supermarket on Barbur Boulevard at Bertha Boulevard . In 1954, a 54 acre parcel was developed called the Wilson Park housing development. In 1956, Wilson High School and Wilson Park Elementary School were built on the former Fulton Park Dairy site.

In 1993, the Hillsdale Vision Group was formed to discuss ways to improve Hillsdale. Hillsdale was nominated to become a Town Center under Metro's Region 2040 plan. In 1997, the Portland City Council approved the Hillsdale Town Center Plan. The project made Hillsdale consumer and pedestrian friendly.

Hillsdale Farmers' Market

The Hillsdale Farmers' Market is the only year round farmers market in the Portland metro area. There is often over 3,000 people each Sunday. The winter schedule is every other week from November to April. The Hillsdale Farmers Market is held in the parking lot between Rieke Elementary and Wilson High School where there is parking for several hundred cars.

Origin of Name

The name has been in used since early pioneer days. Hill is from the old Anglo-Saxon hyl and Norse holl . Dale means a small valley.

More About Hillsdale

Location About 3.5 miles south on I-5 and then west.
1 Drive Time to Downtown About eight minutes if you take SW Barbur and SW Naito. It takes more time during rush hour if you travel on I-5 South.

2005 Livability Study 96.8% of the Hillsdale residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good."
Public Transportation Tri-Met has at least a dozen bus routes in the neighborhood most of which are Express Routes on I-5 (east boundary of neighborhood). Hillsdale does not have a MAX light rail line or streetcar line.
2 2000 Demographics Population - 7,436. Area size - 1,285 acres. Average population density - 5 persons per acre (includes vacant spaces). Number of households - 3,397. Percent of home owners - 65. Percent of renters - 35. Diversity - 10.1% non-Caucasian.
Public Library The Hillsdale Library was awarded LEEDT (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification as a "green building" in 2004, the year the southwest Portland library reopened in its new location