Northwest Heights Neighborhood

Northwest Heights Neighborhood is an area, mostly in Washington County, but part of Portland, that goes out from Portland, west along Skyline Blvd bordering Forest Park to the north, and south, down the hill to the valley. Most of the streets wind down the steep hill that starts along the ridge of Skyline, and ends in the valley below.  This neighborhood has some of the most beautiful views in all of Portland, because there is a wide open, 180 degree view of valley, lights, and coastal range…meaning sunsets!   The Northwest Heights Neighborhood stretches from Nob Hill  area, where you can literally glance down at the city skyline, complete with world-class dining, outstanding music venues, farmers markets, and the Willamette river,  to the forested seclusion of Forest Park with it’s 30 miles of forest trails, to the west slope where the valley spreads out below you.

Skyline Neighborhood’s elevation tops 1100 feet, making it one of the first Portland neighborhoods to experience snow in the winter months. Miles of trails traverse the West Hills in Forest Park, offering a haven for active families and happy pets. Skyline definitely has an upscale, luxury feel, and you’ll feel pampered by beautiful homes, outstanding schools, and breathtaking views. You will also pass gorgeous farmland and old farmhouses along the winding drive. The Northwest Heights Neighborhood offers a quieter, secluded, park-like atmosphere with views and a sophistication that reminds you how close you are to the best that Portland has to offer but you also feel like you are out in the country.  It has some of the best schools in Portland, and it is easy access to both Intel and the whole tech area of Hillsboro, and to downtown Portland.

I have showed many houses in these neighborhoods for years, and it always surprises me the variety of houses, land, views and amenities that there are out here.   If you don’t want to be in the city, but don’t really want to be in the suburbs, if you want a view, if you want a little bit of land so that you feel like you are in the country, but you are really up on a hill just outside of Portland, this is a wonderful area to check out. It is mostly expensive, but there are some homes as low as mid $400,000’s depending on how big they are, age, whether they are updated, and how much land there is.  Below is a little synopsis of the different types of neighborhoods and homes you can find here.

Housing styles in Northwest Heights Neighborhood vary but you will find a lot of higher-end luxury homes with amazing views, some smaller homes on large lots and some new construction. Most of the houses were built in the late in the 80s and 90s, and are usually really large homes with sometimes 3 levels, many of them were built in the showy McMansion style, so are dated to the 1990s, although some have been remodeled and are gorgeous.  The ones at the top of the hill, closer to Skyline, are mostly larger with walls of windows looking out over the spectacular view. You can see the western valley, sunsets and coast range, plus some city lights at night.  As the houses go down the hill, many of them are built on top of each other, and views are partly blocked or not there at all.

The commute to Portland is only 20 minutes, and commute to the Silicon Forest of Hillsboro is about the same.  For all the high-tech commuters, this is a great neighborhood to live in!

There are several different types of neighborhoods here.  One is built around Mill Pond, which is a huge pond and park, with forest and trails all around it.  People walk all over the neighborhood on the trails.

The Forest Heights neighborhood was built on the steep hill going down from Skyline to the Valley, with smaller townhomes at the bottom, and gorgeous huge homes at the top.  They are almost always on a hill, many of them have views, although most look over other houses. It is hard to find a flat yard, but a good portion of them back to green space.  As you go down the hill towards the Bethany area, the houses are a little smaller and a little cheaper.  They range in price from the high $600’s up to over a million.

There is also the Skyview Estates neighborhood which is pretty far out along Skyline, but the homes are gorgeous and they are built on  huge lots, some over an acre, and many are flat and usable.

There are also older homes that were built in the 50s, 60s and 70s, some even before that, that are along Skyline, German Town Rd, and some of the off roads all the way out, that have acreage.  If you want acreage, want to be out where it feels like you are in the country, but are really still in the city.

They all are attached to Lincoln High, but the grade schools vary, and boundaries may change, since Lincoln is so close in to Portland, and some of these houses are pretty far out!  And the commute would be to come in along Skyline, which never has traffic, is a really pretty road through the forest with peek a boo views as you go along it, sometimes opening up to breathtaking views.  It is a peaceful serene drive, instead of a freeway drive! And you come in usually down along Burnside or close to it.