Old Town Chinatown | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood | |
 | |
 Location in Portland | |
| Coordinates: 45°31′31″N 122°40′21″W / 45.52528°N 122.67246°WPDF map | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| City | Portland |
| Government | |
| • Association | Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.20 sq mi (0.53 km2) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,922 |
| • Density | 19,000/sq mi (7,400/km2) |
Old Town Chinatown is the official Chinatown of the northwest section of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette River forms its eastern boundary, separating it from the Lloyd District and the Kerns and Buckman neighborhoods. It includes the Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District and the Portland New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been referred to as the "skid row" of Portland.[3][4]
In the northwest section, NW Broadway forms the western boundary, separating it from the Pearl District, and W Burnside Street forms the southern boundary, separating it from Downtown Portland. In the southwest section, the neighborhood extends from SW 3rd Avenue east to the river and from SW Stark Street north to W Burnside Street (with the exception of areas south of SW Pine Street and west of SW 2nd Avenue, and south of SW Oak Street and west of SW 1st Avenue, which are part of the downtown area).
Despite the name, most Chinese-Americans and Chinese immigrants had already moved out of the area by the time the city reworked it as an official Chinatown in the 1980s; the increase in property values after the renovations drove out many of the remaining Chinese immigrants, with a section of NE 82nd Avenue in East Portland becoming the new unofficial Chinatown.[5][6] Old Town is well known as the primary homeless district of Portland. The Oregonian reported that homelessness, open drug use, crime, and the perception of danger and dirtiness that accompanies these problems were deterring factors to development. One prominent developer told the newspaper that "transient activity" is "perhaps the foremost deterrent" to developing in this neighborhood.[7][8]
- ^ "communique.portland.or.us". Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ a b Demographics
- ^ Hewitt, Lyndsey (September 12, 2017). "New homeless shelter in Old Town/Chinatown sparks old debate". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "Old Town/Chinatown". Willamette Week. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ Asian American community in east Portland's New Chinatown ponders the future
- ^ Portland's Old Chinatown is Fading—We Visited Every Chinese Restaurant That's Still There
- ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Gordon R. Friedman | The (2018-10-17). "In Portland's Old Town Chinatown, a $57 million rebirth promise broken". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ Van Wing, Sage (March 8, 2022). "Old Town Neighborhood Association releases plan for revitalizing neighborhood". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 9 March 2022.