Guide to the Hillside Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

Also Known as Kings Heights

Hillside is a Northwest Portland neighborhood in the city’s West Hills with an area of 448 acres and a population of 2,200 (2010 Census). The neighborhood is adjacent to the Northwest District, which is home to many restaurants, food markets, and shops. It borders Macleay Park which is part of the 5,000 plus acre Forest Park. Downtown Portland is minutes away. The photo to the left is a view looking east from King’s Heights.

Besides the boundary with the Northwest District, the neighborhood shares boundaries with the neighborhoods of Arlington Heights and Forest Park.

View a map of the Hillside neighborhood.

The promoters of the original Westover development called the area “the finest residential section in the United States.” The Westover developers’ plan to terrace the hill, then known as “Scotch Nubbin”, so that they could build homes. That was completed in 1914 and homes started to be built. Since then the neighborhood has grown to approximately 575 households.

Origin of Name King’s Heights

How Hillside got its name is unknown but we can assume because it is on a hillside. The neighborhood is commonly known as King’s Heights. About 1852, Amos Nahum King purchased the rights to 513 acres and part of the property included the Hillside neighborhood. That part of the property up in the hills in the Northwest area soon became known as King’s Heights. Amos’ acreage also include the neighborhoods of Northwest District (aka Nob Hill), Arlington Heights, Goose Hollow, among others.

Schools in the Hillside Neighborhood

• Schools in the Neighborhood  A list of public and private schools in neighborhoods adjoining the Hillside neighborhood. Hillside does not have any schools located in its neighborhood.
• School Locator  Find your school attendance area or a school site as well as view the boundary area using School Locator. Read how to use the interactive map by clicking on the “Information” icon (circle with i in center).
• Public Schools  Elementary schools: Chapman. Middle school: East-West Sylvan. High school: Lincoln High School.  
• School Report Card Grades   Click here for report card details on schools in the Portland Public Schools district. Select “Portland SD 1J” to view individual schools within the district.

Hillside Home Styles

Many homes have a view of the city or mountains like the photo above. Some can see the ships lying to the northeast on the Willamette River. Most of the homes on the steep, winding streets are gracious older homes, generally without much of a yard. Some condominium complexes have been built in the lower reaches of the neighborhood. This is expensive real estate and most homes are in the million and above range.

You will find English Tudor, Queen Ann Victorian, Colonial, and Foursquare homes in the neighborhood. Contemporary homes that are built on steep lots using modern building technology are evident.

The photo is of the Henry Hahn house in King’s Heights and was designed by noted local architect Emil Schacht. The home was built in 1906 and it is one of Portland’s best examples of the Arts & Crafts style.

Portland Monthly Magazine Guide to Neighborhoods

In their April issue every year, the Portland Monthly Magazine features the past year home prices along with other information about Portland neighborhoods and suburban communities. To read the magazine’s latest stories and numbers visit the Real Estate section. 

The numbers on the website as well as the printed magazine are divided into four sections (real estate, people, crime, and lifestyle) on each of the Portland 90 plus neighborhoods as well as about 25 suburban communities. The website offers over 50 items of information about each Portland neighborhood and suburban community. 

The magazine added a feature on their website for homes sold in 2014 and it’s also available for homes sold in 2015 — an interactive map where you can click on a neighborhood and a pop-up displays five items (1-year median price change, 5-year median price change, median gross rent, walkability score and percent of newcomer) for a Portland neighborhood as well as a suburban community. Note the detailed numbers for each of the four sections for homes sold in 2015 are displayed below the map.   

To visit the magazine’s website latest stories and numbers visit their Real Estate section — click on “Neighborhoods” to view the numbers for the Portland neighborhoods and click on “Suburbs” for the numbers on communities in the metro area. Note the detailed numbers for each of the four sections for homes sold in 2014 and 2015 are displayed below the map. To access the Portland neighborhoods and metro communities demographic data and home prices by year: 

• 2013 Demographics and Home Prices
• 2014 Demographics and Home Prices
• 2015 Demographics and Home Prices

Hillside Demographics  Below are some facts about the Hillside neighborhood gleaned from the magazine’s website. A few numbers can tell much about the character of a neighborhood. You can view more data about Hillside by visiting the Portland Monthly’s website.

• Average year homes built in the neighborhood:  1976
• Percent of residents below poverty level:  6.8%
• Percent of neighborhood size with parks:  29%
• Live within half mile of a park:  100%
• Commute by bike or walking:  8.6%

¹Hillside Home Prices:  2007-2015

• Number of Homes Sold in Hillside—►  83 homes sold in 2015 and 3.6% were distressed sales. 69 homes sold in 2014 and 33% of the sales were for condos — 3% were distressed property sales. 77 homes sold in 2013 and 4% were distressed sales. 76 homes sold in 2012 and 13% were distressed sales. 81 homes sold in 2011 and 15% were distressed sales. 43 homes sold in 2010 and 16% were distressed properties sales.
• Median Price for Homes Sold in Hillside—►  $645,000 in 2015, $665,000 in 2014, $595,000 in 2013, $510,500 in 2012, $502,000 in 2011, $639,000 in 2010, $577,500 in 2009, $683,050 in 2008, and $740,000 in 2007.
• Average Cost per Square Foot—►  $327 in 2015, $273 in 2014.
• 1-Year Median Sales Price Change in Hillside—►  -3.0% sales price change in 2015. 2014 the change was 12%. 2013 the change was 17%. 2012 the sales price change was 2%. 2011 the sales price change was -21%.
• 5-Year Median Sales Price Change in Hillside—► 28.5% change for the years 2011-2015. 2010 to 2014 the sales price change was -9%. 2009 to 2013 the sales price change was -19%. 2008 to 2012 the sales price change was -30%. 2007 to 2011 the sales price change was -32%. 2006 to 2010 the sales price change was -7%.
• Portland Metro Area Median Home Price—►  $308,000 in 2015, $285,500 in 2014, $265,000 in 2013, $235,000 in 2012, $221,000 in 2011, $239,900 in 2010, $247,000 in 2009, $278,000 in 2008, and $290,000 in 2007.
• Portland Metro Area Average Home Price—►  $354,500 in 2015, $333,000 in 2014, $310,600 in 2013, $275,000 in 2012, $263,300 in 2011, $282,100 in 2010, $289,900 in 2009, $330,300 in 2008, and $342,000 in 2007.

Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. 

Find a Homes in Hillside

• Homes for Sale in the Hillside Neighborhood — View on all devices except Apple^® mobile devices. To view homes for sale in Hillside on Apple^® mobile devices key in “Hillside” in the “Location” field and click on the “Search Now” icon.
• Displays Homes for Sale in the Hillside Neighborhood — View on all devices. Photos of home displayed along with detailed description of the property. 
• Search for Homes — Search on all devices. Map-based on devices configured with Adobe Flash and Javascript and text-based on any device. 

Homes for Sale in Hillside

Parks and Community Centers in Hillside

Macleay Park is a natural area for hiking located at NW 29th Avenue and Upshur Street. It was acquired in 1897 and has a history bordering on the Appalachians “Hatfields and McCoys.” Danford Balch was the original owner and settler of this area. He arrived in Oregon in 1847 and settled his donation land claim in 1850. A nearby claim was taken by the Stump family. The two families did not care for each other. Mortimer Stump, the eldest son of the clan, began courting Anna, the oldest of the Balch daughters. Danford warned Mortimer to stay away from his fifteen-year-old daughter, but Mortimer paid no heed. When Anna turned sixteen, she and Mortimer ran away to Vancouver, Washington, where they eloped. Two weeks later, Danford took his shotgun and met members of the Stump family, including his new son-in-law, at the Stark Street Ferry. As the ferry was loading, Danford shot both barrels into Mortimer, who died instantly. On October 17, 1859 he was hanged at a public gallows in front of over 500 witnesses. The creek that runs through the property bears his name because for years after his hanging people still referred to the area as the Old Balch Place. The property was eventually acquired by Donald Macleay, a prominent Portland merchant. Hence the name of Macleay Park.

The Hillside Community Center facilities includes classrooms, gymnasium, tennis courts, soccer field, outside play area, kitchen, and office.

The story of how the Community Center started tells one a lot about the character of the neighborhood. Owned by an art school who could not afford its upkeep, the building was about to be sold to developers. Residents felt that the site would be better used as a park and community center. The problem, of course, was money. The community was given a year to raise $106,500 to purchase the land and the buildings on it. After an exhaustive neighborhood fundraising effort, plus contributions from the City Council and private foundations, the community was still $25,000 short. To make up the difference, twelve families took out second mortgages on their homes to guarantee the loan that finalized the purchase. This group was known as the ‘Trembling Twelve.’ In spring of 1974, the neighbors turned the property over to the City of Portland, which accepted it as a public park and agreed to maintain it and staff a community center there.

Hillside has 124 acres of parkland and open spaces according to Metro and the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation.

Hillside’s Treasure: Pittock Mansion

The Pittock Mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s, their lives and work paralleled the growth of Portland from a small Northwest town site to a thriving city with a quarter million population. With its eclectic architectural design and richly decorated interior, including family artifacts, the Pittock Mansion stands today as a living memorial of this family’s contributions to the blossoming of Portland and its people.

English-born Henry Lewis Pittock journeyed on a wagon train from Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1853 where, at the young age of 19, and in his own words, “barefoot and penniless,” he began working for Thomas Jefferson Dryer’s Weekly Oregonian newspaper. In 1860, at the age of 26, he married 15-year-old Georgiana Martin Burton of Missouri. A consummate businessman, Henry Pittock took ownership of the Weekly Oregonian in 1860, changing its format to the daily paper we read today. He went on to build an empire incorporating real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining, and the pulp and paper industry.

Henry and Georgiana were at the pinnacle of their successful lives when they commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design and build their new home overlooking Portland, the city they loved. They began planning and designing their new home in 1909. The mansion was completed in 1914, replete with stunningly progressive features including a central vacuum system, intercoms, and indirect lighting. The threat of demolition at the hands of land developers, and the extensive damage caused by a storm in 1962, brought concerned citizens together to raise funds to preserve the site. Seeing this popular support, and agreeing that the house had tremendous value as a unique historic resource, the City of Portland purchased the estate in 1964 for $225,000. Fifteen months were spent restoring it. The mansion opened to the public in 1965, and has been a community landmark ever since.

The mansion is located in the Hillside neighborhood and it is open to the public. Below is a video of many area of Portland to include a brief tour of the Pittock Mansion.