Pearl

Northwest Portland, about 1.02 miles from downtown, in Multnomah County.

Researched and written by Ryan Rose · Updated October 29, 2026

Jamison Square is one of the parks inside Pearl, along with the North Park Blocks and Tanner Springs Park, and I started my notes there because the rest of the records are just as dense. I counted 203 transit stops within a quarter mile, plus 44 restaurants and 18 cafes inside the neighborhood. Blocks average 242 ft, with 324 intersections per square mile. Tree canopy is 8.3%, which I'd weigh plainly.

Illustration of a street in Pearl, Portland — Illustration

I marked Pearl on a map of Portland, OR drawn from the neighborhood boundaries the city publishes. Downtown is marked for reference.

At a glance

Area: 243 acres
Homes: 8,368 Counted in the 2020 Census, apartments and condos included
Median year built: 1908
Average lot size: 1,570 sq ft
Tree canopy: 8.3%
Streets steeper than 8%: 0.1% of street length Elevation 29–77 ft
In FEMA's 100-year flood zone: None
Within 500 ft of a freeway: 14.7% of residential lots
New homes permitted: 0 Since January 2023

Share of homes: 0.3% single-family houses, 0.2% in 2–4 unit buildings, 99.5% in apartment, condo and other multi-home properties

Architecture

By my mapping, part of the 13th Avenue Historic District lies within this neighborhood.

Getting around on foot

Intersections per sq mile: 324
Average block length: 242 ft
Sidewalk coverage: 78.1% (my estimate)
Transit stops within ¼ mile: 203
Everyday categories within ½ mile: 8

Parks and recreation

Jamison Square, North Park Blocks, Tanner Springs Park, The Fields

Schools in and near this neighborhood

CHILDPEACE MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Metropolitan Learning Center K–12 Portland SD 1J
Lincoln High School 9–12 Portland SD 1J

Food, drink and daily errands

Restaurants: 44
Cafes: 18
Bars and pubs: 23
Grocery: 3
Pharmacies: 2

Restaurants and coffee I found nearby

Piazza Italia Italian · Inside the neighborhood
Greenleaf Cafe · Inside the neighborhood
Yama Sushi & Sake Bar Sushi · Inside the neighborhood
Kure Superfood Cafe Coffee · Inside the neighborhood
Jojo Burger · Inside the neighborhood
Via Delizia Italian · Inside the neighborhood Patio
Jebale Coffee Coffee · Inside the neighborhood
Break Bread Sandwich · Inside the neighborhood
Starbucks Coffee · Inside the neighborhood
Burrito Bar Mexican · Inside the neighborhood

I pulled these from OpenStreetMap: the nearest named restaurants and cafes, starting inside the neighborhood and measured from its edge. Places marked Patio have outdoor seating, from my research for Outdoor Seating Near Me, my other site; the photos come from that research too.

Housing context

Median home value: $489,000
Median gross rent: $1,643
Owner-occupied: 33%
Renter-occupied: 67%

I pulled these from the census tract that covers this neighborhood, so they describe the tract, not the neighborhood itself. I report housing and housing cost only.