Foster-Powell, Portland, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Foster-Powell is a neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon
. The triangular neighborhood is bounded by three major transit arteries: Powell Boulevard to the north, Foster Road to the south, and 82nd Avenue to the east.
bus lines: the 14 links Foster to Hawthorne and downtown; the 9 links Powell Blvd. with downtown and Northeast Portland, and the 72 runs on 82nd from Clackamas Town Center to North Killingsworth Avenue. Additionally, the 17 runs down Holgate Avenue to downtown and North Portland.
The distance to bike from Foster-Powell to downtown is about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on where in the neighborhood you begin. Though Foster-Powell is bounded by heavily trafficked roads not ideal for bicyclists, there is an east-west bike route through the neighborhood on Center Road, and just north of the neighborhood on Woodward Avenue.
The official plan for the future extension of the Portland Streetcar
envisions a line running down Foster. There has also been discussion of constructing a new MAX light rail line on Powell Blvd. Both plans, however, remain on the drawing board.
Foster-Powell has gained a reputation as an ethnically diverse neighborhood, with growth in the neighborhood's Russian
, Vietnamese
, Chinese, and Hispanic
populations. This population increase was measured through increases in the circulation of Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish-language materials at Multnomah County Library's Foster-Powell location at 79th and Holgate.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The triangular neighborhood is bounded by three major transit arteries: Powell Boulevard to the north, Foster Road to the south, and 82nd Avenue to the east.
History
It is likely that much of the construction in the Foster-Powell Neighborhood followed the construction of Portland's original electric streetcar line in the 1890s. The neighborhood's sidewalks were constructed in 1912. On November 10, 2009 the southeast wing of Foster-Powell's Marysville Elementary School burned down in what was attributed to an electrical fire.Transportation
All three roads bounding Foster-Powell are major transportation arteries, giving the neighborhood easy automobile access to the city center via westbound Foster or Powell, North Portland or Clackamas via 82nd, or the interstate via eastbound on Foster. All three roads are home to frequent service TrimetTriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
bus lines: the 14 links Foster to Hawthorne and downtown; the 9 links Powell Blvd. with downtown and Northeast Portland, and the 72 runs on 82nd from Clackamas Town Center to North Killingsworth Avenue. Additionally, the 17 runs down Holgate Avenue to downtown and North Portland.
The distance to bike from Foster-Powell to downtown is about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on where in the neighborhood you begin. Though Foster-Powell is bounded by heavily trafficked roads not ideal for bicyclists, there is an east-west bike route through the neighborhood on Center Road, and just north of the neighborhood on Woodward Avenue.
The official plan for the future extension of the Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
envisions a line running down Foster. There has also been discussion of constructing a new MAX light rail line on Powell Blvd. Both plans, however, remain on the drawing board.
Geography & People
Foster-Powell is home to three parks: Essex Park on 79th and Center, Kern Park on 66th and Center, and Laurelwood Park at the intersection of Foster Road and Holgate Boulevard. Additionally, the Firland Parkway, a median with large trees in the middle of 72nd Ave between Foster and Holgate, also lies within the neighborhood. Most of the commercial activity occurs at the fringes of the neighborhood – on Powell, Foster and 82nd, while the interior is largely residential.Foster-Powell has gained a reputation as an ethnically diverse neighborhood, with growth in the neighborhood's Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
, Chinese, and Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
populations. This population increase was measured through increases in the circulation of Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish-language materials at Multnomah County Library's Foster-Powell location at 79th and Holgate.
External links
- Guide to Foster-Powell Neighborhood (PortlandNeighborhood.com)