Homestead

Homestead At A Glance

Homestead is a Southwest Portland neighborhood bordered by downtown Portland to the North, Southwest Hills to the Northwest and Hillsdale to the Southwest and South Portland and the Willamette River to the East. Homestead has 3 distinct neighborhoods Fairmont, The Terraces, and Marquam Hil Village Area.  The homestead area was originally built on a 298 acre homestead claim, purchased in 1857 by Portland Pioneer, Phillip Marquam.  Homestead is home to two important medical complexes Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

Many employees of OHSU and the VA Hospital live in the Homestead and surrounding neighborhoods.  Homestead as a population of approximately 2556 with a 40% home ownership rate.  Homestead has a large amount of undeveloped land within the Southwest neighborhoods.  It is comprised of steep terrain making it expensive for development. The terrain has also made for unique form of transportation with it being home to the Portland Aerial Tram with connects OHSU and the VA hospital to the South Waterfront and South Portland neighborhoods.

Homestead News & Community Groups

• Homestead Neighborhood Association
• The Southwest Community Connection, SW Portland's community paper online.

A Few Homestead Stores, Restaurants, and Other Amenities

• Caro Amico Italian Cafe - Established in 1949
• Lair Hill Market Cafe
• Lair Hill Too Cafe
• Rattikan Thai Cuisine
• Sushi Takahashi 2
• Downtown Portland - There are many more restaurants and shops minutes away in the downtown Portland area.
• Ross Island Grocery & Cafe
• Oregon Pinot Noir Club
• Inn at Marquam Hill
• Willamette Athletic Club

Parks & Recreation in Homestead

• Marquam Nature Park - Marquam Nature Park is 177.25 acre linear trail that starts south of downtown at the foot of the West Hills. It supports an abundance of native plant species, and has several trails that wind up the hill and through trees such as Douglas fir, Western hemlock, Red cedar, and Bigleaf maples. The trail system goes to Council Crest and the Oregon Zoo. The main trail is less than a mile, with 10 marker posts. The parking lot is located on Sam Jackson Parkway uphill from Terwilliger Blvd. A shelter with information about the park is located at the base of the trail. The park is maintained by a volunteer force the Friends of Marquam Nature Park.
• Lair Hill Park - 3.24 Acre park that includes disabled access play area, paths – paved, picnic tables, playground, statue or public art, tennis court, and tennis court – lighted.  Named after William Lair Hill (1838-1924), a pioneer attorney, historian, and newspaper editor.  The park also has two buildings of historical interest and a sculpture made by local artist Bruce West to enjoy.
• Duniway Park - 14.08 Acre park includes disabled access restroom, horseshoe pit, paths – paved, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, and track. The site of Duniway Park was once Portland's first Italian settlement colony.  Named in honor of Abigail Scott Duniway (1836-1915) who was the first female voter in Multnomah County. The track at Duniway park was the first of its kind made from recycled rubber much of which was donated from Nike, Inc. There is also a Lilac Garden with over 125 varieties.
• Terwilliger Parkway - 98.87 Acres of paved biking and hiking trails with picnic tables and playground.
• The Southwest Coummunity Center & Pool - Includes basketball court – indoor, community center, fitness room, gymnasium, kitchen – reservable, meeting room – reservable, party room – reservable, rock climbing wall, swimming pool – indoor, weight room, and Wireless Internet Access.

A Few Walks Around Homestead

• Pick up a free Southwest Portland Walking Map at the SWNI Office, order it online, or download the map in PDF format.

Homestead Schools & School Area Real Estate Search

The public schools serving the Homestead neighborhood are all rated as Exceptional by the Oregon Department of Education.
Note: School boundaries often overlap neighborhood and neighborhood association boundaries. To view other school boundaries and homes listed for sale within neighboring school areas visit our Search by Portland School page.

Homestead Real Estate and Housing Trends

Follow current real estate trends for West Portland and all of metropolitan Portland at our Portland Market Data Center, or subscribe via email or RSS to our blog, Portland Real Estate News.

Homestead Recently Sold Homes