| Neighborhood representation | |
| Association | St. Johns Neighborhood Association |
| Coalition | North Portland Neighborhood Services |
| Neighborhood geography | |
| Area | 28.55 km² (PDF map) |
| Location | Interactive map |
| Demographics (2000) | |
| Population | 11346 (density 397/km²) |
| Households | 4148 (93% occupied) |
| Owned | 2333 (56%) |
| Rented | 1815 (44%) |
| Size | 2.74 persons (average) |
St. Johns is a neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States located in North Portland on the tip of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River.
St. Johns is named in honor of settler James Johns, who laid out the original eight block town site in 1865. He reportedly was a recluse, which inspired the population to address him as "Saint" Johns. The site eventually became a rival to other Willamette River townsites vying to become the Head of Navigation on the upper Willamette. St. Johns was originally a separate incorporated city and was annexed by Portland in 1915.
St. Johns is bordered by the Columbia River (separating it from Hayden Island) to the northeast, the Willamette River (separating it from Sauvie Island and Linnton) to the northwest, the North Portland railroad cut (separating it from the University Park, Portsmouth, and Kenton neighborhoods) to the southeast, as well as the Cathedral Park neighborhood to the southwest. The main business district of St. Johns (referred to as "Downtown St. Johns") is around the intersection of Lombard and Philadelphia Streets.
The St. Johns Bridge is named after the neighborhood, though now it is actually considered to connect to the neighborhood of Cathedral Park and not the St. Johns neighborhood itself. The bridge is host to a pair of breeding Peregrine Falcons.
St. Johns has historically been a blue collar neighborhood. It is known for its diverse citizens and its slowly changing appearance. According to 2010 statistics the neighborhood is 60% non-white. [1] It is a community containing Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders and is considered to be one of the city's more diverse neighborhoods. [2] With 23% of the residents in the 97203 zip code (St. Johns Zip Code) living at or below the poverty line, it's one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. [3]
Citizens of all types converge weekly at the St. Johns Farmers Market which takes place at the St. Johns plaza at the corner of N Lombard and N Philadelphia streets. Held every Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm from June 4th to October 15th, it is an organic community focus.
St. Johns and North Portland are known for their proximity to natural habitats. There are many parks and natural areas in St. Johns, including Cathedral Park, Baltimore Woods, Willamette Cove, Pier Park, the Columbia Slough, Kelley Point Park (1984), Pier Park (1959), the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area (1961), not to mention the spectacular Forest Park. Upon entering St. John's there is a conspicuously placed sign in the traffic median. The sign says, "Welcome to the Peninsula, Gateway to Nature". Sightings of Bald Eagles and other birds of prey are common.
The Downtown business core of St. Johns consists primarily of boutique shops and individually-owned and operated restaurants including two theater pubs. The northern portion of the neighborhood gives way to a vast industrial landscape of huge warehouses, parking lots, cargo, and shipping facilities, including the 11 km² Rivergate Industrial District of the Port of Portland.