Corbett – Terwilliger – Lair Hill Neighborhood

Corbett, Terwilliger, Lair Hill Neighborhood – Officially South Portland Neighborhood
Corbett, Terwilliger, Lair Hill Neighborhood all used to be separate before the South Waterfront was built, in our neighborhood guide, we still refer to Corbett, Lair Hill and Terwilliger separately because they do each have their own personality. We have them combined in this neighborhood section, but have added a John’s Landing neighborhood because it is so unique, and totally separate from this area, and have included Fulton Park in it. And we have also done a separate South Waterfront neighborhood, because that area is completely separate from the rest of the city, divided by freeway and busy roads, served by the Streetcar and the Aerial Tram. So if you want more details about these areas, go on and read the sections that elaborate on them! Here is the link to the South Portland Neighborhood Association.

Lair Hill- is in the northwestern part of the neighborhood, bordered by I-405 on the north, SW Barbur Blvd. on the south and west, and SW Naito Parkway on the east. This area was part of historical South Portland, a district of Italian, Irish, and Jewish immigrants much of which was demolished by an “urban renewal” project in 1958. It still has some of the oldest homes in the City of Portland, some dating back to 1870. Many are lavish Victorians, Old PDX, Craftsman, or Four Square, with beautiful original details! There are also smaller bungalows, old and new townhouses and condos. Whenever there is room, a builder will grab a lot and squeeze in a brand new house. So the neighborhood has many styles and ages of homes.  The location used to be somewhat cut off from the city, because of 405, I5, Barbur Blvd and other busy streets. But in the past few years, Portland has made a huge effort to connect this area to the rest of downtown. Just recently they put in the Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge. It gives Lair hill area access to all the shops and restaurants in the SW Waterfront District, and is approximately 700-foot long. It crosses I-5 and SW Macadam Avenue, and connects SW Kelly Avenue on the west side to SW Moody Avenue on the east side. At the Moody Avenue end, there is also a stop on the Portland Streetcar’s NS Line, and the Portland Aerial Tram’s lower terminus is located across the street.
Portland also recently finished the Tilikum Crossing bridge, which is the largest car-free bridge in the United States, and carries the Portland Streetcar, the MAX Orange Line, TriMet buses and cyclists and pedestrians. This connects this whole area to the east side of Portland.

Corbett – The Corbett area (and SW Corbett St. running north-south through the entire neighborhood) It lies just east of Lair Hill, bounded by I-405 on the north, SW Naito Parkway on the west, SW Macadam Ave. on the east. Its southern boundary is the SW Corbett St. bridge over I-5. This a small neighborhood that runs right below Lair Hill, built about the same time, and having very similar features in housing styles, walkable parks and the SW Gibbs St Pedestrian bridge. This area has improved immensely since the South Waterfront area along the river was built, because now Corbett has access to all the restaurants and shops down there by way of the SW Gibbs Pedestrian Bridge. You can read more about the South Waterfront District in our neighborhood guide

Terwilliger- lies south of Corbett, between SW Barbur Blvd. and SW Macadam Ave, straddling Terwilliger Ave. Terwilliger is a winding street through the hills canopied by lush greenery with a peek-a-boo view of the River, Mountain and City below every once in a while. There is a trail that follows the road and you always see joggers and bikes, even in the rain! So many Portlanders will ride downtown to work and this is a great way to do it! The houses are amazing along this road, some worth 2 million plus. The views are spectacular! It winds from Lair Hill, downtown, all the way up past OHSU, past Hillsdale, past Burlingame and almost to Lake Oswego. But these areas are not part of the Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill neighborhood. There are also many more affordable homes along Terwilliger too. If you love the lush, green, wooded lots with lots of privacy, this is a great neighborhood. It is also so accessible to downtown. I love the trails and green space that this neighborhood offers!

South Waterfront is right along the Willamette River, between I5, and the Willamette River, and is connected to OHSU by the tram. It is a cool neighborhood, oriented to the river. They have plans to add more pathways, a swimming beach and all kinds of things to make this area nicer. It is already beautiful. I love being able to walk along the river, or ride my bike through town along the Willamette, which you can do from here. You can also ride your bike or jog south to Johns Landing!