Laurelhurst Neighborhood

Portland is a city of over 90 recognized neighborhoods (a consensus seems to be 95). Portland is divided into five sectors: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and North Portland. The Willamette River divides the north and south sides and Portlanders use seven bridges to go from side to side-more about the bridges later. Laurelhurst, where we live, is in the Northeast sector.

Laurelhurst was first settled as two claims under the 1850 federal Donation Land Act. The first claim was made by Elijah and Saloma Davidson and the second by Terence and Mary Quinn. Beginning in 1859 Davidson began purchasing additonal property in the area and established a well known stock farm of Jersey cattle. When he died in 1893, the area began to transition into a residential neighborhood.

In 1909 the Laurelhurst Company purchased most of the property but for 31 acres that it sold to the City of Portland for park land. Laurelhurst Park is the first park in the nation to be named to the National Register of Historic Places (2001).