Bridlemile Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

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Bridlemile Overview

They don’t call it the West Hills for nothing. Bridlemile is a southwest Portland neighborhood that is built on curvy roads beneath shaded overgrowth with a neighborhood layout that seems reclusive, but the neighborhood association proves the community’s strong involvement in its schools, wild life and preservation areas. The neighborhood prides itself on its volunteers that are active in the community in the neighborhood’s surrounding creeks, trails and natural areas, keeping the neighborhood in tip top shape as well as its locals through community activism. If you want to check out all that locals of Bridlemile are doing, go to their website and notice all of the activities in the community.

Location and nearby attractions

Bridlemile is bordered by the Arlington Heights and Hillsdale neighborhoods in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon. The boundaries of the neighborhood are Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway to the south, SW Patton Road to the north, SW Dosch Road to the east and SW Scholls Ferry Road to the west. It is a ten minute drive to downtown Portland from the neighborhood, where Portland State University is located along with restaurants, coffee shops, and more fun places that downtown has to offer. In Arlington Heights is Washington Park where many of Portland’s most popular tourist and local destinations are such as the International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Zoo and the Hoyt Arboretum to name a few.

Portland International Rose Test Garden features over 6,800 rose bushes and 557 varieties. It is one of the largest gardens in the nation, is internationally renowned and holds Portland true to its name of being the “City of Roses.”

Portland Japanese Garden is one of the most authentic Japanese Gardens outside of Japan, offering five separate garden styles in its 5.5 acre landscape.

Hoyt Arboretum offers 12 miles of trails among 8,000 trees from around the world.

World Forestry Center Discovery Museum showcases interactive exhibits that explores forests and trees.

Portland Children’s Museum gives kids plenty of opportunities to explore how objects work, create their own works of art, shop for groceries in the Kid’s Cafe and Market, use tools in the Garage and more things that make kids feel like adults.

Oregon Zoo allows families to enjoy seeing animals from almost every continent, as well as enjoying concerts at the zoo’s amphitheater, experiencing the Christmas lights at the zoo during the winter holidays and taking part in other events that the Portland Zoo offers annually.

Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial allows visitors to walk the circular path along the black granite walls that list the names of Oregon residents who either died in Vietnam or are missing in action. The memorial provides a beautiful, serene setting that allows reflection and remembrance.

Neighborhood Vibe

Garden at Bridlemile Elementary

While Bridlemile isn’t located in downtown it receives most of the benefits, being a neighborhood that is close by yet residential. Bridlemile is so close to all of the aspects of Portland that people travel thousands of miles to see, taste and experience. The neighborhood’s layout features homes that are spread out off of the curvy roads, as well as plats of land with large quantities of homes. Near Bridlemile Elementary is an area with many homes that is perfect for families, being a place where many families and community members come together for events at the nearby Hamilton Park. Another park that locals frequent often is Albert Kelly, a 12 acre Park that provides trails for hikers and runners. The community has done a significant amount of work in this area, pulling out mass amounts of weeds and replacing them with plants of all kinds.

Schools

Students in the Bridlemile neighborhood attend Bridlemile Elementary School, Montessori Odyssey School, West Sylvan Middle School and Lincoln High School.

Homes and Real Estate

The neighborhood features some very unique homes, most of which were built in the 50s, 60s and early 70s. The area also features some newer homes that were recently built. The architectural styles in the neighborhood include split levels, ranch and contemporary. Most of the homes are single levels, so if this is appealing to you while living in the middle of the forest while still conveniently close to downtown then this is the neighborhood for you.

Walking Paths and Trails in the Neighborhood

Community members of Bridlemile have developed a few different walking tours for visitors to fully experience the neighborhood from a local’s perspective. These tours include A Browse Through Bridlemile, Fall Color Walk, Notable Homes Walking Tour and the Spring Color Walk. This primarily residential neighborhood is not only great for its homes, schools and active community members, but it has quite a few trails to explore which make any neighborhood a little bit better. Southwest Portland is great at infusing urban life and outdoorsy, trail hiking life. Residents of Bridlemile and other neighborhoods in the West Hills receive the benefits of both worlds, because they are in the middle of it all.

Photos of Bridlemile

Bridlemile in conclusion

The neighborhood is community conscious, always looking to volunteer for the next available project. Community members seek out projects that need to happen in the neighborhood so that the eager residents can get in on them. The area is heavily populated with families that love being active. Staples to this neighborhood are runners, gardeners, families in the parks and hikers along the neighborhood’s paths.
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This post was written by...

Scott Krager – who has written 11 posts on Portlanders.

Scott Krager is the founder of portlanders.com. He lives in Portland, Oregon, spending most of his time writing, coding, and avoiding the rain. Scott doesn't like to run but forces himself at least once a week. Google+ | Twitter | Quora | LinkedIn