The Pearl District is an area of former warehouses, light industrial and railroad classification yards in Portland, Oregon now noted for its art galleries and upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significant urban renewal since the late 1990s, including removal of a viaduct and construction of the Portland Streetcar, and is now full of high-rise condominiums and warehouse-to-loft conversions.
It is located just north of downtown between West Burnside Street on the south, the Willamette River on the north, NW Broadway on the east and the Interstate 405 freeway on the west .
The area is home to several Portland icons, including Powell's City of Books. The former Weinhard Brewery, which operated continuously from 1864 to September 1999, was shut down by Stroh's upon the purchase of the Weinhard's brand by Miller Brewing and sold for redevelopment as the blank">Brewery Blocks. Art galleries and institutions (many who stage monthly receptions), boutiques, and restaurants abound, and there are also a number of small clubs and bars. The _United States Post Office main processing facility for all of Oregon and SW Washington was built in the Pearl in 1964, next to Union Station. This location was chosen in order for the post office to be able to better serve towns outside the Portland metro area.
The district includes most of the historic blank">North Park Blocks (1869), as well as two recently developed, highly innovative public plazas:
Free wireless internet (provided by _Personal Telco or MetroFi) is available throughout the Pearl District.
