History of St. Johns Oregon
The St. Johns Bridge was completed in 1931. It is arguably the most beautiful in the city, connecting North Portland to US-30 northwest of the city. Sadly, since the bridge lies a few miles west of the city, many visitors to Portland never see this marvelous structure, which is a designated historical landmark. Work to renovate the St. Johns Bridge - including repainting and fixing things like burnt-out lights - started in 2003 and was mostly finished by late 2005.
St. Johns is a neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is located in North Portland on the tip of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River. It is named in honor of settler James John, 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" John. (An alternate version of the story says that he never visited the local brothel, and that's why he was called "Saint" John.) The site eventually became a rival to other Willamette River town sites vying to become the Head of Navigation on the upper Willamette. St. Johns was originally a separate incorporated city, 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, and 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 it actually connects neighboring Cathedral Park and not the St. Johns neighborhood itself. There are numerous parks and natural areas located in St. Johns, including Kelley Point Park (1984), Pier Park (1959), and the Smith and Bybee Lakes wildlife sanctuary (1961). |

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