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).