No area of Portland, Oregon, played a more important role in street railway history than Northwest Portland and the neighborhood known as Slabtown. In 1872, the city's first streetcars passed close to Slabtown as they headed for a terminus in the North End. Slabtown was also home to the first streetcar manufacturing factory on the West Coast. In fact, until locally built streetcars began to be replaced by trolleys from large national builders in the 1910s, more than half of all rolling stock was manufactured in shops located at opposite ends of Northwest Twenty-third Avenue. All streetcars operating on the west side of the Willamette River, including those used on the seven lines that served Northwest Portland, were stored in Slabtown. When the end finally came in 1950, Slabtown residents were riding two of the last three city lines.

In Portland's first decades, the northwest side remained dense forests. Native Americans camped and Chinese immigrants farmed around Guild's Lake. In the 1870s, Slabtown acquired its unusual name when a lumber mill opened on Northrup Street. The mill's discarded log edges were a cheap source of heating and cooking fuel. This slabwood was stacked in front of working-class homes of employees of a pottery, the docks, icehouses, slaughterhouses, and lumber mills. Development concentrated along streetcar lines. The early 20th century brought the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, manufacturing, shipbuilding, Montgomery Ward, and the Vaughn Street Ballpark. Today, Slabtown is a densely populated residential neighborhood, with many small shops and restaurants and an industrial area on its northern border. Tourists still arrive by streetcar to the charming Thurman, NW Twenty-first, and Twenty-third Avenues. Famous residents include author Ursula Le Guin, baseball greats Johnny Pesky and Mickey Lolich, NBA player Swede Halbrook, and Portland mayors Bud Clark and Vera Katz.

Streetcars played a key role in the frenzy of development that followed completion of the first bridges across the Willamette River in Portland in 1887. As carlines radiated eastward, a revolutionary shift in population saw suburban neighborhoods like Sunnyside spring up overnight. In 1888, the first steam streetcars expanded the city of East Portland beyond the limits imposed by horse-drawn transportation. Within a year, "motor" lines were running north and south of Mount Tabor and local entrepreneurs, prompted by opposition to locomotives rumbling over city streets, were experimenting with new-fangled battery, gasoline and electric-powered streetcars. In 1889, Southeast Portland residents raised their own money to fund one of the first electric street railways in the country. By 1891, rival companies had merged to form the largest streetcar system in the West. The process would continue into the early twentieth century, as Portland built the third largest system of its type in the United States. Most of its carlines would serve Southeast Portland, operating from the city's largest carbarn complex. This is the colorful story of those sixteen lines, from the first steam dummy to Sunnyside in 1888 to the last trolleys to Mount Tabor and Montavilla sixty years later.

Portland neighborhoods owe their location, alignment, and growth to a splendid, 19th-century innovation: the streetcar. This city still bears the imprint of the carlines that once wove their way out to suburbs in every direction, including Fulton, Portland Heights, Goose Hollow, Nob Hill, Slabtown, Willamette Heights, Albina, Saint Johns, Irvington, Rose City, Mount Tabor, Montavilla, Mount Scott, and Sellwood. As routes developed, people used them for more than just getting to work; they also discovered the recreational function of street railways while visiting friends, parks, and shopping areas farther from the center of town. The time of the trolley peaked during the 1910s. In 1927, the local street railway system entered a period of slow decline that ended in 1950, when Portland's last city streetcars gave way to buses. This is the history of those classic lines.

Street railways arrived early in Portland and made lasting social and economic contributions that are still apparent in the layout and character of the citys neighborhoods today. During the 1890s, streetcar lines spread rapidly into the West Hills and across the Willamette River. The technological prowess of the growing Rose City was reflected in the largest horsecar in the Northwest, the second steepest cable car grade in the nation, the first true interurban railway, and an annual illuminated trolley parade. By the dawn of the 20th century, Portland could boast of the largest electric railway system in the West, as well as its first eight-wheeled streetcar. The streetcars lasted into the late 1950s here, and then, after a hiatus of nearly 30 years, were rediscovered by a new generation of urban planners.

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Whether you want to explore Portland, drink wine in the Willamette Valley, or hike the Columbia River Gorge, the local Fodor's travel experts in Oregon are here to help! Fodor's Oregon guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor's Oregon travel guide includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 20 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, side-trips, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “Willamette Valley's Best Wineries,” “Best Things to do in Portland,” “Best Roadside Attractions” “Oregon's Best Beaches,” and more TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local art, architecture, cuisine, music, geography, and more SPECIAL FEATURES on “Wine Tasting in the Willamette Valley,” and “Whale Watching in the Pacific Northwest” LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Portland, Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Crater Lake National Park, Mt. Hood, Oregon Sand Dunes, Cannon Beach, Willamette Valley Wine Country, Bend, Eugene, Oregon Caves National Monument, the Oregon Trail, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and more. Planning on visiting other destinations in the Pacific Northwest? Check out Fodor's Pacific Northwest, Fodor's Seattle, and Fodor's Inside Portland. *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor's has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Iconic urbanist Lewis Mumford stressed the role of a well-constructed city in the development of the good life, championing pedestrian-scaled, sustainable cities. In Portland's Good Life, R. Bruce Stephenson examines how Portland, the one city in America that adopted Mumford’s vision, became a model city for living the good life. Stephenson traces Portland’s success to its grass roots governing system, its housing and climate protection initiatives, and most of all, its citizens devoted to the public good; all of which have resulted in the construction of a city that honors the humanity of its people.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Benedict has captivated readers with her gorgeous stories of the women forgotten to history. Now, get four of her acclaimed novels in this specially priced e-book bundle: The Other Einstein, Carnegie's Maid, The Only Woman in the Room, and Lady Clementine PLUS an exclusive excerpt from The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. "... Intimate and immersive historical novel.... Prepare to be moved by this provocative history of a woman whose experiences will resonate with today's readers."—Library Journal on The Other Einstein "A sensational novel that turns the conventional Cinderella story into an all-American triumph."—Sarah McCoy, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Mapmaker's Children and The Baker's Daughter on Carnegie's Maid "Benedict paints a shining portrait of a complicated woman... Readers will be enthralled."—Publishers Weekly on The Only Woman in the Room "Benedict is a true master at weaving the threads of the past into a compelling story for today."—Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War on Lady Clementine

"Charlie is a maintenance streetcar in New Orleans, the littlest one in the fleet. The other, larger streetars are either faster, prettier, or more popular than he is. But when they need repairs or help, Charlie is the only one who can come to the rescue!"--