Ethnic groups in Portland, Oregon

According to the City of Portland, "In all categories, the Eastside is more racially diverse than the Westside. Hispanics are most concentrated in North Portland at nearly 15% of the population. NE Portland has the highest concentration of African Americans at 30%. The concentration of Asians in Portland are mostly within NE, SE, and outer East Portland, with a percent population of 11%, 10%, and 9% respectively. Whites are the most common race group citywide."[1]

Map of racial distribution in Portland, Oregon, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot represents 25 people, according to the following color code:  White  Black  Asian  Hispanic  Other

In 2016, Alana Semuels of The Atlantic wrote, "As black people moved into Albina, whites moved out; by the end of the 1950s, there were 23,000 fewer white residents and 7,000 more black residents than there had been at the beginning of the decade." She also said "by 1999, blacks owned 36 percent fewer homes than they had a decade earlier, while whites owned 43 percent more."[2] In 2021, the Southeast Examiner's Don MacGillivray said "Portland is known for its lack of racial diversity and its lack of African Americans", with a Black population at six percent and Latinos at 10 percent of the city's population.[3]

African Americans

edit

African Americans are concentrated in north and northeast Portland.[4]

Asians

edit
 
Asia Pacific Islander Pride group in Portland's pride parade, 2015
 
Fubonn Shopping Center, southeast Portland, 2018

Burmese

edit

As of 2010, approximately 1,400 Burmese people lived in the Portland metropolitan area.[5] Notable Burmese restaurants have included Rangoon Bistro and Top Burmese.

Chinese

edit

According to The Oregonian, "One in 10 residents in Portland were Chinese by 1890, making Portland’s Chinese community the second largest in the United States at that time." Ladd's Addition was among the city's first neighborhoods in which Chinese people were allowed to own homes.[6]

Filipino

edit

Notable Filipino restaurants have included Botanical Bakeshop and Magna Kusina.

Indian

edit

From 1994 to 2003, the India Cultural Association held its annual Celebration of India Festival (or simply India Festival) in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square.[7] The event was held in Beaverton in 2024.[8] The Bengali Association of Greater Portland (also known as Prabashi Portland) hosts the annual Durga Puja.[9] Notable Indian restaurants have included:

Koreans

edit

Japanese

edit

Ethnic Japanese in the present-day Portland area are known to date back as far as 1834, though permanent Japanese residents did not appear until the 1880s. The Japanese community grew over the next several decades, and eventually, two Japantowns had been established in the city of Portland. Both of these ethnic enclaves disappeared during World War II's Internment of Japanese Americans. Following World War II, a number of the interned Japanese Americans returned to the Portland area. As of 2010, approximately 30,000 Japanese-Americans resided in Portland, Oregon with a total of 38,000 residing in the greater Multnomah County area.[10]

Palestinian

edit

According to 2019 census data, approximately 400 Portland residents listed Palestinian as their ancestry.[5]

Thai

edit

Notable Thai restaurants have included:

Vietnamese

edit

Portland had the fifteenth largest Vietnamese population in the United States, as of 2022.[11] Vietnamese coffee gained popularity in Portland in the 2020s.[12] Notable Vietnamese restaurants have included:

Hispanic/Latino

edit

Jews

edit

Approximately 75,500 Jews live in Greater Portland.[13]

Native Americans

edit

Portland has the ninth largest urban Native American population in the United States.[14]

Romani

edit

Portland has a substantial Romani population.[15] Approximately 3,000 Romani people live in the metropolitan area.[16]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Race and Ethnicity Population Estimates". Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. ^ "The Racist History of Portland, the Whitest City in America". The Atlantic. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Portland's Struggle with Diversity | the Southeast Examiner of Portland Oregon". Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  4. ^ "Portland is still the whitest big city in America". 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  5. ^ a b "Marching for Home: First and Second Generation Immigrant Portlanders Can't Look Away From Injustices in Their Homelands". Willamette Week. 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  6. ^ Todd, Tanner (2024-04-21). "Cemetery events honor memories of Chinese Americans buried in Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  7. ^ De Dios, Austin (2023-08-07). "Portland celebrates India's diverse cultures and independence". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  8. ^ Profenna, Chiara (2024-08-06). "India Festival scales up for its 30th year, this time in Beaverton". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  9. ^ Profenna, Chiara (2024-07-30). "South Asian Heritage Month in Oregon: Events you won't want to miss". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  10. ^ "Oregon Japanese Population Percentage County Rank Based on ACS 2010–2014 data". www.usa.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  11. ^ "In a First for the Nation, Five Vietnamese American Candidates Are Bound for the Oregon Legislature". Willamette Week. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  12. ^ Wong, Janey (2024-07-24). "Portland's Vietnamese Cafe Renaissance Is Peaking". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  13. ^ "2022-23 Greater Portland Jewish Community Study". Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  14. ^ "The roots of Portland's Native American community". 10 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  15. ^ "Oregon Roma (Gypsies)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  16. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Simina Mistreanu | The (February 2, 2014). "Roma minority has special sensitivities, health-related beliefs, professor, doctors say". oregonlive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)