Portland Zip Code Map 2020 Update

“What’s the zip?” Zip codes are so much a part of everyday life that we hardly even notice them. Whether shopping for real estate, verifying a credit card or sending a piece of mail, Portland zip codes are a convenient shorthand for location. Also, if you’re new to a city and don’t yet know the zip codes, they can be frustrating!

Enter the Portland Zip Code Map. Metro, the regional governing body for Portland and surrounding areas, has the definitive zip code map, available in full-size pdf for handy saving and printing by clicking the thumbnail below. It covers Portland, west to Forest Grove, north into the state of Washington, east to Troutdale and Estacada, and south as far as Canby, Oregon. 

Three Secrets to Learning Portland Zip Codes

Yes, there are a lot of zip codes in the Portland metro area! Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

1. Zip codes in the City of Portland all start with 972
2. Zip codes starting with 970 wrap around the west hills of Portland, hop over the I5 at Lake Oswego and continue up into Troutdale and down the Columbia Gorge.
3. Zip codes to the west and southwest of Portland tend to start with 971 – Newberg, Forest Grove, Yamhill

We’ll explain how Portland got its zip codes in a section below, but first, some more helpful links. 

Look Up Portland Zip Codes

If a zip code is all you know, looking at a non-interactive zip code map probably isn’t the fastest way to figure out where it is. Instead, the following sites may be more helpful:

• Google Maps. Simply enter the zip code and the area it covers will show up on the map as a lighter-colored shape surrounded by a red line. If you can’t see it, zoom out a level or two and it should be very apparent. Google Earth users can view a zip code layer by checking the ‘Postal Code Boundaries’ layer under ‘Layers’ > ‘More’ > ‘US Government.
• City of Portland / Multnomah County Zip Code Lookup. This page is handy if you need to know the official city name for a given zip code in the Portland metro area. The first list of numbers are zips in the City of Portland. Following that, there’s a chart giving all Multnomah County zip codes and the corresponding city or town. 
• USPS Look Up a ZIP Code tool. At the official US Postal Service website, you can look up any zip code to get the city it corresponds to. Or, find a zip code using a specific address, or just the city and state. Handy for verifying a zip code if you suspect it has changed. 

Real Estate Search by Portland Zip Code

On our active MLS listings home search site, PortlandHomesForSale.com, you can use a zip code to find homes simply by entering it in the search box. 

Why would someone want to look for homes by zip code? For one, it’s a quick and convenient way to get more specific with your search. Here’s an example: Say you’re looking for homes near downtown Beaverton. You could enter “Beaverton” in the search box, then zoom in on the area you want and redo the search. Or, just enter “97005”.

Another reason that home buyers and sellers might search by zip code is to get comparables for a certain home. Simply enter that home’s zip code and you’ll get search results specific to that area. 

Cracking the Zip Code for Portland, Oregon

ZIP CODE stands for Zone Improvement Program, and it was introduced by the USPS in 1963. It made postal deliveries more efficient by designating a code for every delivery area in the US. A zip code really is a code, so let’s “crack” it!

The first digit in a zip code always designates a group of states. This is why California, Oregon and Washington all have zip codes starting with 9. The next two digits represent the state, or regions within a state. In Oregon’s case, all the delivery areas within the state are represented by the number 7, so all Oregon zip codes start with a number between 970-979. (California takes all zip codes starting with 900-961, and Washington takes 980-994, which gives you an idea of how the populations of these three states compare!)

From there, the last two digits in a zip code designate delivery areas within those regions. There are 32 zip codes for the City of Portland, between 97201 and 97266 (some numbers in this sequence have been left out or indicate other delivery areas). An additional 25 zip codes are in Multnomah County, which overlaps most of Portland.

Let’s “read” 97204

To sum up the above information, we’ll break down a typical Portland zip code. We’ll use 97204, downtown Portland:

9 – West Coast

7 – Oregon

2 – the general mail distribution facility for Portland

0 – Central Portland

4 – a small area of downtown Portland, one of five different zips for this area alone!

In 1983, the USPS decided that a five-digit zip code wasn’t specific enough, and the Zip+4 system was introduced. The +4 digits are not required, but they can help mail be delivered faster, because they give the postal carrier more detailed information about which route and side of the street the address is on. 

Quick question – can zip codes change? 

Yes! It’s not very likely that the USPS adds or subtracts a zip code, but they do shift zip code boundaries from time to time as delivery routes evolve. Before you list your home, it doesn’t hurt to do a USPS Zip Code Search on your Portland home to make sure you still have the correct zip code. It will also give you the +4 so you know you have the most accurate address possible!

Do you have more questions about Portland homes and addresses? Or general questions about buying or selling real estate in the current market? We’re here to help! Call, message or email us and let’s get started.