University Park is a neighborhood in the north section of Portland, Oregon, United States, on the east shore of the Willamette River.

[4] Property of 71 acres for the university and roughly 530 acres for the surrounding neighborhood was platted from land owned by pioneer families and sold at half-value to the Methodist Episcopal Church, then owners of Willamette University in Salem.

Public transportation was installed, and industry began to develop in the area.

As designers of University Park, Methodist Episcopal officials aligned streets along a northeast – southwest axis and a northwest – southeast axis in order to maximize exposure to sunlight.

Church officials also chose street names in remembrance not only of institutions of higher learning but also persons and places important to Methodists of the time.