Astoria, OR Neighborhoods, Explained
Astoria's neighborhoods were largely shaped by 19th- and early-20th-century fishing, canning, and lumber money, laid out on a genuinely steep hillside above the Columbia River -- which means location here is defined as much by elevation and historic immigrant settlement patterns as by simple proximity to downtown. Here's what actually distinguishes the city's named districts.
Downtown / Commercial Core
Astoria's downtown runs along the flatter ground closest to the Columbia River, centered on Commercial and Duane Streets, and functions as the walkable heart of the city -- home to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Liberty Theatre, Fort George Brewery, Buoy Beer Company's Fermentation District taproom, and most of the city's restaurants and shops. This is the area most oriented toward tourism and daily commerce rather than residential density, though there is real residential inventory nearby, particularly in mixed-use and converted commercial buildings. For a buyer prioritizing walkability over a river view or a large lot, downtown-adjacent property offers the most car-free daily life Astoria has to offer.
Downtown also sits closest to the areas of the city most directly shaped by the Columbia River's flood risk and the city's ongoing FEMA remap, covered on this site's Flood Zones page -- a buyer specifically drawn to a downtown-proximate address should factor flood zone status into the search from the start rather than treating it as a late-stage surprise.
Uniontown
Uniontown stretches roughly 10 blocks east from the base of the Astoria-Megler Bridge on the southeastern side of the city, and is historically the neighborhood most directly tied to Astoria's working waterfront -- home to the fishing fleets and the Finnish, Chinese, and other immigrant communities who worked the boats and canneries that built the city's early economy. It is now part of the Uniontown-Alameda National Historic District, inventoried in 1987 and formally designated in 1989, comprising 132 primary, secondary, and contributing historic properties. A buyer drawn to Uniontown is typically drawn to this specific combination: real, documented immigrant working-class history, proximity to the river and the bridge, and a genuinely different character from the more purely residential hillside neighborhoods above it.
Because Uniontown sits closer to river level than the hillside districts, flood zone status is a real, specific due-diligence question here -- confirm current and post-2025-remap flood zone designation for any specific Uniontown address before making an offer.
Uppertown
Uppertown is an east-side hillside neighborhood rising above the riverfront, with historic homes dating largely from the 1880s through 1910s, many built specifically to capture Columbia River views from elevation. The Uppertown-Adair area has been identified as potentially eligible for National Register historic district nomination, though it does not yet carry the same formal designation as the Uniontown-Alameda district. This is one of the neighborhoods where Astoria's characteristic 'view without waterfront' value proposition, covered on this site's Waterfront vs. Non-Waterfront page, is most pronounced -- homes here offer river and bridge views with generally lower flood risk than lower-lying areas, at the cost of a steeper daily commute up and down hillside streets.
Uppertown's housing stock, like much of historic Astoria, predates modern seismic building codes, making the inspection considerations covered on this site's Buying Process page particularly relevant for anyone evaluating a specific Uppertown property.
Alderbrook
Alderbrook is a neighborhood of Craftsman homes built largely in the first two decades of the 20th century and Victorian homes from the final decade of the 19th century, composed almost entirely of pre-World War I housing stock. It is identified as not yet formally inventoried but potentially eligible for National Register designation. Alderbrook carries a specific, current relevance for buyers: the City of Astoria's own materials name it directly as a neighborhood gaining new floodplain coverage under the FEMA remapping process that began in 2025 -- meaning some Alderbrook properties currently outside the mapped floodplain are being newly included as the new maps take effect. This is covered in detail on the Flood Zones page, but it is essential context specifically for anyone shopping in this neighborhood right now.
That flood-zone consideration doesn't erase Alderbrook's appeal -- the historic housing stock and comparatively lower-lying, often flatter terrain than the steepest Uppertown or Alameda streets are real draws -- but it does make current flood zone verification a non-negotiable step for any Alderbrook offer.
Alameda
Alameda sits within the same Uniontown-Alameda National Historic District designation covering Uniontown, and shares much of that district's historic character and 132 contributing properties. Like Uniontown, Alameda's identity is tied closely to Astoria's working-waterfront and immigrant settlement history, distinguishing it from the more purely view-driven character of Uppertown farther up the hill. A buyer considering Alameda should evaluate it alongside Uniontown as effectively one combined historic district with shared architectural review considerations, per the city's Historic Preservation Commission process, rather than as two fully separate markets.
This page did not find a confirmed, distinct price differential between the Uniontown and Alameda portions of the shared historic district, and treats them as closely related rather than separately priced submarkets absent specific comparable-sales data from a local agent.
The Outskirts: Astoria Heights, Olney, and Beyond
Farther from the historic core, Astoria Heights and other outlying residential areas offer generally newer construction, flatter or more suburban lot layouts, and typically lower price points than the historic hillside and waterfront districts, at the cost of the walkable downtown proximity and river views that define the city's more sought-after neighborhoods. Olney and other semi-rural areas just outside the city limits, along the Young's River corridor, offer a more rural, larger-acreage alternative for buyers prioritizing land and privacy over urban proximity, though these fall technically outside Astoria's city limits and city services in some cases.
This page does not have confirmed, current price-per-square-foot comparisons across all of Astoria's outlying residential areas, since data for these smaller pockets is thinner than for the well-documented historic districts. A local buyer's agent can provide a more granular, current breakdown for any specific outlying area under consideration.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: the City of Astoria's own Historic Preservation Plan and Comprehensive Plan area-description materials (astoria.gov, astoriaparks.com) for Uniontown, Uppertown, and Alderbrook neighborhood character and building-era descriptions; the National Register of Historic Places documentation for the Uniontown-Alameda Historic District (inventoried 1987, designated 1989, 132 contributing properties); Travel Oregon's own Uniontown neighborhood profile; Homes.com's Alderbrook neighborhood guide; and the City of Astoria's own floodplain remap materials for Alderbrook's specific flood-zone expansion under the 2025 FEMA map update. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: a distinct price differential between Uniontown and Alameda; and current price-per-square-foot data for Astoria Heights, Olney, and other outlying areas. Confirm current pricing and availability for any specific neighborhood with a local Astoria buyer's agent before making a purchase decision. Nothing on this page is real estate valuation advice.