About Portland, Oregon

Experiencing the Portland area for the first time?
Enjoy this Portland video tour by Sockeyecreative and see
why so many visit and then return to call Oregon home.

Portland is a big metropolitan city that is still small town friendly.

With our population growing to just under a million, Portland is one of the most desirable and affordable west coast cities, with sustained growth at about 6% over the past 5 years.  Once you visit you will see why so many choose the Portland area as their place to call home.

Portland's vibrant downtown area is pedestrian friendly and continues its revitalization. Known as our Outdoor Living Room "Pioneer Square" is always a buzz with activity.  The “Buy a Brick, Build a Square” was quite a success and each brick is inscribed with the donor’s name.  Look for ours – we received it as a memorable wedding gift!
 
Portland's deep in history of the old west. The Oregon Trail and  Lewis and Clark's Expedition are the first to come to mind.  But did you know Portland was almost named Boston?  Had it not been for the winning coin toss between the two early claim holders, Pettygrove and Lovejoy, we could have been the "Beantown" of the west!   Pettygrove from Portland, Maine won. Though both have their own namesake streets in trendy Northwest Portland!
 
At the turn of the century a festival similar to the Worlds fair was held here in Portland.  City officials saw the potential of such an event and in 1907 the first official Rose Festival took place. Our Water Front Park is now home to the infamous Rose Festival. Our 100 year annual party that takes place the first two weeks in June, complete with Parades, Floats, Crowning of the Princesses and Queen, Music, and the Naval fleet. It is truly a wonderful experience.

Portland offers many recreational, cultural and educational opportunities.  Outdoor activities draw many to the Portland market.  Home to Nike, we do get our share of runners, especially during "Hood to Coast" race.  Teams start at the top of Mt Hood and relay all the way to the Oregon coast.

Botanists young and old, flock to The Rose test gardens, Hoyt Arborium, Botanical Gardens, and the Crystal Springs Rhodendrum garden, to stroll and take pictures of these wonderful attactions that feature native plants as well as speciies from around the world.
 
We are equally proud of our 95 diverse neighborhood associations that are woven together to make Portland a place to call home.  Today, bike paths are common in Portland and if that’s not your thing, Mass transit offered by Tri-met bus and our light rail system MAX allow many commuters to leave the car at home.  Portland's reputation brings many to our fair city, but to really get to know Portland is to journey around its neighborhoods and communities. 

Getting around Portland is fairly easy with a few hints:

We are divided into four sections:  NE/SE east of river and NW/SW west of the river.

The Willamette River runs North through the middle of the City dividing NE/SE from NW/SW.

            Mt Hood to the East – 65 Miles

            Pacific Ocean West – 78 Miles

Burnside Street is our North/south boundary.

"Streets" run north to south

 "Avenues" run east to west

Does it Rain in Portland?

Yes, it does - Our trees, roses and lush landscape need the water.  We receive just over 36 inches each year.  Our moderate weather is followed by hot dry summers.   In winter our mountains build their snow pack which provides us with clean fresh water as their pack melts throughout the warming months.