Portland, Oregon

For other uses, see Portland (disambiguation).

Portland, Oregon
City
City of Portland
Clockwise from top: Downtown Portland viewed from east bank of the Willamette River; the Wells Fargo Center; Portland Aerial Tram and Mount Hood; Jackson Tower and Fox Tower viewed from Pioneer Courthouse Square; St. Johns Bridge; U.S. National Bank Building
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "Rose City"; "Stumptown"; "PDX"; see Nicknames of Portland, Oregon for a complete list.
Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon
Portland, Oregon Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Counties	Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas
Founded	1845
Incorporated	February 8, 1851
Named for	Portland, Maine
Government
• Type	Commission
• Mayor	Charlie Hales (D)
• Commissioners	Steve Novick Dan Saltzman Nick Fish Amanda Fritz
• Auditor	LaVonne Griffin-Valade
Area
• City	145 sq mi (376 km2)
• Land	133 sq mi (346 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (30 km2)
Elevation	50 ft (15.2 m)
Highest elevation	1,188 ft (362 m)
Lowest elevation	0.62 ft (0.19 m)
Population (2010)
• City	583,776
• Estimate (2014)	619,360
• Rank	US: 28th
• Density	4,375.1/sq mi (1,689.2/km2)
• Urban	1,849,898 (US: 24th)
• Metro	2,348,247 (US: 24th)
• CSA	3,022,178 (US: 17th)
Demonym(s)	Portlander
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97086-97299
Area code(s)	503 and 971
FIPS code	41-59000
GNIS feature ID	1136645
Website	www.portlandoregon.gov

Portland (/ˈpɔːrtlənd/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is located in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. The city covers 145 square miles (376 km²) and had an estimated population of 619,360 in 2014, making it the 28th most populous city in the United States. Approximately 2,348,247 people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the 24th most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ranks 17th with a population of 3,022,178. Roughly 60 percent of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.

Named after the city in Maine, Portland was settled in the 1830s near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing liberal political values, and the city has earned a reputation as a bastion of counterculture, a view which has proceeded into the 21st century. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center study, Portland ranks as the 8th most popular American city, based on where people want to live.

The city operates with a commission-based government guided by a mayor and four commissioners as well as Metro, the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States. The city government is notable for its land-use planning and investment in public transportation. Portland is frequently recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world because of its high walkability, large community of bicyclists, farm-to-table dining, expansive network of public transportation options, and 10,000+ acres of public parks. Its climate is marked by warm, dry summers and chilly, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for over a century. "Keep Portland Weird" is an unofficial slogan for the city.

History

Main articles: History of Portland, Oregon and Timeline of Portland, Oregon

Pre-history and natives

During the prehistoric period, the land that would become Portland was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams from Lake Missoula, located in what would later become Montana. These massive floods occurred during the last ice age and filled the Willamette Valley with 300 to 400 feet (91 to 122 m) of water.

Before American pioneers began arriving in the 1800s, the land that eventually became Portland and surrounding Multnomah County was inhabited for many centuries by two bands of indigenous Chinook people— the Multnomah people and the Cascades. The Chinook people occupying the land which would become Portland were first documented by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805. Before its European settlement, the Portland Basin of the lower Columbia River and Willamette River valleys had been one of the most densely populated regions on the Pacific Coast.

Settlement

Pioneer Courthouse, 1886

1890 map of Portland

Portland waterfront in 1898

Significant numbers of pioneer settlers began arriving in the Willamette Valley in the 1830s via the Oregon Trail, though life was originally centered in nearby Oregon City. In the early 1840s a new settlement began emerging ten miles from of the mouth of the Willamette River, roughly halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. This community was initially referred to as "Stumptown" and "The Clearing" because of the many trees being cut down to allow for its growth. In 1843 William Overton saw potential in the new settlement but lacked the funds necessary to file an official land claim. For 25 cents Overton agreed to share half of the 640-acre (2.6 km²) site with Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1845 Overton sold his remaining half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Both Pettygrove and Lovejoy wished to rename "The Clearing" after their respective hometowns (Lovejoy's being Boston, and Pettygrove's, Portland). This controversy was settled with a coin toss which Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses, thereby providing Portland with its namesake. The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society. At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851, Portland had over 800 inhabitants, a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, and a newspaper, the Weekly Oregonian. A major fire swept through downtown in August 1873, destroying twenty blocks on the west side of the Willamette along Yamhill and Morrison Streets, and causing $1.3 million in damage. By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500 and by 1890 it had grown to 46,385. In 1888, the city constructed the first steel bridge built on the West Coast.

Portland's access to the Pacific Ocean via the Willamette and the Columbia rivers, as well as its easy access to the agricultural Tualatin Valley via the "Great Plank Road" (the route of current-day U.S. Route 26), provided the pioneer city with an advantage over other nearby ports, and it grew very quickly. Portland remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle's deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River. The lumber industry also became a prominent economical presence, due to the area's large population of Douglas Firs, Western Hemlocks, Red Cedars, and Big Leaf Maple trees.

The White Eagle saloon (ca. 1910), one of many in Portland that had reputed ties to illegal activities such as gambling rackets and prostitution

Burnside Street, 1937

Portland developed a reputation early on in its history as a hard-edged and gritty port town. Some historians have described the city's early establishment as being a "scion of New England; an ends-of-the-earth home for the exiled spawn of the eastern established elite." In 1889, The Oregonian called Portland "the most filthy city in the Northern States," due to the unsanitary sewers and gutters, and, at the turn of the 20th century, it was considered one of the most dangerous port cities in the world. The city housed a large number of saloons, bordellos, gambling dens, and boardinghouses which were populated with miners after the California Gold Rush, as well as the multitude of sailors passing through the port. By the early 20th century, the city had lost its reputation as a "sober frontier city" and garnered a reputation for being violent and dangerous.

Post-war development

Between 1900 and 1930, the population of the city tripled from nearly 100,000 to 301,815. Following this population boom, Portland became a notorious hub for underground criminal activity and organized crime between the 1940s and 1950s. In 1957, LIFE Magazine published an article detailing the city's history of government corruption and crime, specifically its gambling rackets and illegal nightclubs. The article, which focused on crime boss Jim Elkins, became the basis of a fictionalized film titled Portland Exposé (1957). In spite of the city's seedier undercurrent of criminal activity, Portland was experiencing an economic and industrial surge during World War II. Ship builder Henry J. Kaiser had been awarded contracts to construct Liberty ships and aircraft carrier escorts, and chose sites in Portland and Vancouver, Washington for work yards. During this time, Portland's population rose by over 150,000, largely attributed to recruited laborers.

During the 1960s, an influx of hippie subculture began to take root in the city in the wake of San Francisco's burgeoning countercultural scene. The city's Crystal Ballroom became a hub for the city's psychedelic culture, while food cooperatives and listener-funded media and radio stations were established. A large social activist presence evolved during this time as well, specifically concerning Native American rights, environmentalist causes, and gay rights. By the 1970s, Portland had well established itself as a progressive city, and experienced an economic boom for the majority of the decade; however, the slowing of the housing market in 1979 caused demand for the city and state timber industries to drop significantly.

1990s to present

In the 1990s, the technology industry began to emerge in Portland, specifically with the establishment of companies like Intel, which brought more than $10 billion in investments in 1995 alone. After the year 2000, Portland experienced significant growth, with a population rise of over 90,000 between the years 2000 and 2014. The city's increased presence within the cultural lexicon has established it a popular city for young people, and it was second only to Louisville, Kentucky as one of the cities to attract and retain the highest number of college-educated people in the United States. Between 2001 and 2012, Portland's gross domestic product per person grew fifty percent, more than any other city in the country.

The city has acquired a diverse range of nicknames throughout its history, though it is most frequently called "Rose City" or "The City of Roses", the latter of which being its unofficial nickname since 1888 and its official nickname since 2003. Another widely utilized nickname by local residents in everyday speech is "PDX", which is also the airport code for Portland International Airport. Other nicknames include Bridgetown, Stumptown, Rip City, Soccer City, P-Town, Portlandia, and the more antiquated Little Beirut.

Geography

Topography

Mt. Rainier (left) and Mt. St. Helens (right) photographed from Mount Calvary Cemetery in Portland.

Portland is located 70 miles east of the Pacific Ocean at the northern end of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley. Downtown Portland straddles the banks of the Willamette River which flows north through the city center and consequently separates the east and west neighborhoods of the city. Less than 10 miles from downtown the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River, the fourth-largest river in the United States, which divides Oregon from Washington state.

Though much of downtown Portland is relatively flat, the foothills of the Tualatin Mountains, more commonly referred to locally as the "West Hills", pierce through the Northwest and Southwest reaches of the city. Council Crest Park, the tallest point within city limits, is located in the West Hills and rises to an elevation of 1,073 feet. The highest point east of the river is Mt. Tabor, an extinct volcanic cinder cone, which rises to 636 feet. Nearby Powell Butte and Rocky Butte rise to 614 feet and 612 feet, respectively. To the west of the Tualatin Mountains lies the Oregon Coast Range, and to the east lies the actively volcanic Cascade Range. On clear days Mt. Hood and Mt St. Helens dominate the horizon while Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier can also be visible in the distance.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 145.09 square miles (375.78 km²), of which, 133.43 square miles (345.58 km²) is land and 11.66 square miles (30.20 km²) is water. Although almost all of Portland lies within Multnomah County, small portions of the city lie within Clackamas and Washington counties with populations estimated at 785 and 1,455, respectively.

Portland lies on top of an extinct volcanic field known as the Boring Lava Field. The Boring Lava Field contains at least 32 cinder cones such as Mount Tabor, and its center lies in Southeast Portland. Mount St. Helens, a highly active volcano 50 miles northeast of the city in Washington state, is easily visible on clear days and is close enough to have dusted the city with volcanic ash after its eruption on May 18, 1980.

Cityscape

See also: Architecture of Portland, Oregon; List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon; and Downtown Portland

Portland's cityscape derives much of its character from the numerous bridges that span the Willamette River downtown, several of which are historical landmarks, and Portland has been nicknamed "Bridgetown" for many decades as a result. Three of downtown's most heavily-utilized bridges are more than 100 years old and are designated historic landmarks: Hawthorne Bridge (1910), Steel Bridge (1912), and Broadway Bridge (1913). Portland's newest bridge, Tilikum Crossing, opened in 2015 and is the first new bridge to open in Portland since the 1973 opening of the Fremont Bridge.

Panorama of downtown Portland in the day. Hawthorne Bridge viewed from a dock on the Willamette River near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Panorama of downtown Portland at night. View from SE Portland across the Willamette River.

The Willamette River runs through the center of the city, while Mount Tabor (center) rises on the city's east side. Mount St. Helens (left) and Mount Hood (right center) are visible from many places in the city.

Neighborhoods

See also: Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon

The five quadrants of Portland

The Willamette River, which flows north through downtown, serves as the natural boundary between east and west Portland. The denser and earlier-developed west side extends into the lap of the West Hills, while the flatter east side fans out for roughly 180 blocks until it meets the suburb of Gresham. In 1891 the cities of Portland, Albina, and East Portland were consolidated, creating inconsistent patterns of street names and addresses. The "great renumbering" on September 2, 1931 standardized street naming patterns, divided Portland into five official quadrants, and changed house numbers from 20 per block to 100 per block.

Piggott Castle, located in southwest Portland

The five quadrants of Portland have come to develop distinctive identities over time, with mild cultural differences and friendly rivalries between their residents, especially between those who live east of the Willamette River versus west of the river. The official quadrants of Portland are: North, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast, with downtown Portland being located in the SW quadrant. The Willamette River divides the east and west quadrants while Burnside Street, which traverses the entire city lengthwise, divides the north and south quadrants. All addresses within the city are denoted as belonging to one of these specific quadrants with the prefixes: N, NW, NE, SW or SE.

Though officially located in SW Portland, the RiverPlace, John's Landing and South Waterfront neighborhoods lie in a so-called (but unofficial) "sixth quadrant" called South Portland, where addresses rise higher from west to east toward the river. This "sixth quadrant" is roughly bounded by Naito Parkway and Barbur Boulevard to the west, Montgomery Street to the north and Nevada Street to the south. East-West addresses in this area are denoted with a leading zero (instead of a minus sign). This means 0246 SW California St. is not the same as 246 SW California St. Many mapping programs are unable to distinguish between the two.

The Pearl District in Northwest Portland, which was largely occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards in the early-mid twentieth century, now houses upscale art galleries, restaurants, and retail stores, and is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Areas further west of the Pearl District include neighborhoods known as Uptown and Nob Hill, as well as the Alphabet District and NW 23rd Ave., a major shopping street lined with swanky clothing boutiques and other upscale retail, mixed with cafes and restaurants.

Northeast Portland is home to the Lloyd District, Alberta Arts District, and the Hollywood District. The northernmost point of the city, known simply as North Portland, is also largely residential; it contains the St. Johns neighborhood, which is historically one of the most ethnically-diverse and poorest neighborhoods in the city.

Old Town Chinatown is located adjacent to the Pearl District in Northwest Portland, while Southwest Portland consists largely of the downtown district, made up of commercial businesses, museums, skyscrapers, and public landmarks. Southeast Portland is largely residential, and consists of the Hawthorne District, Belmont, Brooklyn, and Mount Tabor.

Climate

Portland
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.9     47 36     3.7     51 36     3.7     57 40     2.7     61 43     2.5     68 49     1.7     74 54     0.7     81 58     0.7     81 58     1.5     76 53     3     64 46     5.6     53 41     5.5     46 35 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     124     8 2     93     11 2     93     14 4     69     16 6     63     20 9     43     23 12     17     27 14     17     27 14     37     24 12     76     18 8     143     12 5     139     8 2 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In 1948 the city of Vanport was flooded and several buildings constructed a few years prior were a total loss, including Vanport Extension Center.

Portland experiences a temperate climate with both oceanic and Mediterranean features. This climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The precipitation pattern is distinctly Mediterranean, with little to no rainfall occurring during the summer months and more than half of annual precipitation falling between November and February. Portland experiences a much more temperate climate than one would expect of its latitude, with snowfall and freezing temperatures happening infrequently. Out of the three most populated cities within the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, respectively) Portland has the warmest average temperature, the highest number of sunshine hours, and the fewest inches of rainfall and snowfall among the three cities. According to the Köppen climate classification, Portland falls within the dry-summer mild temperate zone (Csb), also referred to as a warm-summer Mediterranean climate with a USDA Plant Hardiness Zones between 8b and 9a.

Summers in Portland are warm to hot, dry, and sunny. The months of June, July, August and September account for a combined 4.49 inches (114 mm) of total rainfall – only 12% of the 36.03 in (915 mm) of the precipitation that falls throughout the year. The warmest month is August, with an average high temperature of 81.1 °F (27.3 °C). Because of its inland location 70 miles (110 km) from the coast, as well as the protective nature of the Oregon Coast Range to its west, Portland summers are less susceptible to the moderating influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. Consequently, Portland experiences heat waves with temperatures rising well above 90 °F (32 °C) for days at a time, and sometimes above 100 °F (38 °C). On average temperatures reach or exceed 80 °F (27 °C) 56 days per year, of which 12 days will reach 90 °F (32 °C) and 1.4 days will reach 100 °F (38 °C). The most 90 degree days ever recorded in one year is 29, which happened in 2015. The highest temperature ever recorded was 107 °F (42 °C), on July 30, 1965, as well as August 8 and 10, 1981. The warmest recorded overnight low was 74 °F (23 °C) on July 28, 2009. A temperature of 100 °F (38 °C) has been recorded in all five months from May through September.

Spring and fall can bring variable weather including warm fronts that send temperatures surging above 80 °F (27 °C) and cold snaps that plunge daytime temperatures into the 40s °F (4–9 °C). However, consistently mild temperatures in the 50s and 60s °F (12−19 °C) are the norm  – with lengthy stretches of cloudy or partly cloudy days beginning in mid fall and continuing into mid spring. Rain often falls as a light drizzle for several consecutive days at a time, contributing to 155 days on average with measurable (≥0.01 in or 0.25 mm) precipitation annually. Temperatures have reached 90 °F (32 °C) as early as May 3 and as late as October 5, while 80 °F (27 °C) has been reached as early as April 1 and as late as October 21. Severe weather of any variety such as thunder, lightning, and tornadoes are all exceptionally rare.

File:To Conserve Electricity All Portland High Schools Had Their Football Games Rescheduled for Daylight Hours at Multnomah Stadium. Normally They Were Played at Night. A Few Fans Are Shown Camped Under Rain Gear Watching a Game 10 1973 (4271714395).jpg

Spectators at Civic Stadium (now Providence Park Field) during a football game.

Winters are cool, cloudy, and rainy. The coldest month is December with an average daily high of 45.6 °F (7.6 °C), although overnight lows usually remain above freezing. Evening temperatures fall to or below freezing 33 nights per year on average, but very rarely to or below 20 °F (−7 °C). There are only 2.1 days per year where the daytime high temperature fails to rise above freezing. The lowest overnight temperature ever recorded was −3 °F (−19 °C), on February 2, 1950 while the coldest daytime high temperature ever recorded was 14 °F (−10 °C) on December 30, 1968. The average window for freezing temperatures to potentially occur is between November 15 and March 19, allowing a growing season of 240 days.

Snowfall is uncommon with a normal yearly accumulation of 4.3 inches (10.9 cm), which usually falls during only two or three days per year. Portland has one of the warmest and least snowy winters of any non-Sun Belt city in the United States, with more than 25 percent of its winters receiving no snow whatsoever. The city of Portland avoids snow more frequently than its suburbs, due in part to its low elevation and urban heat island effect. Neighborhoods outside of the downtown core, especially in slightly higher elevations near the West Hills and Mount Tabor, can experience a dusting of snow while downtown receives no accumulation at all. The city has experienced a few major snow and ice storms in its past with extreme totals having reached 44.5 in (113 cm) at the airport in 1949–50 and 60.9 in (155 cm) at downtown in 1892–93.

Climate data for Portland, Oregon (PDX), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1940–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	66 (19)	71 (22)	80 (27)	90 (32)	100 (38)	102 (39)	107 (42)	107 (42)	105 (41)	92 (33)	73 (23)	65 (18)	107 (42)
Average high °F (°C)	47.0 (8.3)	51.3 (10.7)	56.7 (13.7)	61.4 (16.3)	68.0 (20)	73.5 (23.1)	80.6 (27)	81.1 (27.3)	75.8 (24.3)	63.8 (17.7)	52.8 (11.6)	45.6 (7.6)	63.1 (17.3)
Daily mean °F (°C)	41.4 (5.2)	43.8 (6.6)	48.2 (9)	52.3 (11.3)	58.3 (14.6)	63.6 (17.6)	69.2 (20.7)	69.5 (20.8)	64.5 (18.1)	54.9 (12.7)	46.6 (8.1)	40.4 (4.7)	54.4 (12.4)
Average low °F (°C)	35.8 (2.1)	36.3 (2.4)	39.6 (4.2)	43.1 (6.2)	48.6 (9.2)	53.6 (12)	57.8 (14.3)	58.0 (14.4)	53.1 (11.7)	46.0 (7.8)	40.5 (4.7)	35.2 (1.8)	45.6 (7.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−2 (−19)	−3 (−19)	19 (−7)	29 (−2)	29 (−2)	39 (4)	43 (6)	44 (7)	34 (1)	26 (−3)	13 (−11)	6 (−14)	−3 (−19)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.88 (124)	3.66 (93)	3.68 (93.5)	2.73 (69.3)	2.47 (62.7)	1.70 (43.2)	0.65 (16.5)	0.67 (17)	1.47 (37.3)	3.00 (76.2)	5.63 (143)	5.49 (139.4)	36.03 (915.2)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.5 (1.3)	2.1 (5.3)	0.2 (0.5)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.5)	1.3 (3.3)	4.3 (10.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	18.0	14.9	17.6	16.4	13.6	9.2	4.1	3.9	6.7	12.5	19.0	18.6	154.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.7	1.5	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.5	1.5	4.4
Average relative humidity (%)	80.9	78.0	74.6	71.6	68.7	65.8	62.8	64.8	69.4	77.9	81.5	82.7	73.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	85.6	116.4	191.1	221.1	276.1	290.2	331.9	298.1	235.7	151.7	79.3	63.7	2,340.9
Percent possible sunshine	30	40	52	54	60	62	70	68	63	45	28	23	52
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	2,874		—
1870	8,293		188.6%
1880	17,577		111.9%
1890	46,385		163.9%
1900	90,426		94.9%
1910	207,214		129.2%
1920	258,288		24.6%
1930	301,815		16.9%
1940	305,394		1.2%
1950	373,628		22.3%
1960	372,676		−0.3%
1970	382,619		2.7%
1980	366,383		−4.2%
1990	437,319		19.4%
2000	529,121		21.0%
2010	583,776		10.3%
Est. 2014	619,360		6.1%
Sources: U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate

The census reported the city as 76.1% White (444,254 people), 7.1% Asian (41,448), 6.3% Black or African American (36,778), 1.0% Native American (5,838), 0.5% Pacific Islander (2,919), 4.7% belonging to two or more racial groups (24,437) and 5.0% from other races (28,987). 9.4% were Hispanic or Latino, of any race (54,840). Whites not of Hispanic origin made up 72.2% of the total population.

In 1940, Portland's African-American population was approximately 2,000 and largely consisted of railroad employees and their families. During the war-time liberty ship construction boom, the need for workers drew many blacks to the city. The new influx of blacks settled in specific neighborhoods, such as the Albina district and Vanport. The May 1948 flood which destroyed Vanport eliminated the only integrated neighborhood, and an influx of blacks into the northeast quadrant of the city continued. Portland's longshoremen racial mix was described as being "lily-white" in the 1960s, when the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union declined to represent grain handlers since some were black.

At 6.3%, Portland's African American population is three times the state average. Over two thirds of Oregon's African-American residents live in Portland. As of the 2000 census, three of its high schools (Cleveland, Lincoln and Wilson) were over 70% white, reflecting the overall population, while Jefferson High School was 87% non-white. The remaining six schools have a higher number of non-whites, including blacks and Asians. Hispanic students average from 3.3% at Wilson to 31% at Roosevelt.

Graph showing the city's population growth from 1850 to 2010

Portland residents identifying solely as Asian Americans account for 7.1% of the population; an additional 1.8% is partially of Asian heritage. Vietnamese Americans make up 2.2% of Portland's population, and make up the largest Asian ethnic group in the city, followed by Chinese (1.7%), Filipinos (0.6%), Japanese (0.5%), Koreans (0.4%), Laotians (0.4%), Hmong (0.2%), and Cambodians (0.1%). There is a small population of Yao people that live in Portland. Portland has two Chinatowns, with New Chinatown located along SE 82nd Avenue and bustling with Chinese supermarkets, Hong Kong style noodle houses, dim sum, and Vietnamese phở restaurants.

With about 12,000 Vietnamese residing in the city proper, Portland has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in America per capita. According to statistics there are 21,000 Pacific Islanders in Portland, making up 4% of the population.

An ethnic distribution map of Portland, Oregon based on the 2000 census. Each dot represents 25 people, with red dots representing whites, blue representing Blacks, green representing Asians, orange representing Hispanics, and grey representing all other races.

Portland's population has been and remains predominantly white. In 1940, whites were over 98% of the city's population. In 2009, Portland had the fifth-highest percentage of white residents among the 40 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. A 2007 survey of the 40 largest cities in the U.S. concluded that Portland's urban core has the highest percentage of white residents. Some scholars have noted the Pacific Northwest as a whole is "one of the last Caucasian bastions of the United States". While Portland's diversity was historically comparable to metro Seattle and Salt Lake City, those areas grew more diverse in the late 1990s and 2000s. Portland not only remains white, but migration to Portland is disproportionately white, at least partly because Portland is attractive to young college-educated Americans, a group which is primarily white.

The Oregon Territory banned African American settlement in 1849. In the 19th century, certain laws allowed the immigration of Chinese laborers but prohibited them from owning property or bringing their families. The early 1920s saw the rapid growth of the Ku Klux Klan, which became very influential in Oregon politics, culminating in the election of Walter M. Pierce as governor.

The largest influxes of minority populations occurred during World War II, as the African American population grew by a factor of 10 for wartime work. After World War II, the Vanport flood in 1948 displaced many African Americans. As they resettled, redlining directed the displaced workers from the wartime settlement to neighboring Albina. There and elsewhere in Portland, they experienced police hostility, lack of employment, and mortgage discrimination, leading to half the black population leaving after the war.

In the 1980s and 1990s, radical skinhead groups flourished in Portland. In 1988, Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian immigrant, was killed by three skinheads. The response to his murder involved a community-driven series of rallies, campaigns, nonprofits and events designed to address Portland's racial history, leading to a city considered significantly more tolerant than in 1988 at Seraw's death.

During redevelopment of north Portland along the MAX Yellow Line, displacement of minorities occurred at a drastic rate. Out of 29 census tracts in north and northeast Portland, ten were majority nonwhite in 2000. By 2010, none of these tracts were majority nonwhite as gentrification drove the cost of living up. Today, Portland's African-American community is concentrated in the north and northeast section of the city, mainly in the King neighborhood.

Households

As of the 2010 census, there are 583,776 people residing in the city, organized into 235,508 households. The population density is 4,375.2 people per square mile. There are 265,439 housing units at an average density of 1989.4 per square mile (1,236.3/km²). Population growth in Portland increased 10.3% between 2000 and 2010. Population growth in the Portland metropolitan area has outpaced the national average during the last decade, and this is expected to continue over the next 50 years.

Out of 223,737 households, 24.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% are non-families. 34.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.3 and the average family size is 3. The age distribution was 21.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $40,146, and the median income for a family is $50,271. Males have a reported median income of $35,279 versus $29,344 reported for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,643. 13.1% of the population and 8.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Figures delineating the income levels based on race are not available at this time. According to the Modern Language Association, in 2010 80.92% (539,885) percent of Multnomah County residents ages 5 and over spoke English as their primary language at home. 8.10% of the population spoke Spanish (54,036), with Vietnamese speakers making up 1.94%, and Russian 1.46%.

Social demographics

St. Michael the Archangel Church; of the 35% of religiously affiliated Portland residents, Roman Catholics make up the largest group.

The Portland metropolitan area has historically had a significant LGBT population throughout the late twentieth and twenty-first century. In 2015, the city metro had the second highest percentage of LGBT residents in the United States with 5.4% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, second only to San Francisco. In 2006, it was reported to have the seventh highest LGBT population in the country, with 8.8% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and the metro ranking fourth in the nation at 6.1%. The city held its first pride festival in 1975 on the Portland State University campus.

Portland has been cited as the least religious city in the United States, with over 42% of residents identifying as religiously "unaffiliated," according to the nonpartisan and nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas. Of the 35.89% of the city's residents who do identify as religious, Roman Catholics make up the largest group, at 15.8%. The second highest religious group in the city are Evangelical Christians at 6.04%, with Baptists following behind at 2.5%. Latter Day Saints make up 2.3% of the city's religiously affiliated population, with Lutheran and Pentecostal following behind. 1.48% of religiously affiliated persons identified themselves as following Eastern religions, while 0.86% of the religiously affiliated population identified as Jewish, and 0.29% as Muslim.

Economy

See also: Companies based in Portland, Oregon

Portland's location is beneficial for several industries. Relatively low energy cost, accessible resources, north–south and east–west Interstates, international air terminals, large marine shipping facilities, and both west coast intercontinental railroads are all economic advantages. The US consulting firm Mercer, in a 2009 assessment "conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments", ranked Portland 42nd worldwide in quality of living; the survey factored in political stability, personal freedom, sanitation, crime, housing, the natural environment, recreation, banking facilities, availability of consumer goods, education, and public services including transportation. In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS MoneyWatch.

Adidas has its North America headquarters in the Overlook neighborhood.

The city's marine terminals alone handle over 13 million tons of cargo per year, and the port is home to one of the largest commercial dry docks in the country. The Port of Portland is the third largest export tonnage port on the west coast of the U.S., and being located about 80 miles (130 km) upriver, it is the largest fresh-water port. The city of Portland is largest shipper of wheat in the United States, and is the second largest port for wheat in the world.

The steel industry's history in Portland predates World War II. By the 1950s, the steel industry became the city's number one industry for employment. The steel industry thrives in the region, with Schnitzer Steel Industries, a prominent steel company, shipping a record 1.15 billion tons of scrap metal to Asia during 2003. Other heavy industry companies include ESCO Corporation and Oregon Steel Mills.

Technology is a major component of the city's economy, with more than 1,200 technology companies existing within the metro. This high density of technology companies has led to the nickname Silicon Forest being used to describe the Portland area, a reference to the abundance of trees in the region and to the Silicon Valley region in Northern California. The area also hosts facilities for software companies and online startup companies, some supported by local seed funding organizations and business incubators. Computer components manufacturer Intel is the Portland area's largest employer, providing jobs for more than 15,000 people, with several campuses to the west of central Portland in the city of Hillsboro.

The Portland metro area has become a business cluster for athletic and footwear manufacturers. The area is home to the global, North American or US headquarters of Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, Dr. Martens, Li-Ning, Keen, and Hi-Tec Sports. Portland-based Precision Castparts is one of two Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Oregon, the other being Nike. Other notable Portland-based companies include film animation studio Laika; advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy; bankers Umpqua Holdings; and retailers Fred Meyer, New Seasons and Storables.

Culture

Music, film, and performing arts

Multi-Grammy award winning jazz artist Esperanza Spalding was raised in Portland and active in the city's jazz scene from a young age

Controversial rock singer Courtney Love started her first band in Portland and also met Kurt Cobain there

See also: Music of Oregon

Portland is home to famous bands such as The Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders, both famous for their association with the song "Louie Louie" (1963). Other widely known musical groups include The Dandy Warhols, Quarterflash, Everclear, Pink Martini, Sleater-Kinney, The Shins, Blitzen Trapper, The Decemberists, and the late Elliott Smith. In the 1980s, the city was home to a burgeoning punk scene, which included bands such as the Wipers and Dead Moon. The city's now-demolished Satyricon nightclub was a punk venue that is notorious for being the place where Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain first encountered future wife and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love in 1990. Love was a native of Portland, and started several bands there with Kat Bjelland, later of Babes in Toyland. Multi-Grammy award winning jazz artist Esperanza Spalding is from Portland, and performed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at a young age.

In 2013, The Guardian named the city's music scene as one of the "most vibrant" in the United States. According to the New York Times, the dozens of karaoke bars in Portland make it not just "the capital of karaoke" in the United States, but "one of the most exciting music scenes in America. Portland also has a range of classical performing arts institutions which include the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera and the Portland Youth Philharmonic. The city is also home to several theaters and performing arts institutions, including the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Northwest Children's Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Miracle Theatre, and Tears of Joy Theatre.

A wide range of films have been shot in Portland, from various independent features to major big-budget productions (see List of films shot in Oregon for a complete list). Director Gus Van Sant has notably set and shot many of his films in the city. The IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia, starring Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney member Carrie Brownstein, shoots on location in Portland, satirizing the city as a hub of liberal politics, organic food, alternative lifestyles and anti-establishment attitudes. MTV's long-time running reality show, The Real World, was shot in Portland for the show's 29th season. The Real World: Portland premiered on MTV on March 27, 2013 and was filmed in a loft in the Pearl District. The show featured the cast members taking part in several Portland activities, such as hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. The cast members worked at a local frozen yogurt shop and the local Pizza Schmizza. Other TV shows which have shot in the city include Leverage, The Librarians, Under Suspicion, Grimm, Nowhere Man and Life Unexpected.

An unusual feature of Portland entertainment is the large number of movie theaters serving beer, often with second-run or revival films. Notable examples of these "brew and view" theaters includes The Bagdad Theater and Pub, a former vaudeville theater built in 1927 by Universal Studios; Cinema 21, and the Laurelhurst Theater, in operation since 1923. Portland hosts the world's longest-running HP Lovecraft Film Festival at the Hollywood Theatre.

The Oregon Symphony performs at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

The Hollywood Theatre currently exists as a non-profit organization.

The Art Deco designed Laurelhurst Theater in the Kerns neighborhood was opened in 1923.

Avalon Theatre in the Belmont neighborhood plays second-run films.

The Moreland Theater in the Sellwood neighborhood.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest premiered at the Bagdad Theater in 1975.

Museums

Portland museums offer a variety of educational programs. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) includes many hands-on activities for adults and children. It consists of five main halls, most of which consist of smaller laboratories: Earth Science Hall, Life Science Hall, Turbine Hall, Science Playground, and Featured Exhibit Hall. The Featured Exhibit Hall has a new exhibit every few months. The laboratories are Chemistry, Physics, Technology, Life, Paleontology, and Watershed. OMSI has many other unique attractions, such as the USS Blueback submarine, used in the film The Hunt for Red October, the OMNIMAX Dome Theater, and OMSI's Kendall Planetarium.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

The OMNIMAX Dome Theater is a variant of the IMAX motion picture format, where the movie is projected onto a domed projection surface. The projection surface at OMSI's OMNIMAX Dome Theater is 6,532 sq ft (606.8 m²). The OMNIMAX Theater uses the largest frame in the motion picture industry and the frames are ten times the size of the standard 35mm film. OMSI's Kendall Planetarium is the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the Pacific Northwest. OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Ave. OMSI is built right up next to the river and is also conveniently located near the entrance to the Springwater Corridor and Eastbank Esplanade pedestrian and bike trails.

The Portland Art Museum owns the city's largest art collection and presents a variety of touring exhibitions each year and with the recent addition of the Modern and Contemporary Art wing it became one of the United States' 25 largest museums.

The Oregon History Museum was founded in 1898. The Oregon History Museum has a variety of books, film, pictures, artifacts, and maps dating back throughout Oregon's history. The Oregon History Museum has one of the most extensive collections of state history materials in the USA.

The Portland Children's Museum is a museum specifically geared for early childhood development. This museum has many topics, and many of their exhibits rotate, to keep the information fresh. The Portland Children's Museum also supports a small charter school for elementary children.

Cuisine and breweries

Portland has been named the best city in the world for street food by several publications, including the U.S. News & World Report and CNN. Food carts are extremely popular within the city, with over 600 licensed carts, making Portland one of the most robust street food scenes in North America.

Widmer Brewing Company headquarters

Portland has the most total breweries and independent microbreweries of any city in the world, with 58 active breweries within city limits, and 70+ within the surrounding metro area. The city receives frequent acclaim as the best beer city in the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the top-5 beer destinations in the world. Portland has played a prominent role in the microbrewery revolution in the U.S. and is nicknamed "Beertown" and "Beervana" as a result. Portland's modern microbrewery boom dates to the 1980s when Oregon state law was changed to allow the consumption of beer on brewery premises. Brewery innovation is further supported by the abundance of beer ingredients produced locally, including two-row barley, over a dozen varieties of local Cascade hops, as well as pure mountain water from the Bull Run Watershed.

The beer culture is partially responsible for CNBC naming Portland the best city for happy hour in the U.S. The McMenamin brothers alone have over thirty brewpubs, distilleries, and wineries scattered throughout the metropolitan area, several in renovated cinemas and other historically significant buildings otherwise destined for demolition. Other notable Portland brewers include Widmer Brothers, BridgePort, Hair of the Dog, and Hopworks Urban Brewery. In 1999, author Michael "Beerhunter" Jackson called Portland a candidate for the beer capital of the world because the city boasted more breweries than Cologne, Germany.

Portland is also known as a leader in specialty coffee. The city is home to Stumptown Coffee Roasters as well as dozens of other micro-roasteries and cafes.

Portland has an emerging restaurant scene nationally, and among three nominees, was recognized by the Food Network Awards as their "Delicious Destination of the Year: A rising city with a fast-growing food scene" for 2007. In 2014, The Washington Post called Portland the fourth best city for food in the United States. Travel + Leisure ranked Portland's food and bar scene #5 in the nation in 2012. The city is also known for being among the most vegetarian-friendly cities in America.

Recreation

See also: Tourism in Portland, Oregon and List of artists and art institutions in Portland, Oregon

The original design of the White Stag sign, featuring the seasonally illuminated red nose. The wording was displayed from 1957 to 1997

The White Stag sign's current design, as of 2010

Portland is home to a diverse array of artists and arts organizations, and was named in 2006 by American Style magazine as the tenth best Big City Arts Destination in the country. Portland's public art is managed by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Art galleries abound downtown and in the Pearl District, as well as in the Alberta Arts District and other neighborhoods throughout the city.

Portlandia, a statue on the west side of the Portland Building, is the second-largest hammered-copper statue in the U.S. (after the Statue of Liberty). Portland's public art is managed by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Powell's City of Books claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world, occupying a multistory building on an entire city block in the Pearl District. In 2010, Powell's Technical Books was relocated to Powell's Books Bldg. 2 across the street from the flagship store. In 2012, the city was named by Travel & Leisure magazine as the number 1 best city in the country for book stores.

Peacock Lane, a historic street in Southeast Portland known for its annual Christmas decoration

The Portland Rose Festival takes place annually in June and includes two parades, dragon boat races, carnival rides at Tom McCall Waterfront park, and dozens of other events. The city is home to the Rosebud and Thorn Pageant, started in 1975 and modeled after the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Oregon. Washington Park, in the West Hills, is home to some of Portland's most popular recreational sites, including the Oregon Zoo, the World Forestry Center, and the Hoyt Arboretum. Oaks Amusement Park, located in the Sellwood district of Southeast Portland, is the city's only amusement park, and is also one of the longest-running amusement parks in the country. It has been in operation since 1905, and was known as the "Coney Island of the Northwest" upon its opening.

Portland hosts a number of festivals throughout the year in celebration of beer and brewing, including the Oregon Brewers Festival, held in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Held each summer during the last full weekend of July, it is the largest outdoor craft beer festival in North America with over 70,000 attendees in 2008. Other major beer festivals throughout the calendar year include the Spring Beer and Wine Festival in April, the North American Organic Brewers Festival in June, the Portland International Beerfest in July, and the Holiday Ale Festival in December. Pioneer Courthouse Square also holds an annual Christmas tree lighting on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the tree remains in the square for five to six weeks through the holiday season. The residents of Peacock Lane, a street in the Sunnyside neighborhood, annually decorate their houses for the Christmas season and provide rides through the neighborhood in horse drawn carriage, a tradition established in the 1920s.

Sustainability

Portland is often awarded "Greenest City in America" and "most green cities" designations. Popular Science awarded Portland the title of the Greenest City in America in 2008, and Grist magazine listed it in 2007 as the second greenest city in the world. The city became a pioneer of state-directed metropolitan planning, a program which was instated statewide in 1969 to compact the urban growth boundaries of the city.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Portland, Oregon

Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns

Portland is home to two major league sports franchises: the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA and the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer. The Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League also play in Portland. In 2015, the Timbers won the MLS Cup, which was the first professional sports championship for a team from Portland since the Trail Blazers won the NBA championship in 1977. Despite being the 19th most populated metro area in the United States, Portland contains only one franchise from the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB, making it America's most populated metro area with that distinction. The city has been frequently rumored to receive an additional franchise although efforts to acquire a team have failed due to stadium funding issues.

Portland sports fans are characterized by their passionate support. The Trail Blazers sold out every home game between 1977 and 1995, a span of 814 consecutive games, the second longest streak in American sports history. The Timbers joined MLS in 2011 and have sold out every home match since joining the league, a streak that has now reached 70+ matches. The Timbers season ticket waiting list has reached 10,000+, the longest waiting list in MLS.

The Moda Center, home of the Portland Trail Blazers

Two rival universities exist within Portland city limits: the University of Portland Pilots and the Portland State University Vikings, both of whom field teams in popular spectator sports including soccer, baseball, basketball, and football. Additionally, the University of Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State University Beavers both receive substantial attention and support from many Portland residents, despite their campuses being located 110 and 84 miles from the city, respectively.

The Shamrock Run, held annually on St. Patrick's Day.

Running is a popular activity in Portland and every year the city hosts the Portland Marathon as well as parts of the Hood to Coast Relay, the world's largest long-distance relay race (by number of participants). Portland serves as the center to two elite running groups, the Nike Oregon Project and Oregon Track Club, and is the current residence of several elite runners including British 2012 Olympic 10,000m and 5,000m champion Mo Farah, American record holder at 10,000m Galen Rupp, and 2008 American Olympic bronze medalist at 10,000m Shalane Flanagan.

Portland also has one of the most active bicycle scenes in the United States and has become an elite bicycle racing destination. The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association supports hundreds of official bicycling events every year. Weekly events at Alpenrose Velodrome and Portland International Raceway allow for racing nearly every night of the week from March through September. Cyclocross races, such as the Cross Crusade, can attract over 1,000 riders and spectators.

Skiing and snowboarding are also highly popular, with a number of nearby resorts on Mount Hood, including year-round Timberline Lodge.

Portland area professional sports teams

Club	Sport	League	Championships	Venue	Founded	Attendance
Portland Steel	Arena football	Arena Football League	—	Moda Center	2013	8,586
Portland Thorns FC	Women's soccer	National Women's Soccer League	1 (2013)	Providence Park	2012	13,320
Portland Timbers	Soccer	Major League Soccer	1 (2015)	Providence Park	2009	20,806
Portland Timbers U23s	Soccer	Premier Development League	1 (2010)	Providence Park	2008	—
Portland Trail Blazers	Basketball	National Basketball Association	1 (1976–77)	Moda Center	1970	19,829
Portland Winterhawks	Ice hockey	Western Hockey League	2 (1982–83, 1997–98)	Moda Center	1976	6,537

Parks and gardens

Main article: List of parks in Portland, Oregon

Forest Park is the largest wilderness park in the United States that is located within city limits

Parks and greenspace planning date back to John Charles Olmsted's 1903 Report to the Portland Park Board. In 1995, voters in the Portland metropolitan region passed a regional bond measure to acquire valuable natural areas for fish, wildlife, and people. Ten years later, more than 8,100 acres (33 km²) of ecologically valuable natural areas had been purchased and permanently protected from development.

Portland is one of only four cities in the U.S. with extinct volcanoes within its boundaries (along with Pilot Butte in Bend, Oregon, Jackson Volcano in Jackson, Mississippi, and Diamond Head in Honolulu, Hawaii). Mount Tabor Park is known for its scenic views and historic reservoirs.

Forest Park is the largest wilderness park within city limits in the United States, covering more than 5,000 acres (2,023 ha). Portland is also home to Mill Ends Park, the world's smallest park (a two-foot-diameter circle, the park's area is only about 0.3 m²). Washington Park is just west of downtown, and is home to the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden. Portland is also home to Lan Su Chinese Garden (formerly the Portland Classical Chinese Garden), an authentic representation of a Suzhou-style walled garden.

Portland's downtown features two groups of contiguous city blocks dedicated for park space: the North and South Park Blocks. The 37-acre (15 ha) Tom McCall Waterfront Park was built in 1974 along the length of the downtown waterfront after Harbor Drive was removed; it now hosts large events throughout the year. The nearby historically significant Burnside Skatepark and five indoor skateparks give Portland a reputation as possibly "the most skateboard-friendly town in America."

Tryon Creek State Natural Area is one of three Oregon State Parks in Portland and the most popular; its creek has a run of steelhead. The other two State Parks are Willamette Stone State Heritage Site located in the West Hills and the Government Island State Recreation Area located in the Columbia River near Portland International Airport.

Portland's city park system has been proclaimed one of the best in America. In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land reported that Portland had the 7th best park system among the 50 most populous U.S. cities. ParkScore ranks city park systems by a formula that analyzes the city's median park size, park acres as percent of city area, the percent of city residents within a half-mile of a park, spending of park services per resident, and the number of playgrounds per 10,000 residents. The survey revealed that 80% of Portlanders live within a half-mile to a park and over 16% of Portland's city area is parkland.

Holly Farm Park is a relatively new park in Portland. After it was acquired in 2003 by Portland Parks & Recreation the land was developed into a park by 2007.

Located in Downtown Portland, Keller Fountain Park is named for Portland Development Commission chairwoman Ira Keller.

The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden which opened in 1967.

Cathedral Park under the St. Johns Bridge hosts an annual jazz music festival.

Named in honor of Oregon's governor Tom McCall in 1984, the park was originally opened in 1978. Several events like the Waterfront Blues Festival and the Oregon Brewers Festival take place at the park annually

Originally built as the private residence of The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock, Pittock Mansion now serves as a public park.

Law and government

See also: Government of Portland, Oregon

Portland City Hall

The city of Portland is governed by the Portland City Council, which includes the Mayor, four Commissioners, and an auditor. Each is elected citywide to serve a four-year term. The auditor provides checks and balances in the commission form of government and accountability for the use of public resources. In addition, the auditor provides access to information and reports on various matters of city government.

The city's Office of Neighborhood Involvement serves as a conduit between city government and Portland's 95 officially recognized neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is represented by a volunteer-based neighborhood association which serves as a liaison between residents of the neighborhood and the city government. The city provides funding to neighborhood associations through seven district coalitions, each of which is a geographical grouping of several neighborhood associations. Most (but not all) neighborhood associations belong to one of these district coalitions.

Portland and its surrounding metropolitan area are served by Metro, the United States' only directly elected metropolitan planning organization. Metro's charter gives it responsibility for land use and transportation planning, solid waste management, and map development. Metro also owns and operates the Oregon Convention Center, Oregon Zoo, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center.

The Multnomah County government provides many services to the Portland area, as do Washington and Clackamas counties to the west and south.

Politics

Portland is a territorial charter city, and strongly favors the Democratic Party. All city offices are technically non-partisan.

Portland's delegation to the Oregon Legislative Assembly is entirely Democratic. In the current 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly, which first convened in 2011, four state Senators represent Portland in the state Senate: Diane Rosenbaum (District 21), Chip Shields (District 22), Jackie Dingfelder (District 23), and Rod Monroe (District 24). Portland sends six Representatives to the state House of Representatives: Jules Bailey (District 42), Lew Frederick (District 43), Tina Kotek (District 44), Michael Dembrow (District 45), Alissa Keny-Guyer (District 46), and Jefferson Smith (District 47).

Federally, Portland is split among three congressional districts. Most of the city is in the 3rd District, represented by Earl Blumenauer, who served on the city council from 1986 until his election to Congress in 1996. Most of the city west of the Willamette River is part of the 1st District, represented by Suzanne Bonamici. A small portion of southwestern Portland is in the 5th District, represented by Kurt Schrader. All three are Democrats; a Republican has not represented a significant portion of Portland in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1975. Both of Oregon's senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, are from Portland and are also both Democrats.

In the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama easily carried Portland, winning 245,464 votes from city residents to 50,614 for his Republican rival, John McCain. In the 2012 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama again easily carried Portland, winning 256,925 votes from Multnomah county residents to 70,958 for his Republican rival, Mitt Romney.

Sam Adams, the former mayor of Portland, became the city's first openly gay mayor in 2009. In 2004, 59.7 percent of Multnomah County voters cast ballots against Oregon Ballot Measure 36, which amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit recognition of same-sex marriages. The measure passed with 56.6% of the statewide vote. Multnomah County is one of two counties where a majority voted against the initiative; the other is Benton County, which includes Corvallis, home of Oregon State University. On April 28, 2005, Portland became the only city in the nation to withdraw from a Joint Terrorism Task Force. As of February 19, 2015, the Portland city council approved permanently staffing the JTTF with two of its city's police officers.

Voter registration and party enrollment As of August 2015
Party		Number of voters	Percentage
	Democratic	192,782	53.22%
	Republican	40,723	11.24%
	Unaffiliated	96,717	26.7%
	Libertarian	2,826	0.78%
	Other	29,139	8.04%
Total		362,187	100%

Planning and development

Video of Portland's urban growth boundary. The red dots indicate areas of growth between 1986 and 1996. (larger size)

The city consulted with urban planners as far back as 1903. Development of Washington Park and one of the country's finest greenways, the 40 Mile Loop, which interconnects many of the city's parks, began.

Portland is often cited as an example of a city with strong land use planning controls. This is largely the result of statewide land conservation policies adopted in 1973 under Governor Tom McCall, in particular the requirement for an urban growth boundary (UGB) for every city and metropolitan area. The opposite extreme, a city with few or no controls, is typically illustrated by Houston, Texas.

1966 photo shows sawdust-fired power plant on the edge of downtown that was removed to make way for dense residential development. High rises to left in background were early projects of the Portland Development Commission.

Portland's urban growth boundary, adopted in 1979, separates urban areas (where high-density development is encouraged and focused) from traditional farm land (where restrictions on non-agricultural development are very strict). This was atypical in an era when automobile use led many areas to neglect their core cities in favor of development along interstate highways, in suburbs, and satellite cities.

The original state rules included a provision for expanding urban growth boundaries, but critics felt this wasn't being accomplished. In 1995, the State passed a law requiring cities to expand UGBs to provide enough undeveloped land for a 20-year supply of future housing at projected growth levels.

Oregon's 1973 "urban growth boundary" law limits the boundaries for large-scale development in each metropolitan area in Oregon. This limits access to utilities such as sewage, water and telecommunications, as well as coverage by fire, police and schools. Originally this law mandated that the city must maintain enough land within the boundary to provide an estimated 20 years of growth; however, in 2007 the legislature altered the law to require the maintenance of an estimated 50 years of growth within the boundary, as well as the protection of accompanying farm and rural lands.

Aerial view of central Portland

The growth boundary, along with efforts of the PDC to create economic development zones, has led to the development of a large portion of downtown, a large number of mid- and high-rise developments, and an overall increase in housing and business density.

The Portland Development Commission is a semi-public agency that plays a major role in downtown development; it was created by city voters in 1958 to serve as the city's urban renewal agency. It provides housing and economic development programs within the city, and works behind the scenes with major local developers to create large projects.

In the early 1960s, the PDC led the razing of a large Italian-Jewish neighborhood downtown, bounded roughly by I-405, the Willamette River, 4th Avenue and Market street.

Mayor Neil Goldschmidt took office in 1972 as a proponent of bringing housing and the associated vitality back to the downtown area, which was seen as emptying out after 5 pm. The effort has had dramatic effects in the 30 years since, with many thousands of new housing units clustered in three areas: north of Portland State University (between I-405, SW Broadway, and SW Taylor St.); the RiverPlace development along the waterfront under the Marquam (I-5) bridge; and most notably in the Pearl District (between I-405, Burnside St., NW Northrup St., and NW 9th Ave.).

The Urban Greenspaces Institute, housed in Portland State University Geography Department's Center for Mapping Research, promotes better integration of the built and natural environments. The institute works on urban park, trail, and natural areas planning issues, both at the local and regional levels. In October 2009, the Portland City Council unanimously adopted a climate action plan that will cut the city's greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

According to Grist magazine, Portland is the second most eco-friendly or "green" city in the world trailing only Reykjavík, Iceland. In 2010, Move, Inc. placed Portland in its "top 10 greenest cities" list.

As of 2012 Portland was the largest city in the United States that did not add fluoride to its public water supply, and fluoridation has historically been a subject of controversy in the city. Portland voters have four times voted against fluoridation, in 1956, 1962, 1980 (repealing a 1978 vote in favor), and 2013. Most recently, in 2012 the city council, responding to advocacy from public health organizations and others, voted unanimously to begin fluoridation by 2014. Fluoridation opponents forced a public vote on the issue, and on May 21, 2013, city voters again rejected fluoridation.

Free speech

Protests against the Iraq War on March 19, 2006

Strong free speech protections of the Oregon Constitution upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court in State v. Henry, 732 P.2d 9 (Or. 1987) specifically found that full nudity and lap dances in strip clubs are protected speech. Portland has the highest number of strip clubs per-capita in a city in the United States, and Oregon ranks as the highest state for per-capita strip clubs. Portland has been titled as "Pornland" for its strip clubs, erotic massage parlors, and high rate of child sex trafficking. The term was heavily used in 2010, but the term was referenced by Chuck Palahniuk in 2003.

A judge dismissed charges against a nude bicyclist in November 2008 on the grounds that the city's annual World Naked Bike Ride was "a well-established tradition" in Portland. The first instance occurred sometime around 1999 and had less than 7 participants; at the time it was jokingly referred to as "critical ass" (a play on Critical Mass bike rides). Participants would 'purchase' a bike from a local chain department store and then return it the next morning. It used to take place at midnight and lasted until the participants were stopped/arrested. The prankster aspect of it came in when the arresting officers didn't want to touch the naked cyclists in order to arrest them. The 2009 Naked Bike Ride occurred without significant incident. City police managed traffic intersections. There were an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 participants. In June 2010, Portland's World Naked Bike Ride had an estimated 13,000 people.

A state law prohibiting publicly insulting a person in a way likely to provoke a violent response was tested in Portland and struck down unanimously by the State Supreme Court as violating protected free speech and being overly broad.

Crime

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report in 2009, Portland ranked 53rd in violent crime out of the top 75 U.S. cities with a population greater than 250,000. The murder rate in Portland in 2013 averaged 2.3 murders per 100,000 people per year, which was lower than the national average. In October 2009, Forbes magazine rated Portland as the third safest city in America.

Below is a sortable table containing violent crime data from each Portland neighborhood during the calendar year of 2014.

Violent Crime by Neighborhood in Portland (2014)
		Totals				Per 100,000 residents
Neighborhood	Population	Aggravated Assault	Homicide	Rape	Robbery	Aggravated Assault	Homicide	Rape	Robbery
ALAMEDA	5,214	1	0	1	1	19.2	0.0	19.2	19.2
ARBOR LODGE	6,153	8	0	0	14	130.0	0.0	0.0	227.5
ARDENWALD-JOHNSON CREEK	4,748	0	1	0	0	0.0	21.1	0.0	0.0
ARGAY	6,006	19	0	2	12	316.4	0.0	33.3	199.8
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS	718	1	0	0	1	139.3	0.0	0.0	139.3
ARNOLD CREEK	3,125	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
ASHCREEK	5,719	4	1	0	0	69.9	17.5	0.0	0.0
BEAUMONT-WILSHIRE	5,346	1	0	0	0	18.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
BOISE	3,311	11	0	1	4	332.2	0.0	30.2	120.8
BRENTWOOD-DARLINGTON	12,994	30	0	5	12	230.9	0.0	38.5	92.4
BRIDGETON	725	1	0	0	0	137.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
BRIDLEMILE	5,481	2	0	0	1	36.5	0.0	0.0	18.2
BROOKLYN	3,485	6	0	0	4	172.2	0.0	0.0	114.8
BUCKMAN	8,472	46	0	4	19	543.0	0.0	47.2	224.3
CATHEDRAL PARK	3,349	8	0	1	1	238.9	0.0	29.9	29.9
CENTENNIAL	23,662	94	2	7	28	397.3	8.5	29.6	118.3
COLLINS VIEW	3,036	1	0	0	0	32.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
CONCORDIA	9,550	8	0	1	6	83.8	0.0	10.5	62.8
CRESTON-KENILWORTH	8,227	0	0	0	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.2
CRESTWOOD	1,047	12	0	0	7	1146.1	0.0	0.0	668.6
CULLY	13,209	47	2	9	25	355.8	15.1	68.1	189.3
DOWNTOWN	12,801	95	1	10	75	742.1	7.8	78.1	585.9
EAST COLUMBIA	1,748	13	0	0	13	743.7	0.0	0.0	743.7
EASTMORELAND	5,007	0	0	1	0	0.0	0.0	20.0	0.0
ELIOT	3,611	19	0	3	9	526.2	0.0	83.1	249.2
FAR SOUTHWEST	1,320	1	0	1	0	75.8	0.0	75.8	0.0
FOREST PARK	4,129	1	0	0	0	24.2	0.0	0.0	0.0
FOSTER-POWELL	7,335	19	0	2	8	259.0	0.0	27.3	109.1
GLENFAIR	3,417	18	0	3	14	526.8	0.0	87.8	409.7
GOOSE HOLLOW	6,507	14	0	1	9	215.2	0.0	15.4	138.3
GRANT PARK	3,937	5	0	1	0	127.0	0.0	25.4	0.0
HAYDEN ISLAND	2,270	8	0	0	10	352.4	0.0	0.0	440.5
HAYHURST	5,382	4	0	1	0	74.3	0.0	18.6	0.0
HAZELWOOD	23,462	116	3	13	50	494.4	12.8	55.4	213.1
HEALY HEIGHTS	187	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
HILLSDALE	7,540	1	1	1	0	13.3	13.3	13.3	0.0
HILLSIDE	2,200	1	0	0	0	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
HOLLYWOOD	1,578	10	0	1	8	633.7	0.0	63.4	507.0
HOMESTEAD	2,009	3	0	3	0	149.3	0.0	149.3	0.0
HOSFORD-ABERNETHY	7,336	7	0	0	6	95.4	0.0	0.0	81.8
HUMBOLDT	5,110	29	1	0	5	567.5	19.6	0.0	97.8
IRVINGTON	8,501	10	0	3	3	117.6	0.0	35.3	35.3
KENTON	7,272	24	0	0	18	330.0	0.0	0.0	247.5
KERNS	5,340	9	0	2	6	168.5	0.0	37.5	112.4
KING	6,149	19	0	1	12	309.0	0.0	16.3	195.2
LAURELHURST	4,633	3	0	0	2	64.8	0.0	0.0	43.2
LENTS	20,465	73	2	7	41	356.7	9.8	34.2	200.3
LINNTON	941	1	0	3	0	106.3	0.0	318.8	0.0
LLOYD DISTRICT	1,142	21	1	6	42	1838.9	87.6	525.4	3677.8
MADISON SOUTH	7,130	21	0	2	11	294.5	0.0	28.1	154.3
MAPLEWOOD	2,557	0	0	0	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	39.1
MARKHAM	2,248	1	0	0	0	44.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
MARSHALL PARK	1,248	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
MILL PARK	8,650	31	0	3	10	358.4	0.0	34.7	115.6
MONTAVILLA	16,287	49	0	2	30	300.9	0.0	12.3	184.2
MT. SCOTT-ARLETA	7,397	18	0	4	7	243.3	0.0	54.1	94.6
MT. TABOR	10,162	4	0	0	2	39.4	0.0	0.0	19.7
MULTNOMAH	7,409	1	0	2	2	13.5	0.0	27.0	27.0
NORTH TABOR	5,163	8	1	1	4	154.9	19.4	19.4	77.5
NORTHWEST DISTRICT	13,399	25	0	3	19	186.6	0.0	22.4	141.8
NORTHWEST HEIGHTS	4,806	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
OLD TOWN-CHINATOWN	3,922	106	1	6	47	2702.7	25.5	153.0	1198.4
OVERLOOK	6,093	16	0	5	12	262.6	0.0	82.1	196.9
PARKROSE	6,363	52	1	4	6	817.2	15.7	62.9	94.3
PARKROSE HEIGHTS	6,119	12	0	0	10	196.1	0.0	0.0	163.4
PEARL	5,997	19	0	4	19	316.8	0.0	66.7	316.8
PIEDMONT	7,025	14	0	2	3	199.3	0.0	28.5	42.7
PLEASANT VALLEY	12,743	9	0	2	0	70.6	0.0	15.7	0.0
PORTSMOUTH	9,789	37	3	6	13	378.0	30.6	61.3	132.8
POWELLHURST-GILBERT	30,639	124	2	8	48	404.7	6.5	26.1	156.7
REED	4,399	5	0	0	0	113.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
RICHMOND	11,607	13	1	3	7	112.0	8.6	25.8	60.3
ROSE CITY PARK	8,982	6	0	0	8	66.8	0.0	0.0	89.1
ROSEWAY	6,323	14	1	0	3	221.4	15.8	0.0	47.4
RUSSELL	3,175	3	0	1	2	94.5	0.0	31.5	63.0
SABIN	4,149	9	0	1	3	216.9	0.0	24.1	72.3
SELLWOOD-MORELAND	11,621	5	0	2	2	43.0	0.0	17.2	17.2
SOUTH BURLINGAME	1,747	4	0	0	0	229.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
SOUTH PORTLAND	6,631	4	0	1	4	60.3	0.0	15.1	60.3
SOUTH TABOR	5,995	9	0	2	2	150.1	0.0	33.4	33.4
SOUTHWEST HILLS	8,389	2	0	0	0	23.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
ST. JOHNS	12,207	51	0	5	18	417.8	0.0	41.0	147.5
SULLIVAN'S GULCH	3,139	7	0	1	6	223.0	0.0	31.9	191.1
SUMNER	2,137	14	0	1	4	655.1	0.0	46.8	187.2
SUNDERLAND	718	2	0	1	1	278.6	0.0	139.3	139.3
SUNNYSIDE	7,354	9	0	0	5	122.4	0.0	0.0	68.0
SYLVAN-HIGHLANDS	1,317	1	0	0	2	75.9	0.0	0.0	151.9
UNIVERSITY PARK	6,035	9	0	0	7	149.1	0.0	0.0	116.0
VERNON	2,585	6	0	0	7	232.1	0.0	0.0	270.8
WEST PORTLAND PARK	3,921	6	0	0	1	153.0	0.0	0.0	25.5
WILKES	8,775	15	0	4	7	170.9	0.0	45.6	79.8
WOODLAND PARK	176	0	0	1	1	0.0	0.0	568.2	568.2
WOODLAWN	4,933	17	0	1	8	344.6	0.0	20.3	162.2
WOODSTOCK	8,942	11	2	1	11	123.0	22.4	11.2	123.0

Education

Main article: Education in Portland, Oregon

Primary and secondary education

St. Mary's Academy, a private Roman Catholic girls' school established in 1859

Portland is served by six public school districts and many private schools. Portland Public Schools is the largest school district, operating 85 public schools. Grant High School located in the Grant Park neighborhood has the largest enrollment of any public high school in the city. Other high schools include Benson Polytechnic High School, Cleveland High School, and Roosevelt High School. Established in 1869, Lincoln High School is the city's oldest public education institution, and is one of two of the oldest high schools west of the Mississippi River.

Former public schools in the city included Washington High School, which operated from 1906 until 1981, as well as Jackson High School, which also closed the same year.

Private schools in the area include The Northwest Academy, Rosemary Anderson High School, Portland Adventist Academy, Portland Lutheran School, the Portland Waldorf School, and Trinity Academy. The city and surrounding metropolitan area is also home to a large number of Roman Catholic-affiliated private schools, including St. Mary's Academy, an all-girls school; De La Salle North Catholic High School; the co-educational Jesuit High School; La Salle High School; and Central Catholic High School, the only archdiocesan high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland.

Eliot Hall at Reed College

Higher education

Portland State University, located in downtown Portland, has the largest enrollment rate of any university in the state, with a student body of nearly 30,000. It has been named among the top fifteen percentile of American universities by The Princeton Review for undergraduate education, and has been internationally recognized for its degrees in Masters of Business Administration and urban planning. The city is also home to the Oregon Health & Science University, as well as Portland Community College.

Notable private universities include the University of Portland, a Roman Catholic university affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross; Reed College, a rigorous liberal arts college, ranked by Forbes as the 52nd best college in the country; and Lewis & Clark College.

Other institutions of higher learning within the city's borders are:

Pacific Northwest College of Art Concordia University Linfield College Multnomah University Cascade College Warner Pacific College

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine National College of Natural Medicine The Art Institute of Portland Northwest Film Center Lewis & Clark Law School Oregon Culinary Institute

Media

Main article: Media in Portland, Oregon

See also: List of radio stations in Oregon and List of television stations in Oregon

The Oregonian Building of 1892, which no longer stands.

The Oregonian is the only daily general-interest newspaper serving Portland. It also circulates throughout the state and in Clark County, Washington.

KPTV is the current Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate.

Smaller local newspapers, distributed free of charge in newspaper boxes and at venues around the city, include the Portland Tribune (general-interest paper published on Tuesdays and Thursdays), Willamette Week (general-interest alternative weekly published on Wednesdays), The Portland Mercury (another alt-weekly, targeted at younger urban readers published on Thursdays), The Asian Reporter (a weekly covering Asian news, both international and local) and The Skanner (a weekly African-American newspaper covering both local and national news).

Portland Indymedia is one of the oldest and largest Independent Media Centers. The Portland Alliance, a largely anti-authoritarian progressive monthly, is the largest radical print paper in the city. Just Out, published in Portland twice monthly until the end of 2011, was the region's foremost LGBT publication. A biweekly paper, Street Roots, is also sold within the city by members of the homeless community.

The Portland Business Journal, a weekly, covers business-related news, as does The Daily Journal of Commerce. Portland Monthly is a monthly news and culture magazine. The Bee, over 105 years old, is another neighborhood newspaper serving the inner southeast neighborhoods.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Main article: List of hospitals in Portland, Oregon

Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, located in the Northwest district.

Legacy Health, a non-profit healthcare system in Portland, operates multiple facilities in the city and surrounding suburbs. These include Legacy Emanuel, founded in 1912, located in Northeast Portland; and Legacy Good Samaritan, founded in 1875, and located in Northwest Portland. Randall's Children's Hospital operates at the Legacy Emanuel Campus. Good Samaritan has centers for breast health, cancer, and stroke, and is home to the Devers Eye Institute, the Legacy Obesity and Diabetes Institute, the Legacy Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, the Legacy Rehabilitation Clinic of Oregon, and the Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing.

The Catholic-affiliated Providence Health & Services operates Providence Portland Medical Center in the North Tabor neighborhood of the city. Oregon Health & Science University is a university hospital formed in 1974. The Veterans Affairs Medical Center operates adjacent to the Oregon Health & Science University main campus. Adventist Medical Center also serves the city. Shriners Hospital for Children is a small children's hospital established in 1923.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Portland, Oregon

MAX Light Rail is the centerpiece of the city's public transportation system.

Portland Streetcar is a two-line system serving downtown and nearby areas.

The Portland metropolitan area has transportation services common to major US cities, though Oregon's emphasis on proactive land-use planning and transit-oriented development within the urban growth boundary means that commuters have multiple well-developed options. In 2014, Travel + Leisure magazine rated Portland as the #1 most pedestrian and transit-friendly city in the United States. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Portland 12th most walkable of fifty largest US cities.

In 2008, 12.6% of all commutes in Portland were on public transit. TriMet operates most of the region's buses and the MAX (short for Metropolitan Area Express) light rail system, which connects the city and suburbs. The 1986-opened MAX system has expanded to five lines, with the latest being the Orange Line to Milwaukie, in service as of September 2015. WES Commuter Rail opened in February 2009 in Portland's western suburbs, linking Beaverton and Wilsonville.

The city-owned Portland Streetcar serves two routes in the Central City – downtown and adjacent districts. The first line, which opened in 2001 and was extended in 2005–2007, operates from the South Waterfront District through Portland State University and north through the West End of downtown, to shopping areas and dense residential districts north and northwest of downtown. The second line opened in 2012 and added 3.3 miles (5.3 km) of tracks on the east side of the Willamette River and across the Broadway Bridge to a connection with the original line. The east-side line completed a loop to the tracks on the west side of the river upon completion of the new Tilikum Crossing in 2015, and on that basis has already been named the Central Loop line.

Fifth and Sixth avenues within downtown comprise the Portland Transit Mall, two streets devoted primarily to bus and light rail traffic with limited automobile access. Opened in 1977 for buses, the transit mall was renovated and rebuilt in 2007–09, with light rail added. Starting in 1975 and lasting nearly four decades, all transit service within downtown Portland was free, the area being known by TriMet as Fareless Square, but a need for minor budget cuts and funding needed for expansion prompted the agency to limit free rides to rail service only in 2010, and subsequently to discontinue the fare-free zone entirely in 2012.

TriMet provides real-time tracking of buses and trains with its TransitTracker, and makes the data available to software developers so they can create customized tools of their own.

Union Station

I-5 connects Portland with the Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, and California to the south and with Washington to the north. I-405 forms a loop with I-5 around the central downtown area of the city and I-205 is a loop freeway route on the east side which connects to the Portland International Airport. US 26 supports commuting within the metro area and continues to the Pacific Ocean westward and Mount Hood and Central Oregon eastward. US 30 has a main, bypass, and business route through the city extending to Astoria to the west; through Gresham, Oregon, and the eastern exurbs, and connects to I-84, traveling towards Boise, Idaho. Portland ranks 13th in traffic congestion of all American cities, and is 16th among all North American cities.

Portland's main airport is Portland International Airport, located about 20 minutes by car (40 minutes by MAX) northeast of downtown. In addition Portland is home to Oregon's only public use heliport, the Portland Downtown Heliport. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Portland at Union Station on three routes. Long-haul train routes include the Coast Starlight (with service from Los Angeles to Seattle) and the Empire Builder (with service from Seattle/Portland to Chicago.) The Amtrak Cascades state-supported trains operate between Vancouver, British Columbia and Eugene, Oregon, and serve Portland several times daily. The city is also served by Greyhound Lines intercity bus service which operates BoltBus an express bus service. The bus depot is about one block from the Portland Union Station. The city's first airport was the Swan Island Municipal Airport which was closed in the 1940s.

Portland Aerial Tram connects the South Waterfront district with OHSU.

Portland is the only city in the United States that owns operating mainline steam locomotives, donated to the city in 1958 by the railroads that ran them. Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 and the world-famous Southern Pacific 4449 can be seen several times a year pulling a special excursion train, either locally or on an extended trip. The "Holiday Express", pulled over the tracks of the Oregon Pacific Railroad on weekends in December, has become a Portland tradition over its seven years running. These trains and others are operated by volunteers of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, an amalgamation of rail preservation groups which collaborated on the finance and construction of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, a permanent and publicly accessible home for the locomotives, which opened in 2012 adjacent to OMSI.

In Portland, cycling is a significant mode of transportation. As the city has been particularly supportive of urban bicycling it now ranks highly among the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. Approximately 8% of commuters bike to work, the highest proportion of any major U.S. city and about 10 times the national average. By July 2016 through a 4-0 city council vote, Portland will have a bike share program running with 600 bikes. The new bikes will be provided by Social Bicycles, and will be operated by Motivate. For its achievements in promoting cycling as an everyday means of transportation, Portland has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists and other cycling organizations for its network of on-street bicycling facilities and other bicycle-friendly services, being one of only three US cities to have earned a Platinum-level rating.

Car sharing through Zipcar, Car2Go, Getaround, and Uhaul Car Share is available to residents of the city and some inner suburbs. Portland has a commuter aerial cableway, the Portland Aerial Tram, which connects the South Waterfront district on the Willamette River to the Oregon Health & Science University campus on Marquam Hill above.

Fremont Bridge

St. Johns Bridge

Broadway Bridge

Glenn Jackson Bridge

Hawthorne Bridge

Morrison Bridge

Interstate Bridge

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Portland, Oregon

Sister cities

Sapporo, Japan is Portland's oldest sister city.

Portland has ten sister cities and one "friendship city" (Utrecht); each city is required to maintain long term involvement and participation:

• Sapporo, Japan (November 17, 1959),
• Guadalajara, Mexico (September 23, 1983),
• Ashkelon, Israel (October 13, 1987),
• Ulsan, South Korea (November 20, 1987),
• Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China (June 7, 1988),
• Khabarovsk, Russia (June 10, 1988),
• Kaohsiung, Taiwan (October 11, 1988),
• Mutare, Zimbabwe (December 18, 1991),
• Bologna, Italy (June 5, 2003),
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (September 29, 2014),
• Utrecht, Netherlands

See also

• 1972 Portland–Vancouver tornado
• List of hospitals in Portland, Oregon
• List of sports venues in Portland, Oregon
• Roses in Portland, Oregon
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
• Keep Portland Weird

References

Notes

Further reading

• ; scholarly history
• In Three Volumes. Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3
• Contents: "Elma MacGibbon reminiscences of her travels in the United States starting in 1898, which were mainly in Oregon and Washington." Includes chapter "Portland, the Western Hub."

External links

• City of Portland official website
  • Portland Maps (lot-level GIS)
• Portland Business Alliance – Portland Chamber of Commerce
• Portland's Visitor Association – official visitors' bureau website
• Portland, Oregon at DMOZ

Portland websites that are also wikis

• PortlandWiki is Portland, Oregon's civic wiki.
• WikiWikiWeb installed by Howard Cunningham from Beaverton. Since Ward invented the concept of a wiki wiki web, this is the very first wiki in existence.