Portland, Oregon
On the western edge of the Columbia River Gorge, Portland Oregon is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Oregon, and the third largest in the Pacific Northwest region, after Seattle, Wash. and Vancouver, British Columbia. Portland is the county seat for Multnomah County.
The city is often referred to as "The City of Roses." It has also been referred to as "Stumptown" or "Mudtown". Because of the 3-letter abbreviation used as a code by airports, Portland is also often known as "PDX."
At the confluence of two major rivers, the Columbia and the Willamette, the Port of Portland serves as a significant Pacific Ocean seaport.
The Portland International Airport, operated by the Port of Portland, provides a transportation hub for jetliners. The smaller Troutdale Airport serves smaller aircraft. The mass transit system in Portland is called Tri-Met. The newspaper serving the Portland Area is The Oregonian. Portland is the home of the NBA Portland Trailblazers basketball team.
Summers in Portland are warm, sunny and rather dry, with July averaging a high of 81 °F (27 °C) and a low of 58 °F (14 °C).
The profiles of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens are visible from many areas in the city. Mt. Hood's Timberline Lodge can be reached by taking Hwy. 26 eastbound, through the community of Sandy. Mt. St. Helens is found along the Northbound stretch of Interstate 5 between Vancouver, Wash. and Seattle. The Pacific Oregon coast is about an hour and a half drive from Portland via Hwy 26 westbound. Salem, Oregon's state capitol, is approx. 1 hour south of Portland on I-5. Oregon City, a suburb of Portland, is on the shores of the Willamette River, accessible via I-205. The Scenic Columbia River Highway, east of Portland, is accessible via I-84 eastbound to Ainsworth, just past Multmomah Falls, or by taking the exit at Troutdale, traveling to Corbett, and taking Hwy. 30 from there. The Hwy 30 route is the most scenic and offers a tour of the magnificent waterfall area of the Columbia River Gorge.
History
The Portland area was used by American, Canadian, and English traders, trappers and settlers of the 1830s and
early 1840s as a small stopping place along the west bank of the Willamette River, halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancover. The site was known as "the clearing." In its first census in 1850, the city’s population was 821 and, like many frontier towns, was predominantly male, with 653 male whites, 164 female whites and four “free colored” individuals.
Across the Columbia River from the old Fort Vancouver, Washington site, the city of Portland was incorporated on February 8, 1851. Portland was named in 1845, by the toss of a coin between Francis W. Pettygrove, who wanted to name the town after his hometown of Portland, Maine, and Asa Lovejoy, who wanted to honor his hometown of Boston. Pettygrove won the coin toss.
City of Portland official website
Wikipedia: Portland Oregon
Sites of Interest include:
• Oregon Historical Society Museum
• Oregon Maritime Museum
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
• Portland Art Museum
• Powell's Bookstore - largest bookstore in the world
• Oregon Zoo
• Oaks Park Skating Rink & Amusement Park
• Pittock Mansion
• Portland International Rose Test Garden
• Japanese Garden
• Lan Su Chinese Garden
• Oregon Jewish Museum
• World Forestry Center
Obscure and Fun mini-museums and collections:
•
Hidden Portland
Portland Children's Museum
|
