Peter Champ

Portland, Oregon, is often thought of as a big city with the friendly feel of small town. Its mild weather, amazing natural scenery, convenient location and neighborly residents have all contributed to Portland’s appearance on many “Best Of” lists, including: Online Insider’s “Top 10 Least Expensive Cities”, Money Magazine’s “Top 10 Places to Vacation” and “Top 10 Best Places to Live”, and American Style Magazine’s “Top 25 Arts Destinations”. Although Portland is very urban and offers many cultural attractions, events and entertainment opportunities, one of the city’s greatest attributes is that it is surrounded by beautiful wilderness areas and rolling farm country. With nature all around, there are ample opportunities for nearly any outdoor activity that you can imagine.

Learn more about the Portland…

Dining, arts, and entertainment in the city
Links to the wealth of the urban amenities that Portland has to offer

Heed the “call of the wild” in 30 minutes or less
The woods, the rivers, the mountains and the ocean–it’s all here!

Portland’s Public and Private Schools
Information on finding the right school for your children

Weather

It always rains here, right? Actually, Seattle gets more annual rainfall than Portland. And, although we do get our fair share of rain in the winter months, and even some occasional snow, Portland enjoys very mild weather in the summer months. Some might even say hot. The fantastically colored trees in the Fall are a breathtaking site to behold. And Spring blossoms prove that Portland is truly the “City of Roses.”

Coming to visit? Get your weekly weather forecast from the National Weather service.

Population

With an ethnically diverse population of almost 2 million, Portland is the 28th largest metropolitan area in the country, the fourth largest city on the West Coast, and the largest city in the state. It includes six counties spread over 5000 square miles.

History

In 1806, Lewis and Clark “discovered” the area that would later become the city of Portland. In 1851, Asa Lovejoy, a native of Massachusetts, and Francis Pettygrove, a native of Maine, founded the city. Lovejoy wanted to name the city after his hometown of Boston, but Pettygrove wanted to name it after his own hometown, Portland. They tossed a coin to settle the dispute, and as you may have already guessed, Pettygrove won the toss.