 |
|
|
|
Quickly Find In The Tabs Below:
|
Detailed pages on related topics: Colleges in Portland • Portland travel • Portland mortgage and property.
Portland, Oregon was called North America’s “Best Big City” by Money Magazine. Among the factors that make Portland a city worthy of this title are its thriving cultural scene, outstanding natural beauty, world-class dining, and efficient public transportation. Portland’s history starts out on a dark note many bar and hotel owners kidnapping young men and selling them to ship captains. The beginning of the 20th century brought secure lumber mill jobs and money from the California Gold Rush, stabilizing the economy. Where once a seedy waterfront stood, today Portland’s pedestrian-friendly downtown and limits on growth have made it a comfortable place to live.
Portland is renowned for its galleries, performance venues, and cinema. Pubs, coffee shops, farmers markets, parks, and gardens are everywhere. Culture is not hard to find as many cultural activities abound. The Portland Art Museum is one of the 25 largest museums in the country and includes centers for Northwest and Native American Art. The Portland Center for the Performing Arts hosts eight resident companies. The Oregon Historical Society has a collection of more than 85,000 artifacts and an extensive research library. The Oregon Zoo has about 1,000 specimens and is active in 21 Species Survival Plans. And the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry provides an active, engaging environment for adults and children alike.
Portland has NBA basketball, pre-NHL hockey, minor league baseball, and A-League soccer. The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and the Portland Winter Hawks hockey team play in the Rose Garden. PGE Park offers Triple-A baseball’s Portland Beavers and A-League soccer’s Portland Timbers. The Portland International Raceway is home to G.I. Joe’s Presents Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland, the Pacific Northwest’s largest racing event. There is also a variety of camps, facilities, organizations, clubs, events, and teams throughout the city.
Described by Outside Magazine as one of the “10 Greatest Places to Live”, Portland offers a lot in the outdoor department. Within the city, the parks system includes 37,000 acres of open space, even right in downtown. Two of Portland’s golf courses – Eastmoreland Golf Course and Heron Lakes Golf Course – have been rated by Golf Digest among the 75 best public courses. Bicycling magazine has named Portland the top cycling city in the U.S. two years in a row. Mt. Hood is nearby for the snow sports enthusiasts. Skiing, ice climbing, snowboarding, hiking, and snow shoeing are all sports easily enjoyed when living in Portland. Fishermen can enjoy lakes and rivers filled with steelhead, trout, and sturgeon.
While the number of Portland nightclubs may not rival the numbers of comparably-sized cities, the clubs they do have are first-class. Martini bars are very popular, especially in the Pearl District. Many venues have late night happy hours and many restaurants provide substantial discounts on food ordered after 9pm. Brew pubs are extremely popular and remind residents of Portland’s heyday of brewing popularity during the 80s. Portland boasts more microbreweries and brew pubs than any other city in the United States.
Portland strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Oregon):
| Category | Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Transportation Use (vs. State) | Top 1% |  |
| Well-Paid Single Men (vs. State) | Top 4% | |
| Racial Diversity (vs. State) | Top 4% | |
| Well-Paid Single Women (vs. State) | Top 4% | |
| Walking and Biking to Work (vs. Peers) | Top 6% | |
| College Educated Adults (vs. State) | Top 11% | |
| Median Family Income (vs. State) | Top 17% | |
Comparing Portland to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Oregon (State):
Ratings range from 
(lowest) to 
(highest).
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Age of the Population |  |  |
| Well-Paid Single Men | | |
| Well-Paid Single Women | | |
| Male Share of the Population |  | |
| Senior Citizens | |  |
| Female Share of the Population | | |
| Children Under 5 Years Old |  | |
| Racial Diversity | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Portion of People Married |  | |
| Average Household Size | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults |  | |
| Median Family Income | | |
| People in Middle Class or Better | | |
| People Above Poverty | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Walking and Biking to Work | | |
| Working at Home | | |
| Public Transportation Use | | |
| Short Commute Times | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| People Living Alone | | |
| Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals | | |
| Seasonal and Vacation Housing |  | |
| Affordability of Rents | | |
| Housing Recently Built | | |
| Affordability of Property Taxes | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Low Violent Crime | | |
| Low Property Crime | | |
Detailed pages on related topics: Colleges in Portland • Portland travel • Portland mortgage and property.
 | Portland Careers Portland career and employment information. |
 | Portland Colleges Portland colleges and trade schools. |
 | Portland Hotels & Travel Portland hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
 | Portland Mortgage Portland property, mortgage, and real estate. |
|
|
|
 |
 |
||||
|
|||||
 |
 |
|
|
||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|||||
|
|
We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.
Are you an official in the Portland government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.
Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Portland. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.
Copyright © QuinStreet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
