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Interesting Facts
- Portland is a city of parks, with 37,000 acres set aside for your enjoyment. Mt. Tabor Park is home to an extinct volcano, while Washington Park is a beautiful refuge that includes traditional Japanese gardens. The Grotto is a Catholic sanctuary with flower-lined pathways, reflecting ponds and cliff-side vistas.
- This city is a gateway to an outdoorsman's dream world. The nearby Columbia River Gorge, which boasts more than 70 waterfalls, is one of the loveliest spots in the Northwest. The Multnomah Falls cascade 620 feet, earning their reputation as one of the nation's highest waterfalls.
- Portland is filled with stately homes built by lumber barons, shipping magnates and traders. Neighborhoods are lined with turn-of-the-century Victorian and French Renaissance mansions, including the Pittock Estate. This 1914 home is a must-see with its ornate chandeliers, friezes and carved-stone fireplaces.
- From antiques to books, Portland is a shopper's paradise. Sellwood District offers a wealth of antique dealers, while Hawthorne Boulevard packs used bookstores into its boundaries. Powell's City of Books is especially noteworthy; with more than a million books for sale, it bills itself as the nation's largest bookstore.
- Forget Budweiser and Miller Light when you visit Portland. This city has cultivated a reputation as the Munich on the Willamette, offering more brewpubs and craft breweries than any other city in the nation. For real local flavor, try an English-style stout or a fruity brew made with raspberries.
- Portland claims the title of America's bike capital without much dispute. The city has more than 250 miles of bike lanes and offers free-usage bicycles to encourage alternate transportation. At Sauvie Island, you can even mountain-bike through a wildlife sanctuary.
- They know a good thing when they see it - over 2 million people call the Portland area home. In fact, it's the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the country and the fourth largest city on the West Coast. Portland contains residents from six counties spanning over 5000 square miles.
- Go west, young man! Portland's Willamette Valley was the final destination along the Oregon Trail. By 1840, settlers had begun journeying to the Northwest, using the rugged wagon train route that cut through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho.
- The 1970s "Expose Yourself to Art" campaign got its start in Portland, a city filled with fountains and public art. The "Portlandia" statue at the Portland Building is the world's second-largest hammered copper sculpture, taking a back seat only to the Statue of Liberty.
- What's in a name? Certainly not originality! Portland's shares its name with the city in Maine, which was Francis Pettygrove's hometown. This early settler won a coin toss with another early settler named Asa Lovejoy to name the fledgling city. Lovejoy's suggestion? Boston – his own hometown.
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