Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is a large city with a small town charm where the lives of people rotate around parks, beautiful rivers and snow capped mountains. The city is also called as the city of roses beaucse of the high number of rose plantations that the city has. Portland is one of the few tourist destinations that draw people here both for the thrillin snow capped mountains and picturesque beaches. It is one of the most favorite adventure tourist destinations in the western side of United States.
This charming city is located around 70 miles from the Pacific in a superb setting between Willamette and Columbia rivers. Portland has lots of history embedded inside it in its art galleries, museums, theaters, Saturday markets, etc., which will keep the attendees and visitors busy round the clock. The food scene in Portland can be defined in just one world "Epic", from food carts to restaurants, the dining choices are more than that found anywhere in the western side of United States.
The city of Portland is one of those dream destinations which offer everything, from absolutely great entertainment options to great living conditions. The city is set between scenic volcanic mountains, Mt Helena and Mt. Hood. The city has a mixture of elegant historical architecture as well as modern LEED certified buildings that are environmentally friendly. The city gives one a chance to aimlessly wander through the small street blocks. The city's grid system is among the best laid out street patterns in Untied States and is till today used to design other city street patterns.
There are more than 200 parks in the city, giving ample space for lush green forests inside the city. The availability of fresh sources of fruits and vegetables is bound to turn a person into a health freak. There are innumerable opportunities for recreational activities in this city that range from hiking, biking, camping, skiing, windsurfing, kite surfing, etc. The city has a huge art base that attracts art lovers from around United States. The people of the city are friendly and accommodating to visitors who come here in million each year.
The city is also famous for hundreds of microbreweries that produce millions of gallons of delicious beer that makes its way into the brew bars around the city. The wine industry of Portland also created a name for itself around the world with international quality wine brands that are housed here. What one fails to get in this city is the enormous amount of energy necessary to enjoy all that this city has to offer.
Portland History
Portland and the county it belongs to was populated for a long time by two branches of Upper Chinook Indians. Sauvie Island was occupied by the Multnomah people and Columbia Gorge was occupied by the Cascades Indians. Both these groups traded and fished near the river and collected berries, other root vegetables and wapato, but did not indulge in agriculture. The Tualatin Plains nearby supplied prime hunting grounds for these Native Americans.
William Overton during his travel here in 1843 observed the commercial potential of this land, however due to insufficient funds, he didn't file claim on this land. However he and his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston stuck a deal for 25 cents on the condition that Overton had shared a part in the land, a 640 acre site. In a few years Overton sold out half his land to Francis W. Pettygrove from Portland. Lovejoy and Pettygrove wished to name the city just created after their individual hometown. They both settled this controversy with a toss of the coin, in which Pettygrove won the city was named as Portland in 1845. The coin that was used for this toss is known as Portland Penny and is currently displayed in the headquarters of the historical city of Oregon.
There were over 800 inhabitants at the time of incorporation of this city in the year 1851. In the year 1879, the populating for this city had increased to 17,500. Later, the city merged with East Portland and Albina in the year 1891 and seized the cities of St.Johns and Linnton in the year 1915. The strategic location of Portland has both the access of the Pacific Ocean along with Columbia and Willamette rivers. For agricultural purposes, there is the fertile Tualatin valley via the great Plank Road located in the west hills through a canyon. This location gave a huge advantage to the nearby ports and the city grew very quickly.
The Portland port had become a major port in the Pacific Northwest until 1890. Seattle's deepwater harbor had been connected to the rest of the land with the help of rails, which offered an inland route without the treacherous navigation through the Columbia River. Later in the 1900's, energy has changed the lives of the people in the city, there were several power plants that were set up to generate electricity to the city's streets and trolley lines. Slowly the standard of living improved and there were air conditions, cold and hot running waters, refrigerators, etc., that made living in Portland manageable for anyone. The city since has developed to become one of America's most favorite tourist destinations with the variety of entertainment, adventure, outdoor and leisure opportunities it has to offer.
About Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city in the state of Oregon and is located in the northwestern side of United States. Portland is settled in between the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city of Portland has a population of 583,776 people, making it the twenty ninth most populous cities in United States and the third most populous in the Pacific Northwest. The city is also known as the "City of Roses" and has many endorsements to its natural beauty.
The city of Portland is known as the most environmentally friendly cities in the world. The city is one of the best planned cities in United States that was first city which invested in light rail. The city is also popular for it's the huge number of microdistilleries and microbreweries. The city's residents are also a big fan of coffee.
Portland is situated at the northern end of the state of Oregon, the Willamette Valley, the most populated region in the state. The city of Portland is politically and culturally distinct from the rest of the cities of the state, hence the local usage excludes the city of Portland from the valley proper. The city has a 145.4 sq mile land area and. The city lies on the top of an Plio Pleistocene volcanic field that is also called as the Boring Lava Field. The city is located to the west of the active volcano Mount Hood, which is visible from the city.
The city of Portland was incorporated as the county seat of Multnomah County in 1851. The city is governed by a commission based government that is headed by four commissioners and a mayor. Portland and the government of Portland have a legacy of preserving its parks and open spaces. The parks in the city of Portland date as long back to 1903. More than 8,100 acres of ecologically valuable land is currently protected in the city by the state. The city also has the Forest Park inside the city limits, 5,000 acres of green space, the largest park in United States. The city also has the world's smallest park, the Mill Ends Park. This and many other environmentally friendly efforts by Portland made it the "Greenest City in America" and also ranks among the top 10 greenest cities in Untied States.
The strategic location of Portland makes it an ideal place for several industries of economic advantage such as North south and East West interstates, accessible resources, low cost energy, shipping facilities, international air terminals and route for railroads. The city is ranked highly on the quality of life index because of its low crime rate, sanitation, housing and infrastructure and many other facilities. There are a large number of companies operating in the areas of energy, telecommunications and shipping have their headquarters in Portland. The largest employer in Portland is Intel in its computer components manufacturing facility where more than 15,000 people. The Portland's metro area is home to in excess of 1,200 tech companies. The high number of tech companies has led to the city being named as the "Silicon Forest". The city has a strong steel industry that predates way before the World War II.
About Multnomah County, Oregon
Portland is the county seat of the Multnomah County, one of the 36 counties that make up the state of Oregon. It is the smallest county in the state. The population of the county in 2010 was 735,334 according to the United States Census, with the city of Portland being the most populated city.
The county gets its name from the Native Americans who first lived here and were recorded in the journals of the Lewis and Clark expeditions. The Native American named Mulknomans lived in the present day Sauvie Island. The Multnomah County was created in 1854 when the county was cut out of the Clackama's northern counties and Washington's eastern counties. The county was created after a petition from businessmen from Portland who were not comfortable with the location of Hillsboro in Washington County. The businessmen were also uncomfortable with tax revenue of Portland leaving the city to support the farmers of Washington County.
The major industries in the Multonomah County are transportation, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, trade and tourism. The absence of sales tax in the state of County attracts people who wish to interest shop and also retailers from the state of Washington. The Portland port was setup in 1891 and was joined with the City of Portland's Commission of Public Docks in 1971. The Post is the third busiest port in the West Coast and is the leading exporter of lumber and grain.
According to the census of 2000, there are 660,486 people living in the county, who are organized into 272,098 households. The density of population in the county is 1,518 people per square mile. There are different types of races in the county. Some of them are 79.16% of whites, 5.67% Black, 1.03% Native American, 5.70% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander and 4.03% from other races. There are many services within the county, some of them are animal services, taxation, for seniors and disabled people, community justice, jails, marriage licenses, community partnerships, bridges, elections, libraries, passports, health, assessment, school and courts.