Portland, OR Travel Guide
Largest and most populous city in Oregon and a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Northwestern Oregon and has earned a reputation as a bastion of counter-culture
Places to See in Portland, OR
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Cathedral Park
Park on the east shore of the Willamette River and situated under the St. Johns Bridge, was given its name due to the Gothic arches that support the bridge, which resemble a cathedral arch
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Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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The Grotto
Outdoor shrine and sanctuary covering 62 acres set both at the foot of, and atop, a 110 foot cliff
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International Rose Test Garden
Rose garden featuring over 10,000 rose bushes of approximately 650 varieties
Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Walled Chinese garden enclosing a full city block, roughly 40,000 square feet, and influenced by many of the famous classical gardens in Suzhou
Shashi Bellamkonda from Potomac, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
McMenamins Kennedy School
Former elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment with 35 guestrooms, a brewery, four bars, and a restaurant
atul666 from Portland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Mill Ends Park
Tiny urban park, consisting of one tree, a small circle 2 ft (0.61 m) across, with a total area of 452 sq in is the smallest park in the world
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Oregon Historical Society Museum
Museum containing over 85,000 artifacts relating to the history of the region in its collections
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Pittock Mansion
French Renaissance-style château in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon and open for touring
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Portland Aerial Tram
Aerial tramway in Portland, Oregon, that connects the city's South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health & Science University campus, and is one of only two commuter aerial tramways in the US
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Portland Japanese Garden
Traditional Japanese garden occupying 12 acres and composed of eight garden spaces and a cultural village
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Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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Powell's City of Books
Bokstore that claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world, containing over 68,000 square feet, about 1.6 acres of retail floor space
Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
St. Johns Bridge
Steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of three public highway suspension bridges in Oregon
User:Cacophony, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
36.59-acre park located in downtown Portland, along the Willamette River and was voted one of America's ten greatest public spaces
Portland is the largest and most populous city in Oregon. It is a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Northwestern Oregon. Approximately 47% of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.
Named after Portland, Maine, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1830s, near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a bastion of counter-culture.
Portland's climate is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for over a century.
Portland lies on top of an dormant volcanic field known as the Boring Lava Field, named after the nearby community of Boring. The Boring Lava Field has at least 32 cinder cones such as Mount Tabor, and its center lies in southeast Portland. Mount St. Helens, a highly active volcano 50 miles (80 km) northeast of the city in Washington state, is easily visible on clear days and is close enough to have dusted the city with volcanic ash after its eruption on May 18, 1980. The rocks of the Portland area range in age from late Eocene to more recent eras.
Portland is 60 miles (97 km) east of the Pacific Ocean at the northern end of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley. Downtown Portland straddles the banks of the Willamette River, which flows north through the city center and separates the city's east and west neighborhoods. Less than 10 miles (16 km) from downtown, the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River, the fourth-largest river in the United States, which divides Oregon from Washington state. Portland is approximately 100 miles (160 km) upriver from the Pacific Ocean on the Columbia.
Though much of downtown Portland is relatively flat, the foothills of the Tualatin Mountains, more commonly referred to locally as the "West Hills", pierce through the northwest and southwest reaches of the city. Council Crest Park at 1,073 feet (327 m) is often quoted as the highest point in Portland; however, the highest point in Portland is on a section of NW Skyline Blvd just north of Willamette Stone Heritage site. The highest point east of the river is Mt. Tabor, an extinct volcanic cinder cone, which rises to 636 feet (194 m). Nearby Powell Butte and Rocky Butte rise to 614 feet (187 m) and 612 feet (187 m), respectively. To the west of the Tualatin Mountains lies the Oregon Coast Range, and to the east lies the actively volcanic Cascade Range. On clear days, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens dominate the horizon, while Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier can also be seen in the distance.
Portland's cityscape derives much of its character from the many bridges that span the Willamette River downtown, several of which are historic landmarks, and Portland has been nicknamed "Bridgetown" for many decades as a result. Three of downtown's most heavily used bridges are more than 100 years old and are designated historic landmarks: Hawthorne Bridge (1910), Steel Bridge (1912), and Broadway Bridge (1913). Portland's newest bridge in the downtown area, Tilikum Crossing, opened in 2015 and is the first new bridge to span the Willamette in Portland since the 1973 opening of the double-decker Fremont Bridge.
Other bridges that span the Willamette River in the downtown area include the Burnside Bridge, the Ross Island Bridge (both built 1926), and the double-decker Marquam Bridge (built 1966). Other bridges outside the downtown area include the Sellwood Bridge (built 2016) to the south; and the St. Johns Bridge, a Gothic revival suspension bridge built in 1931, to the north. The Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge and the Interstate Bridge provide access from Portland across the Columbia River into Washington state.
Portland is home to numerous museums and educational institutions, ranging from art museums to institutions devoted to science and wildlife. Among the science-oriented institutions are the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), which consists of five main halls and other ticketed attractions, such as the USS Blueback submarine, the ultra-large-screen Empirical Theater (which replaced an OMNIMAX theater in 2013), and the Kendall Planetarium. The World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, located in the city's Washington Park area, offers educational exhibits on forests and forest-related subjects. Also located in Washington Park are the Hoyt Arboretum, the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Oregon Zoo.
The Portland Art Museum owns the city's largest art collection and presents a variety of touring exhibitions each year and, with the recent addition of the Modern and Contemporary Art wing, it became one of the United States' 25 largest museums. Other museums include the Portland Children's Museum, a museum specifically geared for early childhood development; and the Oregon Historical Society Museum, founded in 1898, which has a variety of books, film, pictures, artifacts, and maps dating back throughout Oregon's history. It houses permanent and temporary exhibits about Oregon history, and hosts traveling exhibits about the history of the United States.
Portland has been named the best city in the world for street food by several publications and news outlets, including the U.S. News & World Report and CNN. Food carts are extremely popular within the city, with over 600 licensed carts, making Portland one of the most robust street food scenes in North America. In 2014, the Washington Post called Portland the fourth best city for food in the United States. Portland is also known as a leader in specialty coffee.
It is frequently claimed that Portland has the most breweries and independent microbreweries of any city in the world, with 58 active breweries within city limits and 70+ within the surrounding metro area. However, data compiled by the Brewers Association ranks Portland seventh in the United States as of 2018. The McMenamin brothers have over thirty brewpubs, distilleries, and wineries scattered throughout the metropolitan area, several in renovated cinemas and other historically significant buildings otherwise destined for demolition. Other notable Portland brewers include Widmer Brothers, BridgePort, Portland Brewing, Hair of the Dog, and Hopworks Urban Brewery.
Portland is home to three major league sports franchises: the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League.
Portland is one of only four cities in the U.S. with extinct volcanoes within its boundaries (along with Pilot Butte in Bend, Oregon, Jackson Volcano in Jackson, Mississippi, and Diamond Head in Honolulu, Hawaii). Mount Tabor Park is known for its scenic views and historic reservoirs.
Forest Park is the largest wilderness park within city limits in the United States, covering more than 5,000 acres (2,023 ha). Portland is also home to Mill Ends Park, the world's smallest park (a two-foot-diameter circle, the park's area is only about 0.3 m2). Washington Park is just west of downtown and is home to the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, the Portland Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden. Portland is also home to Lan Su Chinese Garden (formerly the Portland Classical Chinese Garden), an authentic representation of a Suzhou-style walled garden. Portland's east side has several formal public gardens: the historic Peninsula Park Rose Garden, the rose gardens of Ladd's Addition, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, the Leach Botanical Garden, and The Grotto.
Portland's downtown features two groups of contiguous city blocks dedicated for park space: the North and South Park Blocks. The 37-acre (15 ha) Tom McCall Waterfront Park was built in 1974 along the length of the downtown waterfront after Harbor Drive was removed; it now hosts large events throughout the year.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area is one of three Oregon State Parks in Portland and the most popular; its creek has a run of steelhead. The other two State Parks are Willamette Stone State Heritage Site, in the West Hills, and the Government Island State Recreation Area in the Columbia River near Portland International Airport.
The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden that opened in 1967.
Originally built as the private residence of The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock, the grounds of Pittock Mansion are a public park.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Portland, Oregon", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0