More About Portland
Portland, is a city in northwestern Oregon, the seat of Multnomah County and the largest city in the state. Portland is the business and transportation hub for much of the Pacific Northwest and a growing center for electronics manufacturing. The city has a striking natural setting and rich cultural resources; it refers to itself as the City of Roses.
Portland retains a pleasant, small-city feel, both for its well-preserved Beaux Arts architecture and walk able urban core, as well as its easygoing atmosphere. The city remains an excellent spot for casual visitors to slack around for weeks at a time, with a wealth of good diners, microbreweries, clubs, bookstores and coffee houses to keep you occupied.
Its location on a deep part of the Willamette River, 78 miles from the Pacific and surrounded by fertile valleys, made it a perfect trading port, and it grew quickly, replacing its clapboard houses with ornate facades and Gothic gables. The Willamette River divides Portland in half: the downtown area lies between the river's west bank and the I-405 freeway, forming the bulk of the city's southwest quadrant; the east is mostly residential. Surrounded by historic terracotta buildings downtown, Pioneer Courthouse Square is the indisputable center of Portland. Within easy walking distance are the city's leading theaters, museums and department - a mélanges of old and new, where fading plasterwork and ceramic relief's face concrete and glass, punctuated by small grassy parks. Broadway epitomizes Portland's mix of early magnificence and new wealth, with prestigious hotels sharing space with cultural institutions, such as the grand old Paramount Theater, restored as part of the impressive Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The Portland Art Museum hosts touring exhibitions, plus a wide-ranging collection of Northwest Native American masks, Mexican statues and ancient Chinese figures - and recently acquired the modernist personal collection of critic Clement Greenberg, parts of which are on display intermittently. Decorated with huge trompe l'oeil pioneer murals, the Oregon History Center, is primarily a research facility, but has some imaginative exhibits exploring different facets of the state's history. Between the museum and the history center run the South Park Blocks , a twelve-block green belt and favorite Portland hangout, where retirees commingle with teen slackers and the homeless - all under the shadow of statues of Teddy Roosevelt riding on to victory at San Juan Hill and Abe Lincoln standing rigidly with a long, dark expression. Its best-known public building is the Portland Building (1982), built in the postmodern style. Numerous fountains enliven the city core. The Ira Keller Fountain occupies a city block and reproduces the feel of a mountain stream. Downtown Portland is notable for its tree-lined streets and short blocks, making them convenient and pleasant for pedestrians.
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