About Portland, Oregon
From Wikipedia:
Portland started as a spot known as “the clearing,”[13] which was on the banks of the Willamette about halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. In 1843, William Overton saw great commercial potential for this land but lacked the funds required to file a land claim. He struck a bargain with his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts: for 25¢, Overton would share his claim to the 640 acre (2.6 km²) site. Overton later sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Pettygrove and Lovejoy each wished to name the new city after his respective home town; this was decided with a coin toss, which Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses.[14] The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society.
At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851 Portland had over 800 inhabitants,[15] a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, and a newspaper, the Weekly Oregonian. By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500.[16] The city merged with Albina and East Portland in 1891 and with Linnton and St. Johns in 1915.
Portland’s location, with access both to the Pacific Ocean via the Willamette and the Columbia rivers and to the agricultural Tualatin Valley via the “Great Plank Road” through a canyon in the West Hills (the route of current-day U.S. Route 26), gave it an advantage over nearby ports, and it grew quickly.[17] It remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle‘s deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River.
Topography
Portland lies at the northern end of Oregon‘s most populated region, the Willamette Valley. However, as the metropolitan area is culturally and politically distinct from the rest of the valley, local usage often excludes Portland from the valley proper. Although almost all of Portland lies within Multnomah County, small portions of the city lie within Clackamas and Washington counties with mid-2005 populations estimated at 785 and 1,455, respectively. The Willamette River runs north through the city center, separating the east and west sections of the city before veering northwest to join with the Columbia River (which separates the state of Washington from the state of Oregon) a short distance north of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 145.4 sq mi (376.5 km²). 134.3 sq mi (347.9 km²) of it is land and 11.1 sq mi (28.6 km²), or 7.6%, is water.[24]
Portland lies on top of an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field known as the Boring Lava Field.[25] The Boring Lava Field includes at least 32 cinder cones such as Mount Tabor,[26] and its center lies in Southeast Portland. The dormant but potentially active volcano Mount Hood to the east of Portland is easily visible from much of the city during clear weather. The active volcano Mount Saint Helens to the north in Washington is visible in the distance from high-elevation locations in the city and is close enough to have dusted the city with volcanic ash after an eruption on May 18, 1980.[27]
Climate
Portland lies within the Marine west coast climate zone (Köppen climate classification Cfb), although a drying trend in summer is a characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. Summers in Portland are warm, sunny and rather dry, with July averaging a high of 81 °F (27 °C) and a low of 58°F (14°C) Heatwaves have been known to occur.(In particular during the months of July and August.) Winters can be mild to cold, and very moist, with January averaging a high of 46 °F (8 °C) and a low of 37 °F (3 °C). Spring can bring rather unpredictable weather, resulting from warm spells, to thunderstorms rolling off the Cascade Range. The rainfall averages 37.5 inches (950 mm) per year in downtown Portland. Portland averages 155 days with measurable precipitation a year. Snowfall occurs no more than a few times per year, although the city has been known to see major snow and ice storms thanks to cold air outflow from the Columbia River Gorge. The city’s winter snowfall totals have ranged from just a trace on many occasions, to 60.9 inches (154.7 cm) in 1892-93. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Portland was −3°F (−19°C), set on February 2, 1950. The highest temperature ever recorded was 107 °F (42°C), set on July 30, 1965 as well as August 8, 1981, and August 10, 1981. Temperatures of 100°F (38°C) have been recorded in each of the months from May through September.
Portland straddles the Willamette River near its confluence with the Columbia River. The denser and earlier-developed west side is mostly hemmed in by the nearby West Hills (Tualatin Mountains), though it extends over them to the border with Washington County. The flatter east side fans out for about 180 blocks, until it meets the suburb of Gresham. Rural Multnomah County lies farther east.
In 1891 the cities of Portland, Albina, and East Portland were consolidated, and duplicate street names were given new names. The “great renumbering” on September 2, 1931 standardized street naming patterns, and changed house numbers from 20 per block to 100 per block. It divided Portland into five sections: Southwest, Southeast, Northwest, North, and Northeast. Burnside St. divides north and south, and the Willamette River divides east and west. The river curves west five blocks north of Burnside and in place of it, Williams Ave. is used as a divider. The North section lies between Williams Ave. and the Willamette River to the west.
On the west side, the RiverPlace, John’s Landing and South Waterfront Districts lie in a “sixth quadrant” where addresses go higher from west to east toward the river. This “sixth quadrant” is roughly bounded by Naito Parkway and Barbur Boulevard to the west, Montgomery Street to the north and Nevada Street to the south. East-West addresses in this area are denoted with a leading zero.
Parks and gardens
A panoramic view of the International Rose Test Garden
Tom McCall Waterfront Park seen from the north
Portland is proud of its parks and its legacy of preserving open spaces. Parks and greenspace planning date back to John Charles Olmsted‘s 1903 Report to the Portland Park Board. In 1995, voters in the Portland metropolitan region passed a regional bond measure to acquire valuable natural areas for fish, wildlife, and people. Ten years later, more than 8,100 acres (33 km2) of ecologically valuable natural areas had been purchased and permanently protected from development.[29]
Portland is one of only three cities in the contiguous U.S. with extinct volcanoes within its boundaries (besides Jackson, Mississippi and Bend, Oregon). Mount Tabor Park is known for its scenic views and historic reservoirs.[30]
Forest Park is among the largest wilderness parks within city limits in the United States, covering more than 5,000 acres (20 km²). 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 square m). Washington Park is just west of downtown, and is home to the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden. Nearby is Council Crest Park, the highest point in Portland.
Tom McCall Waterfront Park runs along the west bank of the Willamette for the length of downtown. The 37-acre (15 ha) park was built in 1974 after Harbor Drive was removed and now hosts large events throughout the year. Portland’s downtown features two groups of contiguous city blocks dedicated for park space; they are referred to as the North and South Park Blocks.
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 located in the West Hills and the Government Island State Recreation Area located in the Columbia River near Portland International Airport.
The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, which immortalizes three of the award-winning author’s best known characters with bronze sculptures, quote plaques, and a fountain, is located in Grant Park, just a few blocks from the real Klickitat Street of “Henry Huggins” fame.
Leach Botanical Garden is a 15.6-acre (6 ha) botanical garden in the Southeast section of the city, featuring indigenous plants of the Pacific Northwest.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a 9.49-acre (4 ha) garden in the southeastern city adjoining Reed College, featuring more than 2,500 rhododendron, azalea, and companion plants.
Hoyt Arboretum is a popular Portland open space, covering 185 acres (0.7 km2) of forested ridge-top about two miles (3 km) west of downtown. It is home to a collection of trees representing more than 1,100 species gathered from around the world.
Audubon Society of Portland, founded 1903, is one of the largest and oldest Audubon chapters in the country with over 10,000 members.
Culture and contemporary life
Portland is well known as a hub of American DIY youth culture. From the late 1980s through today, Portland has been a major center for movements such as zine-making, including hosting such events as the Portland Zine Symposium[31] and home to major zine distributors such as Microcosm. The DIY craft community has also seen a population explosion in Portland since the 1990s and now hosts such events as Crafty Wonderland[32] and regular Church of Craft[33] meetings, and is home to such stores as Knittn’ Kitten,[34] SCRAP,[35] and many independently-owned stores such as Bolt, Yarn Garden,[36] and the downtown Fiber District. Portland, is also home to radical feminist and lesbian activist movements as well as the home city of The Worlds Oldest Teenage Drag Queen Pageant” Rose Bud and Thorn Pageant started in 1975 and modeled after the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Oregon,[37], and the city is also considered a haven for punk, hardcore, crust punk and anarchist movements and subgenres, including the self-reliant DIY culture movement that has been part of the aforementioned subcultures.
Entertainment and performing arts
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, home of the Oregon Symphony, among others
Like most large cities, Portland has a range of performing arts institutions which include the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oregon Symphony, Portland Center Stage, and the Portland Opera. It also has quite a few stages similar to New York’s Off Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway such as Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Miracle Theatre, Stark Raving Theatre, and Tears of Joy Theatre. Portland hosts the world’s only HP Lovecraft Film Festival[38] at the Hollywood Theatre.
Portland is home to famous bands such as The Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders, both famous for Louie Louie. Other widely known musical groups include The Dandy Warhols, Everclear, Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, The Shins, Blitzen Trapper, The Decemberists, and the late Elliott Smith.
Widely recognized animators include Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and Will Vinton (Will Vinton’s A Claymation Christmas Celebration), and filmmaker Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, “Milk”). Actors from Portland include Sam Elliott and Sally Struthers; authors include Beverly Cleary and Chuck Palahniuk. Dan Steffan, cartoonist-illustrator for Heavy Metal and other magazines, lives in Portland.
Recent films set and shot in Portland include Body of Evidence, The Hunted, Twilight, Paranoid Park , Wendy and Lucy, Feast of Love, and Untraceable. An unusual feature of Portland entertainment is the large number of movie theaters serving beer, often with second-run or revival films. A notable example of these “brew and view” theaters is The Bagdad Theater and Pub.
Breweries
A bottle of Widmer Brothers‘ Hefeweizen
Portland is well-known for its microbrewery beer. Oregon Public Broadcasting has documented Portland’s role in the microbrew revolution in the United States, in a report called, “Beervana,”[41] a term that is also a Portland state of mind.[42][citation needed] Some illustrate Portlanders’ interest in the beverage by an offer made in 1888, when local brewer Henry Weinhard volunteered to pump beer from his brewery into the newly dedicated Skidmore Fountain. However, the renown for quality beer dates to the 1980s, when state law was changed to allow consumption of beer on brewery premises. In short order, microbreweries and brewpubs began to pop up all over the city.[citation needed] Their growth was supported by the abundance of local ingredients, including two-row barley, over a dozen varieties of hops, and pure water from the Bull Run Watershed. The Willamette Valley is one of the leading hop growing regions in the United States.
Today, with twenty-eight breweries within the city, Portland is home to more breweries than any other city in the country.[43] The McMenamin brothers alone have over thirty brewpubs, distilleries, and wineries scattered throughout the metropolitan area, several in renovated theaters and other old buildings otherwise destined for demolition. Other notable Portland brewers include Widmer Brothers, BridgePort, and Hair of the Dog, as well as numerous smaller quality brewers. In 1999, author Michael “Beerhunter” Jackson called Portland a candidate for the beer capital of the world because the city boasted more breweries than Cologne, Germany. The Portland Oregon Visitors Association is promoting “Beervana” and “Brewtopia” as nicknames for the city.[44] In mid-January 2006, Mayor Tom Potter officially gave the city a new nickname—Beertown.[45]
Cuisine
Portland has a growing restaurant scene, and among three nominees, was recognized by the Food Network Awards as their “Delicious Destination of the Year: A rising city with a fast-growing food scene” for 2007.[46] The New York Times also spotlighted Portland for its burgeoning restaurant scene in the same year.[47] Travel + Leisure ranked Portland #9 among all national cities in 2007.[48] The city is also known for being the most vegetarian-friendly city in America.[49]
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