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Why “Portland”?
 Most say Portland’s true beginning was in 1842 when Asa Lovejoy, a Massachusetts lawyer and William Overton, a Tennessee drifter, were said to have parked their canoes on the bank of the Willamette River for the first time. Overton was apparently immediately impressed by the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape and quickly envisioned the profits that could be made from an area rich in timber and surrounded by two large waterways. The only problem for Overton was that he didn’t have the 25 cents he needed to file a land claim so he turned to Lovejoy and cut a deal. In exchange for 25 cents from Lovejoy, Overton would share his claim to the 640-acre site to be known as “the clearing.”
After clearing trees, building roads and becoming overwhelmed with the requirements for building a city’s infrastructure, Overton sold his ownership rights to Francis W. Pettygrove, a shopkeeper from Maine. Pettygrove and Lovejoy soon decided that they needed to provide a fitting name for the city they were developing. Pettygrove hailing from Maine wanted to name the city Portland after the largest city of his native state. Lovejoy on the other hand wanted to name the site Boston after his native state’s most prestigious city. The two men decided to let the debate be settled over the flip of a copper penny. As you well know, Pettygrove won the toss and today “Portland,” Oregon is regarded by many as one of the best places to live in the United States.
Portland Accolades
- “America’s Cleanest City” – (Reader’s Digest July 2005)
- No. 2, “America’s Best Big Cities” – (Men’s Journal (June 2004)
- “America's Best Big City " – (Money magazine December 2000)
- No. 2, "Best Places to Live in the United States" – (Money magazine December 2001)
- "One of America's Top 10 Fittest Cities" – (Men's Fitness Magazine 2001)
- "North America's No. 1 Cycling City" – (Bicycling magazine November 2001)
- "Best Running Town” – (Runner ’s World May 2003)
- "Best urban running trail: the Leif Erickson.” – (Runner’s World May 2003)
- No. 3 urban destination for summer travel in the U.S. – (Travel + Leisure April 2003)
- "No. 1 for general safety" – (according to T+L readers April 2003)
- "No. 1 for ease of getting around” – (according to T+L readers April 2003)
- "No. 5 for fall travel" – (Travel + Leisure April 2003)
- "Number 4 on PETA’s list of top 10 vegetarian-friendly cities in the U.S. ” – (PETA.com May 2003)
- Portland ranked No. 2 in the United States for Sustainable Cities – SustainLane.com (June 2005)
- “America’s most unwired city” (best wireless Internet access) – Intel Survey (March 2003)
- One of “25 Hot Downtown Destinations” – (Expo Magazine October 2002)
- "It's the coolest city you’ve yet to fall in love with.” – (Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine June 2002)
- One of “10 perfect places in North America to spend your summer holiday.” – (Money magazine April 2002)
- "America’s best undiscovered food and wine destination." – (Gourmet magazine January 2002)
- "The next Napa. ” – (Gourmet Magazine January 2002)
- No. 5, "Top 100 Fantastic Places and Things for 2001" – (Travel & Leisure Magazine January 2001)
- “The City of Portland has a nationally recognized reputation for green building innovation and outreach.” – U.S. Green Building Council (2003)
- “Top Recycler Among the Nation’s 30 Largest Cities” – Waste News (2001)
- Portland’s Forest Park named “Best Urban Park” in the United States – (Outside Magazine October 2001)
- One of America's "Top 25 Arts Destinations" No. 13 – (AmericanStyle Magazine 2001)
- "Top Recycler Among the Nation's 30 Largest Cities" – Waste News magazine (Portland recycled more than 50 percent of its waste in 2000.)
- “Easy going, green and filled with art.” – (San Francisco Chronicle June 2001)
- One of "America's Best Walking Towns" – (Walking Magazine May/June 1998)
- “20 Top Dream Towns & Adventure Hideouts” (Hood River Outside Magazine)
A Portland Timeline
(1800-1900)
| 1844 |
In 1844, Pettygrove (The man who named Portland) built a house on what is today’s Portland waterfront. |
| 1844 |
Portland's first settler was Captain John Couch, who built a wharf around 1844,
allowing Portland to live up to its name. |
| 1845 |
Lovejoy remained in Oregon City and sold his half of the town site to Benjamin
Stark in 1845. |
| 1847 |
Daniel Lownsdale bought out Pettygrove for $5000 and eventually owned all of Portland. |
| 1847 |
Pettygrove moved north into Washington and founded Port Townsend. Under Lownsdale's influence, Portland actively sought to attract businesses and
customers to patronize them. |
| 1840’s |
“Stumptown” Portland grew so fast that tree stumps were left in the middle of the roads because no one could spare the time to tend to their removal. |
| 1851 |
The city of Portland was officially incorporated on February 8, 1851. |
| 1855 |
“Meier and Frank” In 1855, a fruit peddler from Yamhill by the name of Aaron Meier brought his merchandise over the road. Twelve years later he teamed with Sigmund Frank to create Oregon's oldest retail house, Meier and Frank. |
| 1860's |
In the late 1860’s Henry Pittock bought the local newspaper, the Oregonian, and built a
fine mansion atop the west hills. |
| 1870 |
“The Cultural District” The cultural scene in Portland was developing, the waterfront area now known in part as the “Cultural District” was full of rooming houses, saloons and an underground of professional shanghaiers.
Joseph "Bunco" Kelly, a hotelier, became notorious for the “Shanghai practice” of kidnapping young men and selling them to ship captains.
"Sweet Mary," the proprietor of a brothel, operated her business on a barge that went up and down the Willamette River. |
| 1870’s |
Throughout the early 70’s Chinese were arriving in Portland by the hundreds to
supply cheap labor. |
| 1873 |
In 1873 a catastrophic fire destroyed 30 city blocks. |
| 1870-79 |
In the late 1870s Portland began to see business expansion. Banks, wholesale
grocers, brokerages, corporations, and transportation companies began to develop throughout
the city.
Captain Ainsworth owned the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.
Henry Corbett ran the California Stage Line.
Simeon Reed and William Ladd owned more than a dozen farms. |
| 1880 |
Simon Benson, a major business owner became concerned by the number of intoxicated workers in town. Benson later commissioned 20 elegant freshwater drinking fountains to be built. Beer consumption apparently dropped by over 20% once the fountains were installed. These fountains are still present in downtown Portland today as is the Simon Benson house near Portland State University. |
| 1883 |
the railroad arrives in Portland. |
| 1890 |
The Portland Hotel was finished in 1890. Sadly it later fell into disrepair and was demolished to make room for Pioneer Courthouse Square, which today is
beloved by many. |
| 1900 |
Portland became a major hub for steamboat transportation, a major port for transpacific shipping and saw continued population growth and commerce with the services of three transcontinental railroads. |
This timeline is in progress.
Portland Transportation Timeline
Urban Planning and Development 1850-present
| 1853 – |
First ferry in Portland |
| 1857 – |
Canyon Road construction begins connecting Portland to the Southwest Side |
| 1868 – |
Oregon Central Railroad begins development |
| 1872 – |
First horse drawn trolleys made available |
| 1887 – |
Morrison Bridge opens (first bridge across Willamette). |
| 1888 – |
First Steel Bridge opens |
| 1890 – |
First electric streetcar goes into service |
| 1896 – |
Portland Union Station opens |
| 1909 – |
Railroad from Portland to Seattle completed |
| 1910 – |
Hawthorne Bridge opens |
| 1912 – |
New Steel Bridge opens, replacing old bridge |
| 1912 – |
Peak of streetcar system. |
| 1913 – |
Broadway Bridge opens |
| 1913 – |
First traffic signal (5th Street and Washington) |
| 1917 – |
Interstate Bridge opens (Oregon to Vancouver) |
| 1925 – |
Sellwood Bridge opens |
| 1926 – |
Burnside Bridge opens |
| 1926 – |
Ross Island Bridge opens |
| 1926 – |
Vista bridges opens |
| 1929 – |
Harbor wall construction begins |
| 1931 – |
St. Johns Bridge opens |
| 1933 – |
Barbur Boulevard opens |
| 1941 – |
Portland Columbia Airport opens |
| 1950 – |
Streetcar Service ends. |
| 1958 – |
Morrison Bridge opens |
| 1966 – |
Marquam Bridge opens, completing I–5 through Portland |
| 1969 – |
Tri-Met formed |
| 1972 – |
The Downtown Plan was adopted |
| 1973 – |
Fremont Bridge (I-405) opens, completing downtown freeway loop. |
| 1974 – |
Harbor Drive removed to make way for Waterfront Park |
| 1977 – |
The downtown transit mall opened |
| 1986 – |
The Eastside light rail opened |
| 1995 – |
The Central City Transportation Management Plan was adopted |
| 1995 – |
Portland selected as the most bicycle friendly city by Bicycling Magazine |
| 1998 – |
The Westside light rail opened |
| 2001 – |
Portland Streetcar opens |
| 2001 – |
Airport MAX opened |
| 2004 – |
MAX Interstate line extends to North Portland. |
* Portland Department of Transportation
Portland QUICK Facts
Founding: The city of Portland was officially incorporated on February 8, 1851.
City of Portland Population: 500,000+
METRO Population: 1.9+ million in the Portland metropolitan area
Area: 130 square miles (208 square km)
Elevation: Average height of 173 feet above sea level (52.5 m)
Time zone: Pacific
Miles to Ocean: 78
Miles to Skiing: 65
Year Round Skiing: YES (Mt. Hood)
Miles to a glacier: 65 to the Palmer Glacier on Mount Hood (104 km)
Average temps:
January, 39.6 F (4.2 C); July, 76 F (24.4 C)
Average Spring Temperature (F/C): 52/10
Average Summer Temperature (F/C): 67/19
Average Fall Temperature (F/C): 55/12
Average Winter Temperature (F/C): 41/5
Average rainfall: 36 inches
(less than Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Indianapolis or Seattle - and without that nasty humidity)
Birthplace: Western and Eastern Europe 20%; Latin America and South America 37%: Asia 35%;.
Ancestry: Approximately 20% are German, more than 13% English, 12% Irish; 5% Norwegian, and almost 4% Swedish.
Race/Ethnicity: whites make up over 80%; Hispanic/Latino make up approximately 8% with almost 3% black; 1% American Indian or Alaska Native; more than 5% are Asian, approximately 0.3% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, more than 4.1% are of a myriad of smaller racial groups.
Housing: more than 60% live in owner-occupied housing while approximately 40% of Portland’s residents live in rent.
Age: The median age is 35. Approximately 25% are 19 and under and 10% are 65 or older.
Nativity and Place of Birth: Approximately 85% of Portland’s residents were born in USA, while more than 11% were foreign born.
Education Attainment: more than 20% of Portland’s people hold a Bachelor's degree. Over 85% graduated from high school and beyond.
Major industry: Tourism, high-tech, and manufacturing
Official bird: Blue Heron
Official Rose: Mme. Caroline Testout Rose
Sister Cities: Sapporo Japan, Guadalajara Mexico, Corinto Nicaragua, Ashkelon Israel, UlsanSouth Korea, Suzhou China, Khabarovsk Russia, Kaohsiung Taiwan, Mutare Zimbabwe
Portland’s Major Employers
- Nike
Nike’s World Headquarters are located in Beaverton, Oregon, just 20 minutes from downtown Portland. (Retail, Management, Design, Business Development, etc.)
- Fred Meyer Stores
Fred Meyer employs approximately 13000+ people in Retail Merchandising positions (Retail)
- Intel Corp.
Intel Corp. employs approximately 10000+ people. (Manufactures microcomputer components, modules and systems)
- Oregon Health Sciences University
Employs approximately 9000+ people. (Careers in education, research and patient care)
- Providence Health System
Providence employs approximately 9000+ people. (Health care and health insurance)
- Legacy Health System
A non-profit health care organization that employs approximately 6000+ people
(Health Care)
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest
Health care organization which employs approximately 6000+ people (Health Care)
- Safeway, Inc
Safeway employs approximately 6000+ people in distribution and sales of retail groceries
(Retail, grocery)
- Freightliner LLC
Heavy duty and medium duty diesel truck manufacturing and engineering. Employs approximately 5000+ people (Trucking, Transportation)
How Portland Stacks Up
Against the
national average
| |
Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
| Annual days with some precipitation: |
152 days |
110 days |
| Annual days with mostly sun: |
137 days |
213 days |
| Annual snowfall: |
7 inches |
24.2 inches |
| Annual days < 32° F: |
44 days |
88.0 days |
| Annual days > 90° F: |
10 days |
37.9 days |
| Average high temp in July °F: |
79° |
86.8° |
| Average low temp in January °F: |
32.5° |
26.5° |
| |
Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
Median home price:
|
$165,700* |
$128,572 (2002) |
Annual property tax :
(per $1,000 of home value) |
$14.80 |
$15.64 |
Home utility cost index
(Cost for water, electricity, gas, etc.) |
$80.50 |
$105 |
| (Portland’s Average Home Price reached $300,000 in August 2005) |
| |
Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
| Spending per pupil: |
$5,270 |
$5,387 |
| Student/teacher ratio: |
20.1 |
16.95 |
| Number of 4-year colleges: |
13 |
4.03 |
| Number of 2-year colleges: |
4 |
2.77 |
| |
Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
| Average state taxes paid as % of income: |
6.3% |
6.78 % |
| Unemployment rate: |
6.2% |
4.39% |
Vehicle insurance expenditures:
($ per
person) |
$1,081 |
$1,054 |
| |
Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
| Hospital beds: |
Approx. 4000 |
Approx. 3000 |
| MDs per 10,000 population: |
28 |
28.2 |
| Number of teaching hospitals: |
8 |
3.5 |
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Portland Avg. |
National Avg. |
| Commute time (minutes as an average) |
20.7 minutes |
19.23 minutes |
| Mass transit availability: |
21.92 |
8.03 |
| Number of airline flights: |
222 |
139 |
*Census data 2002 |
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