Portland

In 1845, two of the city’s founders flipped a coin to decide which of their respective hometowns to honor. Boston lost and Portland was born, becoming incorporated six years later. Since then the city has grown enormously, known today as an international and desirable destination for both tourists and transplants. Still, the city’s motto remains “Keep Portland Weird”.

With a population of just over 600,000, Portland is Oregon’s largest city and the seat of Multnomah County. Located just south of the Columbia River and the Washington state border, Portland is a hiker’s paradise with countless sprawling parks (Forest Park, Mount Tabor, and Washington Park to name a few). Skiing at Mount Hood is just an hour away by car and the Oregon Coast can be reached in around 90 minutes.

Between the east and west-sides of Portland, separated by the Willamette River and linked by many majestic bridges, there’s a little something for everyone. West of the river are the Downtown and Pearl districts and a majority of the city’s skyscrapers as well as the Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University campuses. Across the river, the easily bike-able east-side is buzzing with diverse neighborhoods centered around main drags Burnside, Belmont, Hawthorne and Division. In addition to Portland Community College, further institutions of higher education include private universities Lewis & Clark College, National College of Natural Medicine, Reed College, and the University of Portland.

Culturally, Portland is home to vibrant music and comedy scenes as well as numerous ‘alt-weeklies’ and magazines like the Portland Mercury, Willamette Week, Bitch magazine, and Kinfolk. The food scene is no bore either; Portland boasts many acclaimed restaurants, but we can’t forget the hundreds of food carts scattered throughout the city serving everything from grilled cheese to sushi to Norwegian lefse. Thirsty? With over 60 micro-breweries and several specialty roasters, Portland is known for great craft beer and coffee. Sports fans flock to the city’s arenas in support of their local NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers and the MLS Portland Timbers.

Other Portland attractions include the OMSI science and technology museum, the Portland Art Museum, the historic Pittock Mansion and the Shanghai Tunnels. There’s something to do all year long with annual events like the Portland International Film Festival in February, the Portland Rose Festival and the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in May, the Pedalpalooza Bike Festival in June (including most notably the World Naked Bike Ride), the Oregon Brewers Festival and Waterfront Blues Festival in July, and the Portland Marathon in October.

In 2014, British magazine Monocle named Portland number 18 on a list of the world’s most livable cities, the only U.S. city selected. While raising rent prices might make “The City of Roses” too expensive to remain “where young people go to retire,” it’s hard to find a West Coast city as green, friendly, and weird as Portland. IFC’s sketch comedy series ‘Portlandia’ has been lovingly mocking the city’s residents since 2011 (often accurately). Some notable Portland natives are Simpsons creator Matt Groening, filmmaker Gus Van Sant as well as authors Chuck Palahniuk and Beverly Cleary. Portland-based musical artists include The Dandy Warhols, Sleater-Kinney, The Shins, and the late Elliott Smith.

By way of I-5, Portland is 3 hours from Seattle and 2 hours from Eugene. Portland is served by Amtrak, Greyhound and Bolt Bus. Portland International Airport located northeast of the city center is served by numerous airlines, both domestic and international.