Welcome  to the City of Portland

Portland is waiting for you!  Find your own piece of Portland real estate and settle down in our green & lovely city, where nature’s wonders and urban planning meet.  From culture to sports, biking to  hiking, fine dining, wineries, brew pubs, Portland offers diverse & fulfilling lifestyles to all. Portland Oregon is a mecca for people seeking a high quality of life in a beautiful setting, temperate climate, and with stimulating activities.  Compact in size, yet varied in landscape and lifestyles,  Portland promotes sustainable practices in planning and development to preserve our many assets for the future, and creating a uniquely comfortable and liveable green city.

There’s lots to do in the Portland area both outdoors and in.  In recent years, Portland has become  known for its large number of micro-breweries and micro-distilleries as well as its fame for a biking friendly city. It is also the home of the Trail Blazers NBA team and the Timbers Soccer team, who play in a renovated stadium that’s just received Gold Leeds award for  sustainable practices and energy efficient stadium.

Situated on the West Coast,  Portland is about 90 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, and from Mt Hood.  The mild climate–where snow is a novelty– is ideal for growing roses and is a draw for those who have lived in snowy climate.    Any visit to Portland must include a stop at the International Rose Test Garden which gave rise to Portland’s nickname,  “The City of Roses”. Adjacent to the Rose Gardens overlooking downtown Portland is Wasington Park’s amphitheatre, the site of summer concerts and events.  At the Rose Gardens, catch the small scale train up to the Portland Zoo, the Children’s Museum and the world Forestry Center.

Downtown Portland–Friendly, Livable, Intellectual, Comfortable

Performing Arts Center & Concert Hall Portland Or

Unlike many U.S. city centers, Portland’s downtown is a lively center of commerce, culture, education, and living. Nestled below the west Portland hills, and running to the west bank of the Willamette River,  downtown Portland has been compared  with European cities or an early San Francisco.  City center Portland is easy to explore, with free off and on rides on the streetcars and light rail.  Walking is a great option, because Portland’s city blocks are half the length of cities such as New York. Cutting a swath through most of downtown are the South and North Park Blocks, with benches, gardens, Farmers’ Markets.  In October, 2011,  Forbes Magazine included Portland in its list of America’s best downtowns:

When it comes to cities, Portland, Ore., is a unique urban playground of high-end culture, green living and DIY arts scenes. But for a taste of Portland’s best, natives point to the city’s downtown area. There’s independent live theater, beautiful parks, the largest independent and used bookstore in the country and some of the best doughnut shops on the Pacific Coast (not to mention a plethora of Portland’s celebrated food trucks).  Although Portland is well known as a city that is friendly to bicyclists, it also has a walkable and attractive downtown that offers a wide variety of cultural options and commercial options.

There’s a vibrant and active arts scene, great food on both the high and low ends, the country’s best selection of locally-sourced craft beers, an attractive and popular riverside park, and Powell’s, the largest and one of the best independent bookstores in the country. And while you can, with some effort walk around much of Portland’s relatively small downtowns, its best to make like a local and rent a bike – you’ll get around more effectively, see more of the area, and get a little exercise – all good things in the greenest of “America’s 50 Greenest Cities.”

You can stroll down Broadway Avenue to Portland’s living room, Pioneer Courthouse  Square, which was an ugly surface parking lot

Pioneer Square, Portland's Living Room

35 years ago.  Today it is a venue for festivals, concerts, people watching, lunching.    Here you’ll find a Starbucks of course, and a tourist center, Travel Portland,  with lots of helpful info.

One of the keys to Portland’s popular and busy downtown, is that people live there–not just in the Pearl District,  but in all parts of downtown. Unlike many U.S. cities,  Portland does not become a ghost town after 5:00 because not everyone goes home to the suburbs.     You’ll find a wide variety of housing options in the downtown area stretching from the Pearl District to Portland State University to the waterfront neighborhoods of Riverplace and South Waterfront.  Apartments, new and old, are available, and condo’s ranging from stately old buildings to shiny new towers, and even townhouses complete downtown’s housing diversity.

Portland’s Pearl District:  Urban Living at its Finest

Portland's Pearl District

At the north end of downtown Portland is the popular Pearl District, transformed from an industrial warehouse area in the early 90′s to what is now home to  chic lofts, condos,apartments, restaurants, breweries, galleries, grocery stores, bakeries such as the Lovejoy Bakery, shops and two major parks.  Jamison Park, named in

Jamieson Park

memory of one of the earliest residents of the area, is a popular spot for families with small children who enjoy playing in the fountains.  A couple blocks to the north is Tanner Springs Park, a quiet park in a naturalistic setting.  Some say that the nickname “The Pearl” springs from the transformation from industrial setting to lovely neighborhoods.  In fact,  a more reliable source for the name is that one of the first people to move to the area was an artist named Pearl.

Portland Streetcar in the Pearl

The Portland Streetcars are free in the Pearl District and run north on 10th Avenue and south on 11th.  One of my favorite  restaurants in the Pearl is Peruvian influenced Andina with incredible food in a sleek setting and a lively casual bar with live music.  Another favorite is the Little Big Burger just down 10th Avenue from Powell’s Books. Of course you’ll want to reserve an hour or two for exploring Powell’s Books–so large–rumored to be the largest bookstore in the world– you use a map to navigate the block sized store, with various sections in other areas around Portland.  On the first Thursday of each month, galleries stay open late to introduce new exhibits, while the streets fill with folks dressed for the evening of gallery hopping, music and dining.

Portland’s Downtown Cultural District

South Park Blocks

The south end of downtown is home to the ever expanding campus of Portland State University,which has a portion of Portland’s South Park Blocks running through it. Portland State’s Lincoln Hall is home to concerts, opera, theatre , and the university offers a year round calendar of events for the public.  Heading north along the park blocks you’ll find the Portland Art Museum which houses the auditorium for the NW Film Center, and the Oregon History Museum.  Cross the street and you’re behind the Portland Performing Arts Center with 3 stages, and next comes the Schnitzer Auditorium, home to the Oregon Symphony.  This area including PSU has been designated the Portland Cultural District.  A couple blocks north on 10th is the beautiful Multnomah County Library, second only in use to the New York City Library.

Like all cities,  Portland & Oregon have their own distinct features.  To help you navigate Portland & Oregon with greater ease,  we’ve put together a special Portland Tips page with info from phones to gas stations to weather.  More coming soon!

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