Portland

Can a city be almost perfect? Welcome to Portland, Oregon, known as the “City of Roses”, and often called the big city with the small town feel. More than a great place to visit, it is a great place to live and work.  Portland is also the "Greenest City" in America where you will discover its solar-powered parking meters.

Portland’s mild weather, its breathtaking scenery, exciting location and friendly people have all contributed to its appearance on numerous “Best of” lists , including “Online Insider’s “Top Ten, Least Expensive Cities” and Money Magazine’s “Top 10 Places to Live”, among others.

Portland, located about 70 miles from the Pacific Ocean, is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own distinctive character. Its excellent transportation system, including the MAX Light Rail network, buses, Portland streetcar and freeways, highways, street and bike paths, make travel here convenient and pleasant. In addition, all of these travel modes connect the many communities and the central city.

Nightlife in Portland is excellent and varied. This includes world performances of the internationally known Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Performing arts in the area offer ballet, Shakespeare, Broadway musicals and more.

What else is there to do? Well, how about browsing the world’s largest bookstore known as “Powel’s City of Books, or take the kids to OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

If you’re a shopper, you’ll want to visit Pioneer Place, Portland’s four story downtown shopping mall. Here you’ll find more than 70 shops, a cavernous food court and nationally known retail stores. Add to this the fact that Oregon has no sales tax, and it’s apparent that Portland is a shopper’s paradise.

Hungry? Well, finding a restaurant to suit the casual diner or the “gourmet” is easy to do in the Portland area, since the metropolitan area offers more restaurants per casita than any other city in the United States.

Last, but certainly not least, Portland boasts quality health care. With more than a dozen hospitals and a vast array of clinics to choose from, residents of the Portland metropolitan area have access to the finest medical care in the state.

Is it any wonder that Portland’s splendid location, relaxed “respectability” and an urban lifestyle that is unsurpassed for its livability make Portland one of the best cities in the United States.