Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River and Columbia River, Portland is the seat of Multnomah County. As of 2020, Portland had a population of 652,503 making it the second-most populous city in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle, Washington. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the greater metropolitan area.
Named after Portland, Maine,[1] (which is itself named after the English Isle of Portland), the Oregon settlement sprang up near the end of the Oregon Trail in the 1840s. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing liberal and progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a bastion of counterculture.[2]
The city operates with a commission-based government, guided by a mayor and four commissioners, as well as Metro, the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States.[3][4] Its climate is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for over a century.[5]
Provenance
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Notes
- ↑ (2005) “Portland as a Contested Frontier in the Seventeenth Century”, Creating Portland: History and Place in Northern New England. Lebanon, NH: University of New Hampshire Press. ISBN 978-1584654490.
- ↑ Weber, Peter (January 13, 2015). Don't let Portlandia ruin Portland. The Week.
- ↑ Berg. The Only Elected Regional Government in the U.S., Bloomberg L.P., March 1, 2012.
- ↑ Ramakrishnan, Ramakrishnan (2022-04-22). Metro Council president faces challenge from longtime urban planner (en).
- ↑ Swindler, Samantha (May 31, 2020). Though the rose show and garden contest are canceled, the City of Roses is in full bloom (en).