Homes for Sale in Portland
ALL ABOUT:
Located near the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Portland is Oregon’s most populous city and has been recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world due to its superior land use planning and investment in light rail. Portland has made maintaining its natural surroundings a priority. From the river to the mountains and everything in between the active outdoor person has several options to enjoy the outdoors. In addition Portland is known for its great dining, micro breweries, and wineries. The options are endless in this beautiful city in the great northwest.
CITY SCAPE:
Portland’s cityscape derives much of its character from the numerous bridges that span the Willatmette River downtown, several of which are historical landmarks, and Portland has been affectionately nicknamed “Bridgetown” for many decades as a result. Three of downtown’s most heavily-utilized bridges are more than 100 years old and are designated historic landmarks. The Hawthorne Bridge (1910), Steel Bridge, (1912) and Broadway Bridge (1913). Portland’s newest bridge, Tilikum Crossing, opened in 2015 for light rail trains, Portland Streetcar, buses, bicycles, and pedestrians
ENTERTAINMENT AND PERFORMING ARTS:
Portland has a range of classical performing arts institutions which include the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera and the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
CLIMATE:
Located in the Marine west coast climate region, Portland has a climate marked by both warm, dry summers and wet, cool-to-chilly winter days. This climate is ideal for growing roses. For more than a century, Portland has been known as the “City of Roses”, with many rose gardens – most prominently the International Rose Test Garden.
ECONOMY:
Portland’s location is beneficial for several industries. Relatively low energy cost, accessible resources, north–south and east–west Interstates, international air terminals, large marine shipping facilities, and both west coast intercontinental railroads are all economic advantages. Monocles quality of life survey ranked the city as number 23, and was also the highest ranked American City on the list. Portland is home to several companies including Adidas, Nike, Columbia Sportswear, and Intel.
The steel industry’s history in Portland predates World War II. By the 1950s, the steel industry became the city’s number one industry for employment. The steel industry thrives in the region, with Schnitzer Steel Industries, a prominent steel company, shipping a record 1.15 billion tons of scrap metal to Asia during 2003. Other heavy industry companies include ESCO Corporation and Oregon Steel Mills.
Portland is the largest shipper of wheat in the United States,[103][104] and is the second largest port for wheat in the world.[105] The marine terminals alone handle over 13 million tons of cargo per year, and the port is home to one of the largest commercial dry docks in the country.[106][107] The Port of Portland is the third largest export tonnage port on the west coast of the U.S., and being located about 80 miles (130 km) upriver, it is the largest fresh-water port.