View source for Portland, Oregon

{{Short description|Most populous city in Oregon, U.S.}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{very long|words=12200|nosplit=yes|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Portland
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in Oregon|City]]
| nicknames          = <!-- do not add nicknames without first reviewing discussion on talk page (in Archive 5) --> "Rose City"; "Stumptown"; "PDX"; see [[Nicknames of Portland, Oregon]] for a complete list.
| mottoes              = "The City that Works"<ref>{{cite web |last=Millar |first=Dr. Mitchell |date=October 5, 2016 |title=Portland's City Slogan Wasn't Always "The City That Works" |url=https://www.wweek.com/culture/olde-portland/2016/10/05/portlands-city-slogan-wasnt-always-the-city-that-works/ |access-date=February 3, 2024 |work=Willamette Week}}</ref>
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width            = 290
  | border                 = infobox
  | perrow                 = 1/3/2
  | caption_align          = center
  | image1                 = Portland Oregon Aerial, June 2025.jpg
  | alt1                   = Downtown Portland with Mount Hood in the background
  | caption1               = [[Downtown Portland]] with [[Mount Hood]] in the background
  | image2                 = Portland, OR — St. John's Bridge, view of east tower from southwest.jpg
  | alt2                   = St. Johns Bridge
  | caption2               = [[St. Johns Bridge]]
  | image3                 = Convention Center IMG 0378cc1 (6150383789).jpg
  | alt3                   = Oregon Convention Center
  | caption3               = [[Oregon Convention Center]]
  | image4                 = Union Station in snow Feb 2014 - from Broadway Bridge.jpg
  | alt4                   = Union Station and U.S. Bancorp Tower
  | caption4               = [[Portland Union Station|Union Station]] and [[U.S. Bancorp Tower]]
  | image5                 = Pioneer-SquareDaytime.jpg
  | alt5                   = Pioneer Courthouse Square
  | caption5               = [[Pioneer Courthouse Square]]
  | image6                 = Tilikum Crossing with streetcar and MAX train in 2016.jpg
  | alt6                   = Tilikum Crossing
  | caption6               = [[Tilikum Crossing]]
  }}
| image_flag         = Flag of Portland, Oregon.svg
| flag_size          = 110px
| image_seal         = Seal of Portland, Oregon.svg
| seal_size          = 90px
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 9
| mapframe-point     = none
| pushpin_map        = Oregon#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Oregon##Location within the United States
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Oregon|Counties]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Oregon}}
| subdivision_name2  = [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah]]<br />[[Washington County, Oregon|Washington]]<br />[[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]]
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government]]
| governing_body     = [[Portland City Council (Oregon)|Portland City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Portland, Oregon|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Keith Wilson (mayor)|Keith Wilson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1      =
| leader_name1       =
| leader_title2      = [[Portland City Auditor|Auditor]]
| leader_name2       = [[Simone Rede]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portland.gov/auditor/rede|title=Auditor Simone Rede|access-date=August 17, 2023|year=2023|publisher=City of Portland, Oregon}}</ref>
| established_title  = [[Municipal corporation|Founded]]
| established_date   = {{start date and age|1845}}
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = {{start date and age|1851|02|08}}
| named_for          = [[Portland, Maine]]<ref name="naosum.org"/>
<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='41'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     =
| area_total_km2     = 375.55
| area_land_km2      = 345.73
| area_water_km2     = 29.82
| area_total_sq_mi   = 145.00
| area_land_sq_mi    = 133.49
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 519.30
| area_water_sq_mi   = 11.51
| elevation_ft       = 161
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_point    = <!-- for denoting the measurement point -->
| elevation_max_footnotes = <ref>The highest elevation is at 9936 NW Wind Ridge Dr., {{coord|45.55873|-122.77854|type:landmark_region:US-OR_elevation:390|name=Portland highest elevation}}. {{cite web|url=http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/51672|title=City of Portland Urban Services Area|work=Bureau of Planning and Sustainability|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_max_ft   = 1188
| elevation_min_footnotes = <ref>The lowest elevation historically occurred at low water on January 17, 1937, at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers {{coord|45.65096|-122.76289|type:landmark_region:US-OR_elevation:-0.3|name=Portland lowest elevation}}. {{cite web|url=http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=pqr&gage=vapw1&hydro_type=0|title=Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service: Portland: Columbia River at Vancouver|website=Water.weather.gov|access-date=September 6, 2013|archive-date=May 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511105309/http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=pqr&gage=vapw1&hydro_type=0|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| elevation_min_ft   = 0.62
| elevation_min_point = [[Columbia River]]

<!-- Population -->| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N%2CNAME&for=place%3A%2A&in=state%3A41|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total   = 652503
| pop_est_as_of      = 2025
| population_est     = 635109 {{loss}}
| pop_est_footnotes  =<ref name="2025 Quickfacts">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/portlandcityoregon/PST045225 |website=census.gov |access-date=May 15, 2026}}</ref>
| population_rank    = {{nowrap| [[List of North American cities by population|74th]] in North America<br />[[List of United States cities by population|28th]] in the United States<br />[[List of cities in Oregon|1st]] in Oregon}}
| population_density_sq_mi = 4888.10
| population_density_km2 = 1887.30
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web|title=2020 Population and Housing State Data|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2021}}</ref>
| population_metro   = 2511612 ([[Metropolitan statistical area|US: 25th]])
| population_urban   = 2,104,238 ([[List of United States urban areas|US: 23rd]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,564.5
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 4,052.1
| population_demonym = Portlander
| demographics_type2 = [[GDP]]
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP38900|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Metro
| demographics2_info1 = $218.894 billion (2023)
| timezone           = [[Pacific Standard Time Zone|PST]]
| utc_offset         = – 08:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = – 07:00
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 97086, 97201-97225, 97227-97233, 97236, 97238-97240, 97242, 97250-97254, 97256, 97266-97269, 97280-97283, 97286, 97290-97294, 97296, 97298
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code          = [[Area codes 503 and 971|503 and 971]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|45|31|12|N|122|40|55|W|type:city(568380)_region:US-OR_source:gnis-1136645|display=inline,title}}
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 41-59000
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
| blank1_info        = 2411471<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2411471}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.portland.gov/|portland.gov}}
}}
'''Portland''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɔɹ|t|l|ən|d}} {{respell|PORT|lənd}}) is the [[List of cities in Oregon|most populous]] [[city]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. Located in the [[Pacific Northwest]] at the confluence of the [[Willamette River|Willamette]] and [[Columbia River|Columbia]] rivers, it is the [[List of United States cities by population|28th-most populous city]] in the United States, sixth-most populous on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], and third-most populous in the Pacific Northwest (after [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], and [[Vancouver|Vancouver, Canada]]), with a population of 652,503 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Portland city, Oregon|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/portlandcityoregon/POP010220|url-status=live|access-date=August 21, 2021|publisher=United States Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213121632/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/portlandcityoregon/POP010220|archive-date=February 13, 2023}}</ref> The [[Portland metropolitan area, Oregon|Portland metropolitan area]], with over 2.54 million residents, is the 26th-largest [[Metropolitan statistical area|metropolitan area]] in the nation. Almost half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metro area.{{efn|According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oregon's population, as of 2019, was 4,217,737; the portion of the MSA that lies in Oregon has a population of 1,992,088, which leaves 47% of Oregon's population residing within the metro.}} It is the [[county seat]] of [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]], Oregon's most populous county.

The Portland area was shaped by massive [[Missoula floods|ice-age floods]]. It was inhabited by the [[Chinookan peoples]]. [[European Americans|European American]] settlers arrived in the 1840s. Following a coin toss,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baker|first1=Emerson W.|author-link1=Emerson Baker|editor1-last=Conforti|editor1-first=Joseph A.|title=Creating Portland: History and Place in Northern New England|date=2005|publisher=University of New Hampshire Press|location=Lebanon, NH|isbn=978-1584654490|page=16|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WjGkuhZyaoC&pg=PA16|access-date=April 21, 2018|chapter=Portland as a Contested Frontier in the Seventeenth Century}}</ref> Portland was named after [[Portland, Maine]], which was itself named after England's [[Isle of Portland]]. In the 19th century, Portland became a major port and lumber center and gained a reputation for saloons and [[crime]]. The 20th century saw population growth, [[World War II]] shipbuilding, [[Internment of Japanese Americans|Japanese-American internment]], [[organized crime]], and a [[hippie]]/[[counterculture]] movement. Since the 1990s, it has experienced growth in the [[Technology company|technology sector]] and rising housing costs due to gentrification.

Portland is located near volcanic features such as [[Mount Tabor (Oregon)|Mount Tabor]] and is also close to active faults. The city is divided into six addressing sectors and comprises diverse [[Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon|neighborhoods]]. The city's economy is driven by technology, athletic and outdoor brands, shipping, and craft industries. Social issues include [[homelessness]] and  property crime, although recent trends indicate a low violent crime rate.<ref name="portland.gov2025" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Here are the 15 cities with highest property crime rates |author=Ashleigh Fields |work=The Hill |date=October 21, 2025 |access-date=October 22, 2025 |url= https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5565409-property-crime-rates-us-cities/}}</ref> The city prioritizes [[urban planning]], [[sustainability]], and diverse transportation options, while managing growth with an [[urban growth boundary]]. Portland also has numerous schools and universities, media outlets, healthcare facilities, and global sister-city connections.

The city operates with a [[mayor–council government]] system, guided by a [[Mayor of Portland, Oregon|mayor]] and 12 [[Portland City Council (Oregon)|city councilors]], as well as [[Metro (Oregon regional government)|Metro]], the only directly elected [[metropolitan planning organization]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|author=Berg|first=Nate|date=March 1, 2012|title=The Only Elected Regional Government in the U.S.|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|url=http://www.citylab.com/politics/2012/03/only-elected-regional-government-us/1371/|access-date=February 25, 2015|series=CityLab|archive-date=February 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226092530/http://www.citylab.com/politics/2012/03/only-elected-regional-government-us/1371/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramakrishnan|first=Ramakrishnan|date=April 22, 2022|title=Metro Council president faces challenge from longtime urban planner|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2022/04/metro-council-president-faces-challenge-from-longtime-urban-planner.html|access-date=October 26, 2022|website=The Oregonian}}</ref> Its climate is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. This climate is [[Roses in Portland, Oregon|ideal for growing roses]], and Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for more than a century.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Swindler|first=Samantha|date=May 31, 2020|title=Though the rose show and garden contest are canceled, the City of Roses is in full bloom|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2020/05/though-the-rose-show-and-garden-contest-are-canceled-the-city-of-roses-is-in-full-bloom.html|access-date=October 19, 2020|website=The Oregonian}}</ref> Portland is known for its vibrant music and performing arts scene, extensive parks including [[Forest Park (Portland, Oregon)|Forest Park]], and professional sports teams such as the [[Portland Trail Blazers|Trail Blazers]], [[Portland Timbers|Timbers]], and [[Portland Thorns FC|Thorns]].

==History==
{{Main|History of Portland, Oregon}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Portland, Oregon}}

===Before European settlement===
During the prehistoric period, the land that would become Portland [[Missoula floods|was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams]] from [[Lake Missoula]], in what would later become Montana. These massive floods occurred during the last ice age and filled the [[Willamette Valley]] with {{convert|300|to|400|ft|m}} of water.{{Sfn|Allen|Burns|Sargent|2009|pages=175–89}}

Before American settlers began arriving in the 1800s, the land was inhabited for many centuries by two bands of indigenous [[Chinook people]]{{snd}}the [[Multnomah people|Multnomah]] and the [[Clackamas people|Clackamas]].{{sfn|Marschner|2008|p=187}} The Chinook people occupying the land were first documented [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|in 1805]] by [[Meriwether Lewis]] and [[William Clark]].<ref name="anderson"/> Before its European settlement, the Portland Basin of the lower Columbia River and Willamette River valleys had been one of the most densely populated regions on the Pacific Coast.<ref name="anderson">{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/214638|work=City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability|author=Anderson, Susan|year=2009|title=East Portland Historical Overview & Historic Preservation Study|access-date=October 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195109/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/214638|archive-date=January 1, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Establishment===
[[File:1886 Pioneer Post Office.jpeg|thumb|[[Pioneer Courthouse]], 1886]]
[[File:Portland, Oregon 1890 Perspective Birds-eye-view Map.jpg|thumb|1890 map of Portland]]
Large numbers of pioneer settlers began arriving in the Willamette Valley in the 1840s via the [[Oregon Trail]] with many arriving in nearby [[Oregon City, Oregon|Oregon City]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=First Year in Oregon, 1840–1869: A Narrative History (U.S. National Park Service)|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/first-year-in-oregon-1840-1869-a-narrative-history.htm|access-date=August 25, 2022|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> A new settlement then emerged ten miles from the mouth of the Willamette River,{{sfn|Scott|1890|p=61}} roughly halfway between Oregon City and [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s [[Fort Vancouver]]. This community was initially referred to as "Stumptown" and "The Clearing" because of the many trees cut down to allow for its growth.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Orloff|first=Chet|year=2004|title=Maintaining Eden: John Charles Olmsted and the Portland Park System|journal=Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers|volume=66|pages=114–19|doi=10.1353/pcg.2004.0006|s2cid=129896123|issn=0066-9628}}</ref> In 1843, [[William Overton (Portland founder)|William Overton]] saw potential in the new settlement but lacked the funds to file an official land claim. For 25 cents, Overton agreed to share half of the {{convert|640|acre|km2|adj=on}} site with [[Asa Lovejoy]] of [[Boston]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=000128AC-3AC7-1E8B-891B80B0527200A7|work=Oregon History Project|title=Overton Cabin|access-date=October 29, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015811/http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=000128AC-3AC7-1E8B-891B80B0527200A7|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref>

In 1844, Overton sold his remaining half of the claim to [[Francis W. Pettygrove]] of [[Portland, Maine]]. Both Pettygrove and Lovejoy wished to rename "The Clearing" after their respective hometowns. This controversy was settled with a coin toss that Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses, thereby providing Portland with its namesake.<ref name="naosum.org">{{cite web|title=Portland: The Town that was Almost Boston|publisher=National Association of Scientific Materials Managers|url=http://www.naosmm.org/confer/port-or/history.html|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727122038/http://www.naosmm.org/confer/port-or/history.html|archive-date=July 27, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The coin used for this decision, now known as the [[Portland Penny]], is on display in the headquarters of the [[Oregon Historical Society]]. At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851, Portland had over 800 inhabitants,<ref name="Gibson">Gibson, Campbell (June 1998). [https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/twps0027.html Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990]. ''U.S. Bureau of the Census – Population Division''.</ref> a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, and a newspaper, the ''[[The Oregonian|Weekly Oregonian]]''. [[Great Fire of 1873|A major fire swept through downtown in August 1873]], destroying twenty blocks on the west side of the Willamette along Yamhill and Morrison Streets, and causing $1.3 million in damage,{{sfn|Scott|1890|p=160}} roughly equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1300000|1873|r=-1}}}} today.{{Inflation-fn|US}} By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500 and by 1890 it had grown to 46,385.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Loy|first=William G.|author2=Stuart Allan|author3=Aileen R. Buckley|author4=James E. Meacham|title=Atlas of Oregon|publisher=[[University of Oregon Press]]|year=2001|pages=32–33|isbn=978-0-87114-101-9}}</ref> In 1888, the first steel bridge on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] was opened in Portland,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=284506&c=51811|work=Portland Online|title=Historical Timeline|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> the predecessor of the 1912 namesake [[Steel Bridge]] that survives today. In 1889, Henry Pittock's wife, Georgiana, established the Portland Rose Society. The annual Portland Rose Festival is held here in June.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Portland (Oregon) |volume=22 |page=121}}</ref> The movement to make Portland a "Rose City" started as the city was preparing for the 1905 [[Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition]].<ref name=":0" />

Portland's access to the [[Pacific Ocean]] via the Willamette and Columbia rivers, as well as its easy access to the agricultural [[Tualatin Valley]] via the "[[Canyon Road|Great Plank Road]]" (the route of current-day [[U.S. Route 26 in Oregon|U.S. Route 26]]), provided the pioneer city with an advantage over other nearby ports, and it grew very quickly.<ref>"City keeps lively pulse". (Spencer Heinz, ''The Oregonian'', January 23, 2001)</ref> Portland remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle's deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River. The city had its own Japantown,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://discovernikkei.org/en/nikkeialbum/albums/44/slide/|title=Portland's Japantown|website=DiscoverNikkei.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117000657/https://discovernikkei.org/en/nikkeialbum/albums/44/slide/|archive-date=November 17, 2017|access-date=December 9, 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref> for one, and the [[lumber industry]] also became a prominent economic presence, due to the area's large population of [[Douglas fir]], [[western hemlock]], [[Thuja plicata|red cedar]], and [[Acer macrophyllum|big leaf maple]] trees.<ref name="anderson"/>

[[File:Portland, Oregon, in 1898 - Herbert A. Hale.jpg|thumb|right|Portland waterfront in 1898]]

Portland developed a reputation early in its history as a hard-edged and gritty [[port town]].{{sfn|John|2012|p=16}} Some historians have described the city's early establishment as being a "[[Lineal descendant|scion]] of [[New England]]; an ends-of-the-earth home for the exiled spawn of the eastern established elite."{{sfn|John|2012|p=10}} In 1889, ''[[The Oregonian]]'' called Portland "the most filthy city in the Northern States", due to the unsanitary sewers and gutters,<ref name="mac1885">{{cite book|last=MacColl|first=E. Kimbark|title=The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1885 to 1915|publisher=The Georgian Press Company|location=Portland, Oregon|date=November 1976|oclc=2645815}}</ref> and, at the turn of the 20th century, it was considered one of the most dangerous port cities in the world.<ref name="kennedy">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/fodors/top/features/travel/destinations/unitedstates/oregon/portland/fdrs_feat_121_5.html?n=Top%2FFeatures%2FTravel%2FDestinations%2FUnited+States%2FOregon%2FPortland|work=The New York Times|title=The Shanghai Tunnels|author=Kennedy, Sarah|access-date=September 26, 2014}}</ref> The city housed a large number of saloons, [[bordello]]s, gambling dens, and boarding houses which were populated with miners after the [[California gold rush]], as well as the multitude of sailors passing through the port.{{sfn|John|2012|p=16}} By the early 20th century, the city had lost its reputation as a "sober frontier city" and garnered a reputation for being violent and dangerous.{{sfn|John|2012|p=16}}{{sfn|Chandler|2013}}

===20th-century development===
[[File:White Eagle Portland.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Hryszko Brothers Building|White Eagle Saloon]] (c. 1910), one of many in Portland that had reputed ties to illegal activities such as [[gambling]] rackets and [[prostitution]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Roos, Roy E.|date=January 8, 2010|title=The White Eagle Saloon|url=http://eliotneighborhood.org/2010/01/08/the-white-eagle-saloon/|access-date=October 30, 2015|work=Eliot Neighborhood}}</ref>]] [[File:Burnside in 1937 (8516830500).jpg|thumb|[[Burnside Street]], 1937]]

Between 1900 and 1930, the city's population tripled from nearly 100,000 to 301,815.<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|access-date=June 4, 2016|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Portland enjoyed an economic and industrial surge during [[World War II]]. Ship builder [[Henry J. Kaiser]] had been awarded contracts to build [[Liberty ship]]s and [[escort carrier]]s, and chose sites in Portland and [[Vancouver, Washington]], for shipyards.<ref name="ohs2003toll">{{cite web|title=Home Front Boom|first=William|last=Toll|year=2003|url=http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/narratives/subtopic.cfm?subtopic_ID=213|publisher=[[Oregon Historical Society]]|access-date=October 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609021755/http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/narratives/subtopic.cfm?subtopic_ID=213|archive-date=June 9, 2011}}</ref> During this time, Portland's population rose by over 150,000, largely attributed to recruited laborers.<ref name="ohs2003toll"/> The wartime shipbuilding boom in Portland also drew a large influx of [[African American]] migrants. This migration significantly expanded the city's Black population and laid the foundation for new community institutions, even as workers often faced discrimination in hiring and job assignments.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Linder |first1=John |title=Liberty Ships and Jim Crow Shipyards |url=https://www.ohs.org/oregon-historical-quarterly/back-issues/upload/09_Linder_Liberty-Ships-and-Jim-Crow-Shipyards_OHQ-Winter-2019_web.pdf |website=ohs.org |publisher=Oregon Historical Society |access-date=September 22, 2025}}</ref> The most decorated ship for a [[USS Liberty incident|single action]] in US naval history, the [[USS Liberty]], was constructed in Portland during the boom.<ref name=wells>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=Anthony R. |author-link=Anthony R. Wells |title=A Tale Of Two Navies: Geopolitics, Technology, and Strategy in the United States Navy and the Royal Navy, 1960-2015 |date=2017 |chapter=The 1960s: The Soviet Navy Challenges the US Sixth Fleet and the Royal Navy |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute#Naval Institute Press|Naval Inst. Pr.]] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4j9DAAAQBAJ&q=%22most+highly+decorated%22&pg=PT65 |access-date=February 13, 2019 |isbn=978-1-6824-7121-0}}</ref> Her keel was laid down on February 23, 1945, under a [[United States Maritime Commission|Maritime Commission]] contract at [[Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation]].<ref name=VS>{{cite web |last=Colton |first=Tim |title=Victory Ships |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2victoryships.htm |work=ShipbuildingHistory.com |publisher=The Colton Company |date=November 21, 2009 |access-date=February 13, 2019}}</ref>

During World War II, Portland also housed an "assembly center" from which up to 3,676 people of Japanese descent were dispatched to [[Internment of Japanese Americans|internment camps]] in the heartland. It was the first American city to have residents report thus,<ref name=Pac>"'Return & Remembrance': In Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of E.O. 9066," ''[[Pacific Citizen]],'' June 2–15, 2017, p. 4</ref> and the [[Pacific International Livestock Exposition]] operated from May through September 10, 1942, processing people from the city, northern Oregon, and [[central Washington]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Portland%20(detention%20facility)/|title=Portland (detention facility)|encyclopedia=[[Densho Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> General [[John L. DeWitt|John DeWitt]] called the city the first "Jap-free city on the West Coast".<ref name=Pac/>

At the same time, Portland became a notorious hub for underground criminal activity and [[organized crime]] in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name="ellis">{{cite news|url=http://atomicredhead-media.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Ellis-Portland-Vice1.pdf|title=Portland's Dirty Little Secret: How Vice and Corruption Held the Rose City in Its Clutches|author=Ellis, Janey|work=Oregon History|access-date=October 30, 2015|archive-date=January 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118095613/http://atomicredhead-media.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Ellis-Portland-Vice1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1957, ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine published an article detailing the city's history of [[Political corruption|government corruption]] and crime, specifically its gambling rackets and illegal nightclubs.<ref name="ellis"/> The article, which focused on [[crime boss]] [[Jim Elkins (Oregon criminal)|Jim Elkins]], became the basis of a fictionalized film titled ''[[Portland Exposé]]'' (1957).

During the 1960s, an influx of [[hippie]] subculture began to take root in the city in the wake of [[San Francisco]]'s burgeoning [[Counterculture|countercultural]] scene.<ref name="1960s">{{cite book|last1=Olsen|first1=Polina|url=https://archive.org/details/portlandin1960ss0000olse|title=Portland in the 1960s: Stories from the Counterculture|date=2012|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-1-60949-471-1|location=Charleston, South Carolina|url-access=registration}}</ref> The city's [[Crystal Ballroom (Portland, Oregon)|Crystal Ballroom]] became a hub for the city's [[psychedelic culture]], while [[food cooperative]]s and listener-funded media and radio stations were established.<ref name="60s">{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/century/1960_index.html|work=Oregon Live|title=The 1960s|series=An Oregon Century|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> A large [[social activism|social activist]] presence evolved during this time as well, specifically concerning [[Native American rights]], [[environmentalism|environmentalist]] causes, and [[gay rights]].<ref name="60s"/> By the 1970s, Portland had well established itself as a progressive city, and experienced an economic boom for the majority of the decade; however, the slowing of the housing market in 1979 caused demand for the city and state timber industries to drop significantly.<ref name="70s">{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/century/1970_index.html|work=Oregon Live|title=The 1970s|series=An Oregon Century|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref>

===Since 1990===
[[File:Portland OR aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Portland and its bridges across the Willamette River]]
In the 1990s, the technology industry began to emerge in Portland, specifically with the establishment of companies such as [[Intel]], which brought more than [[US$]]10 billion in investments in 1995 alone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/century/1990_index.html|title=The 1990s|series=An Oregon Century|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> In the late 1990s, the Portland area was rated the fourth-least affordable place in the United States to purchase a new home.<ref>Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa.  ''The Almanac of American Politics 2000''.  National Journal, 1999.</ref> After 2000, Portland experienced significant growth, with a population rise of over 90,000 between 2000 and 2014.<ref name="USCensusEst2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014|access-date=June 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523034651/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html|archive-date=May 23, 2015}}</ref> The city's increasing reputation for culture established it as a popular city for young people, and it was second only to [[Louisville, Kentucky]], as one of the cities to attract and retain the highest number of college-educated people in the United States.<ref name="miller">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/magazine/will-portland-always-be-a-retirement-community-for-the-young.html|work=The New York Times|title=Will Portland Always Be a Retirement Community for the Young?|author=Miller, Clair Cane|date=September 16, 2014|access-date=November 6, 2015}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2012, Portland's gross domestic product per person grew by fifty percent, more than any other city in the country.<ref name="miller"/>

The city acquired a [[Nicknames of Portland, Oregon|diverse range of nicknames]] throughout its history, though it is most often called "Rose City" or "The City of Roses"<ref name="cityrecorder">{{cite web|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=jbgc&c=cheid|title=City Flower|publisher=City of Portland Auditor's Office – City Recorder Division|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423075247/http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=jbgc&c=cheid|archive-date=April 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> (unofficial nickname since 1888, official since 2003).<ref name="Oreg-June2003">Stern, Henry (June 19, 2003). "Name comes up roses for P-town: City Council sees no thorns in picking 'City of Roses' as Portland's moniker". ''The Oregonian''</ref> Another widely used nickname by local residents in everyday speech is "PDX", the airport code for [[Portland International Airport]]. Other nicknames include Bridgetown,<ref name="bridgetown">{{cite web|publisher=[[Portland State University]]|title=The Water|url=http://www.pdx.edu/water.html|access-date=November 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031090707/http://www.pdx.edu/water.html|archive-date=October 31, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> Stumptown,<ref name="endoftheoregontrail">{{cite web|publisher=End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center|title=From Robin's Nest to Stumptown|url=http://www.historicoregoncity.org/index.php/widgetkit/oregon-trail-history/item/early-towns-and-cities|date=February 1, 2013|access-date=March 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512161747/http://www.historicoregoncity.org/index.php/widgetkit/oregon-trail-history/item/early-towns-and-cities|archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref> Rip City,<ref>{{Cite news|first=Nena|last=Baker|title=R.I.P. FOR 'Rip City' Ruckus|date=May 21, 1991|newspaper=The Oregonian|pages=A01}}</ref> Soccer City,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Seeking Help to Bring an M.L.S. Team to Portland|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/sports/soccer/07franchise.html?ref=soccer|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 6, 2008|access-date=June 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Portland Timbers show bark, bite as they prepare to join MLS|first=Beau|last=Dure|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2009-08-25-portland-timbers_N.htm|newspaper=USA Today|location=McLean, Virginia|date=August 26, 2009|access-date=June 22, 2010}}</ref> P-Town,<ref name="Oreg-June2003" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hagestedt|first=Andre|title=The Missing Oregon Coast: Waves After Dark|url=http://www.beachconnection.net/news/missin040709_147.php|access-date=April 30, 2009|date=April 7, 2009|quote=I'm used to seeing that hint of dawn back in P-town, with my wretched habit of playing video games until 6 a.m}}</ref> Portlandia, and the more antiquated Little Beirut.<ref name="STAP">{{cite news|last=McCall|first=William|date=August 19, 2003|title='Little Beirut' nickname has stuck|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030819/protests19e/portland-police-activists-get-ready-for-bushs-visit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131323/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030819&slug=protests19e|archive-date=January 17, 2018|access-date=September 16, 2013|url-status=live|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

====2020 George Floyd protests====
{{Main|George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon}}
 {{See also|2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States#Activities in Portland, Oregon}}
[[File:George Floyd police brutality protests - Portland Oregon - July 22 - tedder - 02.jpg|thumb|right|George Floyd protests at the [[Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse|Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse]], July 2020]]

From May 28, 2020, until spring 2021,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Mike|title=After Nearly a Year of Unrest, Portland Leaders Pursue a Crackdown|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/us/portland-protests-mayor-ted-wheeler.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/us/portland-protests-mayor-ted-wheeler.html|archive-date=December 28, 2021|url-access=limited|access-date=May 2, 2021|work=The New York Times|date=April 27, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> there were daily [[protest]]s about the [[murder of George Floyd]] by police, and racial injustice. There were instances of looting, vandalism, and police actions causing injuries. One protestor was killed by an opposing one.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Vice|first=Staff|date=September 23, 2020|title=Man Linked to Killing at a Portland Protest Says He Acted in Self-Defense|publisher=Vice|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/man-linked-to-killing-at-a-portland-protest-says-he-acted-in-self-defense/|access-date=September 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Evans|first=Robert|date=July 20, 2020|title=What You Need To Know About The Battle of Portland|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2020/07/20/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-portland/|work=[[Bellingcat]]|access-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hughes|first1=Trevor|title=Portland police declare riot as demonstrators attack fence outside federal courthouse|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/26/portland-protests-police-declare-riot-violence-grows/5513752002/|access-date=August 2, 2020|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=July 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kavanaugh|first1=Shane|title=Man knifed in back at Portland protest: 'I was stabbed for being a conservative journalist'|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/07/man-knifed-in-back-at-portland-protest-i-was-stabbed-for-being-a-conservative-journalist.html|access-date=August 2, 2020|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]|date=July 30, 2020}}</ref> Local businesses reported losses totaling millions of dollars as the result of vandalism and looting, according to [[Oregon Public Broadcasting]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=VanderHart|first1=Dirk|last2=Levinson|first2=Jonathan|last3=Ellis|first3=Rebecca|last4=Orr|first4=Donald|date=May 31, 2020|title=As Protests Continue, Civic Leaders Confront Crowds And Oregon's Racist History|publisher=Oregon Public Broadcasting|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/black-lives-matter-rallies-portland-civic-leader-confront-protests-oregon-racist-history/|access-date=June 1, 2020|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603041011/https://www.opb.org/news/article/black-lives-matter-rallies-portland-civic-leader-confront-protests-oregon-racist-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some protests caused injury to protesters and police. In July, federal officers were deployed to safeguard federal property; their presence and tactics were criticized by Oregon officials, who demanded they leave, while lawsuits were filed against local and federal law enforcement alleging wrongful actions by them.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Green|first=Aimee|date=June 10, 2020|title=Portland now faces 8 lawsuits seeking an end to tear gas, rubber bullets, explosives at protests|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/06/portland-now-faces-8-lawsuits-seeking-an-end-to-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-explosives-at-protests.html|url-status=dead|access-date=August 2, 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801162535/https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/06/portland-now-faces-8-lawsuits-seeking-an-end-to-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-explosives-at-protests.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ellis|first=Rebecca|date=July 17, 2020|title=ACLU Adds Federal Agencies To Lawsuit Against Portland Police|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-aclu-federal-law-enforcement-portland-police-lawsuit/|access-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=July 17, 2020|title=Oregon AG files lawsuit against federal agencies for violating Oregonians' civil rights|work=KGW|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/oregon-attorney-general-files-lawsuit-against-federal-agencies-for-violating-oregonians-civil-rights/283-1ab1070e-3510-46f6-8987-8982f939117c|access-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Flanigan|first=Kaitlin|date=July 27, 2020|title=Lawsuit: Trump using feds in Portland to create national police force|url=https://www.koin.com/news/protests/lawsuit-trump-using-feds-in-portland-to-create-national-police-force/|access-date=August 2, 2020|newspaper=Koin.com|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311174156/https://www.koin.com/news/protests/lawsuit-trump-using-feds-in-portland-to-create-national-police-force/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 25, 2021, a protest to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder caused property damage, and was followed by a number of arrests.<ref>{{cite web|title=Police declare riot in Portland as protesters mark 1 year since George Floyd's death|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-declare-riot-portland-protesters-mark-year-george/story?id=77910797|access-date=May 26, 2021|publisher=ABC News|location=United States}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Riot declared in downtown Portland, police arrest 5 people|url=https://www.kptv.com/news/riot-declared-in-downtown-portland-police-arrest-5-people/article_f42ac0c0-bddc-11eb-bac6-63e22fc82b3a.html|access-date=May 26, 2021|website=KPTV.com|archive-date=November 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101101733/https://www.kptv.com/news/riot-declared-in-downtown-portland-police-arrest-5-people/article_f42ac0c0-bddc-11eb-bac6-63e22fc82b3a.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Geography==
===Geology===
{{see also|Geology of the Pacific Northwest}}
Portland lies on top of a dormant volcanic field known as the [[Boring Lava Field]], named after the nearby [[commuter town|bedroom community]] of [[Boring, Oregon|Boring]].<ref name="volcano">{{cite web|title=The Boring Lava Field, Portland, Oregon|publisher=United States Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory|url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Oregon/BoringLavaField/description_boring_lava.html|access-date=November 7, 2006|archive-date=July 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701101745/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Oregon/BoringLavaField/description_boring_lava.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Boring Lava Field has at least 32 cinder cones such as [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mount Tabor]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Tabor Cinder Cone, Portland, Oregon|publisher=United States Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory|url=https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Oregon/BoringLavaField/VisitVolcano/mount_tabor.html|access-date=April 20, 2007|archive-date=July 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716231818/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Oregon/BoringLavaField/VisitVolcano/mount_tabor.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and its center lies in southeast Portland. [[Mount St. Helens]], a highly active volcano {{convert|50|mi|km}} northeast of the city in Washington state, is easily visible on clear days and is close enough to have dusted the city with volcanic ash after its [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens|eruption on May 18, 1980.]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=History, relived saved from St. Helens by a six-pack of Fresca|last=Nokes|first=R. Gregory|date=December 4, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=17}}</ref> The rocks of the Portland area range in age from late [[Eocene]] to more recent eras.<ref>{{cite book|author=Trimble, Donald|title=Geology of Portland, Oregon and Adjacent Areas|pages=1–2|publisher=Geological Survey Bulletin|year=1963|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1119/report.pdf}}</ref>

Multiple shallow, active [[Fault (geology)|faults]] traverse the Portland metropolitan area.<ref name=banse>{{cite web|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|url=https://www.opb.org/news/series/unprepared/pacific-northwest-oregon-washington-earthquakes-faults-cascadia/|author=Banse, Tom|title=Geologists Keep Finding More Northwest Earthquake Faults|date=November 21, 2017|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510184616/https://www.opb.org/news/series/unprepared/pacific-northwest-oregon-washington-earthquakes-faults-cascadia/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Among them are the [[Portland Hills Fault]] on the city's west side,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/02/comparing_portlands_quake_risk.html|title=Comparing Portland's quake risk to that of devastated Christchurch, New Zealand|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=February 23, 2011|author=Rojas-Burke, Joe|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref> and the [[East Bank Fault]] on the east side.<ref>{{cite news|work=Willamette Week|url=http://www.wweek.com/news/2010/01/26/quake-up-call/|date=January 26, 2010|access-date=May 9, 2018|title=Quake-Up Call|author=Mesh, Aaron}}</ref> According to a 2017 survey, several of these faults were characterized as "probably more of a hazard" than the [[Cascadia subduction zone]] due to their proximities to population centers, with the potential of producing [[moment magnitude scale|magnitude]] 7 [[earthquake]]s.<ref name=banse/> Notable earthquakes that have impacted the Portland area in recent history include the 6.8-magnitude [[2001 Nisqually earthquake|Nisqually earthquake]] in 2001, and a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck on March 25, 1993.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Bott, Jacqueline D.J.|author2=Wong, Ivan G.|title=Historical Earthquakes in and around Portland, Oregon|date=September 1993|journal=Oregon Geology|volume=55|issue=5|page=116}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Nisqually, Washington, Earthquake of February 28, 2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5-B40vrljIC&pg=PA29|editor-first=P. W.|editor-last=McDonough|date=2002|series=Open-File Report 2002-346|publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]]|pages=28, 29|isbn=978-0-7844-7516-4}}</ref>

Per a 2014 report, over 7,000 locations within the Portland area are at high risk for landslides and [[soil liquefaction]] in the event of a major earthquake, including much of the city's west side (such as [[Washington Park, Portland, Oregon|Washington Park]]) and sections of [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas County]].<ref name=seventh>{{cite web|publisher=KATU|url=http://katu.com/news/local/7000-high-risk-landslide-zones-in-portland-area-check-if-you-live-in-one|title=7,000 high-risk landslide zones in Portland area; check if you live in one|date=March 24, 2014|author=Cassuto, Dan|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113202/http://katu.com/news/local/7000-high-risk-landslide-zones-in-portland-area-check-if-you-live-in-one|archive-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>

===Topography===
Portland is {{convert|60|mi|km}} east of the Pacific Ocean at the northern end of [[Oregon]]'s most populated region, the Willamette Valley. Downtown Portland straddles the banks of the Willamette River, which flows north through the city center and separates the city's east and west neighborhoods. Less than {{convert|10|mi|km}} from downtown, the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River, the fourth-largest river in the United States, which divides Oregon from Washington state. Portland is approximately {{convert|100|mi|km}} upriver from the Pacific Ocean on the Columbia.

Though much of downtown Portland is relatively flat, the foothills of the [[Tualatin Mountains]], more commonly referred to locally as the "West Hills", pierce through the northwest and southwest reaches of the city. [[Council Crest Park]] at {{convert|1073|ft|m}} is often quoted as the highest point in Portland; however, the highest point in Portland is on a section of NW Skyline Blvd just north of [[Willamette Stone|Willamette Stone Heritage site]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hale|first=Jamie|date=April 28, 2016|title=Council Crest hike is well worth the extra effort|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2016/04/a_drive_is_nice_but_a_hike_up.html|access-date=August 15, 2020|work=The Oregonian}}</ref> The highest point east of the river is [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mt. Tabor]], an extinct volcanic cinder cone, which rises to {{convert|636|ft|m}}. Nearby [[Powell Butte]] and [[Rocky Butte]] rise to {{convert|614|ft|m}} and {{convert|612|ft|m}}, respectively. To the west of the Tualatin Mountains lies the [[Oregon Coast Range]], and to the east lies the actively volcanic [[Cascade Range]]. On clear days, [[Mount Hood|Mt. Hood]] and [[Mount St. Helens|Mt. St. Helens]] dominate the horizon, while [[Mount Adams (Washington)|Mt. Adams]] and [[Mount Rainier|Mt. Rainier]] can also be seen in the distance.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|145.09|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|133.43|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|11.66|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 21, 2012|archive-date=July 2, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt}}</ref> Although almost all of Portland is within [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]], small portions of the city are within Clackamas and [[Washington County, Oregon|Washington]] counties.<ref>{{cite map|date=May 2024|title=Jurisdictional boundaries and parks, Greater Portland|scale=Scale not given|url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2024/05/14/Jurisdictional-boundaries-and-parks-44x34-20240509.pdf|publisher=Metro|access-date=June 24, 2024|archive-date=June 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610194934/https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2024/05/14/Jurisdictional-boundaries-and-parks-44x34-20240509.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Portland Area, OR(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Portland]]
Portland has a [[warm-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csb),'' falling just short of a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] (Köppen ''Csa)'' with cool and rainy winters, and warm and dry summers.{{sfn|Anderson|2014|p=138}} This climate is characterized by having overcast, wet, and changing weather conditions in fall, winter, and spring, as Portland lies in the direct path of the stormy westerly flow, and warm, dry summers when the [[North Pacific High]] reaches its northernmost point in mid-summer.<ref name="fao.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad652e/ad652e07.htm|title=Global Ecological Zoning for the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000|year=2001|publisher=Forestry Department of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]]|access-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> Portland's [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]] is 8b, with parts of the Downtown area falling into zone 9a.<ref name="Portland OR Extremes" />

Winters are cool, cloudy, and rainy. The coldest month is December with an average daily high temperature of {{convert|46.9|°F|1|abbr=}}, although overnight lows usually remain above freezing by a few degrees. Evening temperatures fall to or below freezing 32 nights per year on average, but very rarely below {{convert|18|°F|0}}. There are only 2.1 days per year where the daytime high temperature fails to rise above freezing; the mean for the lowest high is at the exact freezing point of {{convert|32|F|C}}.<ref name = NOWData/> The lowest overnight temperature ever recorded was {{convert|−3|°F|0}},<ref name="Portland OR Extremes">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/climate/pdx_clisummary.php|title=Portland Airport (Oregon): Normals, means, and extremes|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> on February 2, 1950,<ref name=NOWData /> while the lowest daytime high temperature ever recorded was {{convert|9|°F|0}} on January 15, 1888.<ref name = NOWData/> The average window in which freezing temperatures may occur is between November 15 and March 19, allowing a growing season of 240 days.<ref name = NOWData/>

Annual snowfall in Portland is {{convert|4.3|in|cm|1}}, which usually falls between December and March.<ref name="fivethirtyeight.com">{{cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/has-the-snow-finally-stopped/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202052602/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/has-the-snow-finally-stopped/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 2, 2017|title=Has The Snow Finally Stopped?|date=March 10, 2015|work=[[FiveThirtyEight]]}}</ref> The city of Portland avoids snow more frequently than its suburbs, due in part to its low elevation and the [[urban heat island]] effect. Neighborhoods outside of the downtown core, especially in slightly higher elevations near the [[Tualatin Mountains|West Hills]] and [[Mount Tabor (Oregon)|Mount Tabor]], can experience a dusting of snow while downtown receives no accumulation at all. The city has experienced a few major snow and ice storms in its past, with extreme totals having reached {{convert|44.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} at the airport in 1949–50 and {{convert|60.9|in|cm|abbr=on}} at downtown in 1892–93.<ref name = "PDX monthly+seasonal snow"/><ref name = "downtown monthly+seasonal snow">{{cite web|title=Downtown Portland: Monthly and Seasonal Snowfall (inches)|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/pdxclimate/pg100.pdf|publisher=NWS Portland, Oregon|access-date=June 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119092735/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/pdxclimate/pg100.pdf|archive-date=January 19, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:RoseTestGardenPortland.jpg|thumb|Portland's climate is [[Roses in Portland, Oregon|conducive to the growth of roses]]. Pictured here is the [[International Rose Test Garden]].]]
Summers in Portland are warm, dry, and sunny, though the sunny warm weather is short-lived, from mid-June to early September.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.usnews.com/Portland_OR/When_To_Visit/|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|title=Best Times to Visit Portland, OR|access-date=November 11, 2015}}</ref> June, July, August and September account for a combined {{convert|4.19|in|mm|0|abbr=}} of total rainfall{{spaced ndash}} only 11% of the {{convert|36.91|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} of annual precipitation. The warmest month is August, with an average high temperature of {{convert|82.3|°F|1|abbr=}}. Because of its inland location {{convert|62|mi|km}} from the coast, as well as the protective nature of the [[Oregon Coast Range]] to its west, Portland summers are less susceptible to the moderating influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. Consequently, Portland occasionally experiences [[heat wave]]s, with temperatures rising above {{convert|90|°F|0}} for a few days. However, on average, temperatures reach or exceed {{convert|80|°F|0}} on only 61 days per year, of which 15 days will reach {{convert|90|°F|0}} and only 1.3 days will reach {{convert|100|°F|0}}. In 2018 more 90-degree days were recorded than ever before.<ref>{{cite web|title=Portland weather hits 90 degrees for record 31st day in 2018|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2018/09/portland_weather_hits_90_degre.html|website=The Oregonian|date=September 6, 2018|access-date=September 6, 2018}}</ref>

On June 28, 2021, Portland recorded its all-time record high temperature of {{convert|116|F|C}} and its warmest daily low temperature of {{convert|75|F|C}} during a [[2021 Western North America heat wave|major regional heat wave]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Kale|date=June 29, 2021|title=Portland's record-breaking heat wave: by the numbers|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2021/06/portlands-record-breaking-heat-wave-by-the-numbers.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=May 18, 2023}}</ref> The record had been broken for three consecutive days with daytime highs of {{convert|108|F|C}} on June 26 and {{convert|112|F|C}} on June 27; the previous record of {{convert|107|F|C}} was set on July 30, 1965, and matched on August 8 & 10, 1981.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldberg|first1=Jamie|last2=Ramakrishnan|first2=Jayati|date=June 29, 2021|title=Portland records all-time high temperature of 116, setting new record for third day in a row|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2021/06/portland-records-all-time-high-temperature-of-113-setting-new-record-for-third-day-in-a-row.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=May 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Perry|first=Douglas|date=June 24, 2021|title=Portland could set heat record this weekend, despite June's history as city's summer golden period|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2021/06/portland-could-set-heat-record-this-weekend-despite-junes-history-as-citys-summer-golden-period.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=May 18, 2023}}</ref> A temperature of {{convert|100|°F|0}} has been recorded in all five months from May through September. The warmest night of the year averages {{convert|68|F|C}}.<ref name = NOWData/>

Spring and fall can bring variable weather including high-pressure ridging that sends temperatures surging above {{convert|80|°F|0}} and cold fronts that plunge daytime temperatures into the 40s °F (4–9&nbsp;°C). However, lengthy stretches of overcast days beginning in mid-fall and continuing into mid-spring are most common. Rain often falls as a light drizzle for several consecutive days at a time, contributing to 157 days on average with measurable (≥{{convert|0.01|in|abbr=on|disp=or}}) precipitation annually. Temperatures have reached {{convert|90|°F|0}} as early as April 20 and as late as October 5, while {{convert|80|°F|0}} has been reached as early as March 16 and as late as October 21. [[Thunderstorm]]s are uncommon and [[1972 Portland-Vancouver tornado|tornadoes]] are very rare, although they do occur.{{sfn|Mass|2008|p=138}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thevane.gawker.com/why-doesnt-the-west-coast-see-thunderstorms-1606295419|title=Why Doesn't the West Coast See Thunderstorms?|access-date=April 19, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427024642/https://thevane.gawker.com/why-doesnt-the-west-coast-see-thunderstorms-1606295419|archive-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Portland, Oregon ([[Portland International Airport|PDX]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1940–present{{efn|Official records for Portland have been kept at PDX since October 13, 1940.<ref name = ThreadEx>{{Cite web|url=http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|title=Threaded Extremes|website=threadex.rcc-acis.org}}</ref> In January 1996, snow measurements for PDX were moved to the NWS Portland office {{convert|4|mi|abbr=on}} to the east at 5241 NE 122nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97230-1089.<ref name = "PDX monthly+seasonal snow">{{cite web|title=AIRPORT Portland: Monthly and Seasonal Snowfall (inches)|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/pdxclimate/pg98.pdf|publisher=NWS Portland, OR|access-date=June 22, 2014}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Portland temps, 1938–2023|url=https://projects.oregonlive.com/weather/temps/|work=The Oregonian|access-date=December 7, 2023}}</ref>
|collapsed =
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 66
|Feb record high F = 71
|Mar record high F = 82
|Apr record high F = 90
|May record high F = 100
|Jun record high F = 116
|Jul record high F = 107
|Aug record high F = 108
|Sep record high F = 105
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 73
|Dec record high F = 67
|Jan avg record high F = 58.1
|Feb avg record high F = 60.1
|Mar avg record high F = 69.6
|Apr avg record high F = 78.4
|May avg record high F = 86.9
|Jun avg record high F = 91.7
|Jul avg record high F = 96.6
|Aug avg record high F = 96.7
|Sep avg record high F = 91.2
|Oct avg record high F = 77.6
|Nov avg record high F = 63.8
|Dec avg record high F = 58.3
|year avg record high F = 99.9
|Jan high F = 47.5
|Feb high F = 51.5
|Mar high F = 56.8
|Apr high F = 62.0
|May high F = 69.3
|Jun high F = 74.3
|Jul high F = 81.9
|Aug high F = 82.3
|Sep high F = 76.7
|Oct high F = 64.4
|Nov high F = 53.5
|Dec high F = 46.9
|year high F = 63.9
|Jan mean F = 41.9
|Feb mean F = 44.1
|Mar mean F = 48.3
|Apr mean F = 52.8
|May mean F = 59.4
|Jun mean F = 64.2
|Jul mean F = 70.2
|Aug mean F = 70.6
|Sep mean F = 65.4
|Oct mean F = 55.6
|Nov mean F = 47.1
|Dec mean F = 41.6
|year mean F = 55.1
|Jan low F = 36.2
|Feb low F = 36.8
|Mar low F = 39.7
|Apr low F = 43.7
|May low F = 49.4
|Jun low F = 54.1
|Jul low F = 58.5
|Aug low F = 58.9
|Sep low F = 54.1
|Oct low F = 46.7
|Nov low F = 40.6
|Dec low F = 36.2
|year low F = 46.2
|Jan avg record low F = 25.1
|Feb avg record low F = 25.9
|Mar avg record low F = 30.4
|Apr avg record low F = 34.8
|May avg record low F = 40.5
|Jun avg record low F = 47.3
|Jul avg record low F = 52.3
|Aug avg record low F = 51.8
|Sep avg record low F = 45.7
|Oct avg record low F = 36.0
|Nov avg record low F = 29.2
|Dec avg record low F = 24.9
|year avg record low F = 20.8
|Jan record low F = −2
|Feb record low F = −3
|Mar record low F = 19
|Apr record low F = 29
|May record low F = 29
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 43
|Aug record low F = 44
|Sep record low F = 34
|Oct record low F = 26
|Nov record low F = 13
|Dec record low F =  6
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 5.03
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.68
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.97
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.89
|May precipitation inch = 2.51
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.63
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.51
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.54
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.52
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.42
|Nov precipitation inch = 5.45
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.77
|year precipitation inch = 36.92
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 18.7
|Feb precipitation days = 15.7
|Mar precipitation days = 17.8
|Apr precipitation days = 17.4
|May precipitation days = 13.2
|Jun precipitation days = 9.2
|Jul precipitation days = 3.7
|Aug precipitation days = 3.6
|Sep precipitation days = 6.7
|Oct precipitation days = 13.5
|Nov precipitation days = 18.3
|Dec precipitation days = 19.2
|year precipitation days = 157.0
|Jan snow inch = 1.7
|Feb snow inch = 1.2
|Mar snow inch = 0.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 1.2
|year snow inch = 4.2
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.0
|Feb snow days = 0.7
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 0.8
|year snow days = 2.9
|Jan sun =  85.6 |Jan percentsun = 30
|Feb sun = 116.4 |Feb percentsun = 40
|Mar sun = 191.1 |Mar percentsun = 52
|Apr sun = 221.1 |Apr percentsun = 54
|May sun = 276.1 |May percentsun = 60
|Jun sun = 290.2 |Jun percentsun = 62
|Jul sun = 331.9 |Jul percentsun = 70
|Aug sun = 298.1 |Aug percentsun = 68
|Sep sun = 235.7 |Sep percentsun = 63
|Oct sun = 151.7 |Oct percentsun = 45
|Nov sun =  79.3 |Nov percentsun = 28
|Dec sun =  63.7 |Dec percentsun = 23
|year sun=2340.9 |year percentsun =52
|Jan humidity = 80.9
|Feb humidity = 78.0
|Mar humidity = 74.6
|Apr humidity = 71.6
|May humidity = 68.7
|Jun humidity = 65.8
|Jul humidity = 62.8
|Aug humidity = 64.8
|Sep humidity = 69.4
|Oct humidity = 77.9
|Nov humidity = 81.5
|Dec humidity = 82.7
|year humidity= 73.2
|Jan dew point C = 0.9
|Feb dew point C = 2.3
|Mar dew point C = 3.5
|Apr dew point C = 4.9
|May dew point C = 7.4
|Jun dew point C = 9.9
|Jul dew point C = 11.6
|Aug dew point C = 12.1
|Sep dew point C = 10.4
|Oct dew point C = 7.9
|Nov dew point C = 4.6
|Dec dew point C = 1.7
|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity, dewpoint and sun 1961–1990)<ref name = NOWData >{{cite web|url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pqr|title=NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date=April 11, 2016|archive-date=February 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217125347/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pqr|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name = NOAAsun61-90 >{{cite web|url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72698.TXT|title=WMO Climate Normals for PORTLAND OR 1961–1990|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617103914/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72698.TXT|archive-date=June 17, 2023|url-status=dead|access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name="NOAA BWI">{{cite web|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00024229&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL|work=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=Station: PORTLAND INTL AP, OR|access-date=July 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715065816/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00024229&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL|archive-date=July 15, 2023}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
|location = Portland Downtown, Oregon (1991–2020 normals),<ref name="NOAAsun91-20" /> (extremes 1874–present)<ref name="ThreadEx" />
|collapsed =
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 65
|Feb record high F = 75
|Mar record high F = 83
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 103
|Jun record high F = 114
|Jul record high F = 107
|Aug record high F = 106
|Sep record high F = 103
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 73
|Dec record high F = 67
|Jan avg record high F = 57.4
|Feb avg record high F = 60.3
|Mar avg record high F = 69.9
|Apr avg record high F = 78.5
|May avg record high F = 87.1
|Jun avg record high F = 90.9
|Jul avg record high F = 95.9
|Aug avg record high F = 95.8
|Sep avg record high F = 90.3
|Oct avg record high F = 76.9
|Nov avg record high F = 63.3
|Dec avg record high F = 57.8
|year avg record high F = 99.1
|Jan high F = 46.9
|Feb high F = 50.5
|Mar high F = 55.8
|Apr high F = 60.7
|May high F = 68.0
|Jun high F = 72.9
|Jul high F = 80.3
|Aug high F = 80.6
|Sep high F = 74.9
|Oct high F = 62.9
|Nov high F = 52.3
|Dec high F = 45.9
|year high F = 62.6
|Jan mean F = 42.1
|Feb mean F = 44.7
|Mar mean F = 48.3
|Apr mean F = 52.5
|May mean F = 58.7
|Jun mean F = 63.1
|Jul mean F = 69.1
|Aug mean F = 69.6
|Sep mean F = 65.0
|Oct mean F = 55.4
|Nov mean F = 46.9
|Dec mean F = 41.6
|year mean F = 54.8
|Jan low F = 37.3
|Feb low F = 38.8
|Mar low F = 40.9
|Apr low F = 44.2
|May low F = 49.4
|Jun low F = 53.3
|Jul low F = 57.9
|Aug low F = 58.6
|Sep low F = 55.1
|Oct low F = 47.9
|Nov low F = 41.6
|Dec low F = 37.3
|year low F = 46.9
|Jan avg record low F = 27.7
|Feb avg record low F = 28.9
|Mar avg record low F = 32.7
|Apr avg record low F = 36.3
|May avg record low F = 40.8
|Jun avg record low F = 46.0
|Jul avg record low F = 51.0
|Aug avg record low F = 51.6
|Sep avg record low F = 46.7
|Oct avg record low F = 38.5
|Nov avg record low F = 31.8
|Dec avg record low F = 27.2
|year avg record low F = 23.1
|Jan record low F = −2
|Feb record low F = 7
|Mar record low F = 20
|Apr record low F = 28
|May record low F = 31
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 43
|Aug record low F = 43
|Sep record low F = 35
|Oct record low F = 29
|Nov record low F = 11
|Dec record low F = 3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 6.36
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.74
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.83
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.63
|May precipitation inch = 2.58
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.49
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.43
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.54
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.58
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.96
|Nov precipitation inch = 6.58
|Dec precipitation inch = 7.53
|year precipitation inch = 44.07
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 18.7
|Feb precipitation days = 15.7
|Mar precipitation days = 17.8
|Apr precipitation days = 17.4
|May precipitation days = 13.2
|Jun precipitation days = 9.2
|Jul precipitation days = 3.7
|Aug precipitation days = 3.6
|Sep precipitation days = 6.7
|Oct precipitation days = 13.5
|Nov precipitation days = 18.3
|Dec precipitation days = 19.2
|year precipitation days = 157.0
|Jan snow inch = 1.3
|Feb snow inch = 1.4
|Mar snow inch = 0.0
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.9
|year snow inch = 3.6
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.0
|Feb snow days = 0.7
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 0.8
|year snow days = 2.9
|Jan humidity = 80.9
|Feb humidity = 78.0
|Mar humidity = 74.6
|Apr humidity = 71.6
|May humidity = 68.7
|Jun humidity = 65.8
|Jul humidity = 62.8
|Aug humidity = 64.8
|Sep humidity = 69.4
|Oct humidity = 77.9
|Nov humidity = 81.5
|Dec humidity = 82.7
|year humidity= 73.2
|Jan sun = 85.6
|Feb sun = 116.4
|Mar sun = 191.1
|Apr sun = 221.1
|May sun = 276.1
|Jun sun = 290.2
|Jul sun = 331.9
|Aug sun = 298.1
|Sep sun = 235.7
|Oct sun = 151.7
|Nov sun = 79.3
|Dec sun = 63.7
|year sun= 2340.9
|Jan percentsun = 30
|Feb percentsun = 40
|Mar percentsun = 52
|Apr percentsun = 54
|May percentsun = 60
|Jun percentsun = 62
|Jul percentsun = 70
|Aug percentsun = 68
|Sep percentsun = 63
|Oct percentsun = 45
|Nov percentsun = 28
|Dec percentsun = 23
|year percentsun = 52
|Jan dew point C = 0.9
|Feb dew point C = 2.3
|Mar dew point C = 3.5
|Apr dew point C = 4.9
|May dew point C = 7.4
|Jun dew point C = 9.9
|Jul dew point C = 11.6
|Aug dew point C = 12.1
|Sep dew point C = 10.4
|Oct dew point C = 7.9
|Nov dew point C = 4.6
|Dec dew point C = 1.7
|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)<ref name="NOWData"/><ref name="ThreadEx"/><ref name="NOAAsun91-20">{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=pqr
| title = WMO Climate Normals for PORTLAND DOWNTOWN 1991-2020
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 25, 2025}}</ref>
}}

{{Graph:Weather monthly history
| table=Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Portland, Oregon.tab
| title=Portland monthly weather statistics
}}

===Cityscape===
{{See also|Architecture of Portland, Oregon|List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon|Downtown Portland}}

Portland's cityscape derives much of its character from the many bridges that span the Willamette River downtown, several of which are historic landmarks, and Portland has been nicknamed "Bridgetown" for many decades as a result.<ref name="bridgetown"/> Three of downtown's most heavily used bridges are more than 100 years old and are designated historic landmarks: [[Hawthorne Bridge]] (1910), [[Steel Bridge]] (1912), and [[Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)|Broadway Bridge]] (1913). Portland's newest bridge in the downtown area, [[Tilikum Crossing]], opened in 2015 and is the first new bridge to span the Willamette in Portland since the 1973 opening of the double-decker [[Fremont Bridge (Portland)|Fremont Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Newcomb|first=Tim|date=August 20, 2015|title=You Can't Drive Across This Gorgeous Bridge|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/g2136/portland-tillikum-crossing-bridge-no-cars/|access-date=January 14, 2021|website=Popular Mechanics}}</ref>

Other bridges that span the Willamette River in the downtown area include the [[Burnside Bridge]], the [[Ross Island Bridge]] (both built 1926), and the double-decker [[Marquam Bridge]] (built 1966). Other bridges outside the downtown area include the [[Sellwood Bridge]] (built 2016) to the south; and the [[St. Johns Bridge]], a [[Gothic revival]] suspension bridge built in 1931, to the north. The [[Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge]] and the [[Interstate Bridge]] provide access from Portland across the Columbia River into Washington state.

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| caption1          = Panorama of downtown Portland in the daytime. [[Hawthorne Bridge]] viewed from a dock on the Willamette River near the [[Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]].
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{{wide image|WillametteRvrPano edit.jpg|600px|align-cap=center|The Willamette River runs through the center of the city, while [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mount Tabor]] (center<!--Please scroll the picture (or your page) horizontally and look at the entire image, before you attempt to edit this.-->) rises on the city's east side. [[Mount St. Helens]] (left) and [[Mount Hood]] (right center) are visible from many places in the city.}}

===Addressing sections===

[[File:Portland.png|thumb|The five previous addressing sectors of Portland, prior to the addition of South Portland]]

The Willamette River, which flows north through downtown, serves as the natural boundary between East and West Portland. The denser and earlier-developed west side extends into the lap of the [[Tualatin Mountains|West Hills]], while the flatter east side extends for roughly 180 blocks until it meets the suburb of [[Gresham, Oregon|Gresham]]. In 1891 the cities of Portland, [[Albina, Oregon|Albina]], and [[East Portland, Oregon|East Portland]] were consolidated, creating inconsistent patterns of street names and addresses. It was not unusual for a street name to be duplicated in disparate areas. The "Great Renumbering" on September 2, 1931, standardized street naming patterns and divided Portland into five "general districts", North, Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest (which includes [[downtown Portland]]). House numbers were also changed from 20 per block to 100 per block and adopted a single street name on a grid. For example, the 200 block north of Burnside is either NW Davis Street or NE Davis Street throughout the entire city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ordinance 61325: Street re-numbering report. Providing for renumbering of buildings and renaming of streets.|date=February 28, 1933|publisher=Auditor of the City of Portland|url=http://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/Record/2685610/|access-date=August 9, 2017}}</ref>

With the recent addition of South Portland, Portland now has six addressing sections. All addresses and streets within the city are prefixed by N, NW, NE, S, SW or SE with the exception of [[Burnside Street]], which is prefixed with W or E. The Willamette River divides the city into east and west while Burnside, which traverses the entire city lengthwise, divides the north and south. Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest Portland are respectively north or south of Burnside, and east or west of the Willamette. North Portland is a triangular peninsula bounded on the north by the Columbia River, on the east by N Williams Avenue, and on the west by the Willamette River as it bends to the northwest. South Portland was established on May 1, 2020, from a former part of Southwest Portland where the Willamette bends east of the nominal North-South meridian. House numbers on east–west streets in this area formerly had a leading zero, which was dropped as the street prefix (including north–south streets) was changed from Southwest to South. For example, the current address of 246 S California St. was formerly 0246 SW California St. and the current address of 4310 S Macadam Ave. was formerly 4310 SW Macadam Ave.

The new South Portland addressing section was approved by the Portland City Council on June 6, 2018<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-south-new-address-area/|title=South Portland Becomes City's Newest Address Area|last=Templeton|first=Amelia|website=opb.org|access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> and is bounded by [[Naito Parkway|SW Naito Parkway]], SW View Point Terrace and the [[Tryon Creek State Natural Area]] to the west, SW Clay Street to the north, the Willamette River to the east, and city limits to the south.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/Record/12011415/|title=Efiles – 188995 Eliminate leading zero addressing in the portion of SW Portland east of SW Naito Parkway amend Ordinance No. 61325 and PCC 24.75.10 ordinance (D/82139)|publisher=Efiles.portlandoregon.gov|date=June 6, 2018|access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref> In 2018, the city's Bureau of Transportation finalized a plan to transition this part of Portland into South Portland, beginning on May 1, 2020, to reduce confusion by 9-1-1 dispatchers and delivery services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koin.com/news/local/multnomah-county/portlands-6th-sextant-s-to-replace-some-sw-addresses/1001029081|title='South Portland' may be newest city destination|publisher=KOIN|access-date=March 1, 2018|date=March 1, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302143957/http://www.koin.com/news/local/multnomah-county/portlands-6th-sextant-s-to-replace-some-sw-addresses/1001029081|url-status=dead}}</ref> With the addition of South Portland, all six addressing sectors (N, NE, NW, S, SE and SW) are now officially known as sextants.<ref>{{cite web|last=Swindler|first=Samantha|date=May 1, 2020|title=South Portland is officially a sextant, but city says you can call it a 'sixth quadrant'|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/05/south-portland-is-officially-a-sextant-but-city-says-you-can-call-it-a-sixth-quadrant.html|access-date=September 21, 2020|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===

{{See also|Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon}}

[[File:Pearl District and Broadway Bridge.jpg|thumb|Pearl District (left) from the Steel Bridge]]

The five previous addressing sections of Portland, which were colloquially known as quadrants despite there being five,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/02/28/murmurs-portland-is-getting-a-sixth-quadrant/|title=Murmurs: Portland Is Getting a Sixth Quadrant|work=Willamette Week|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/visitors-guide-to-portland/2017/05/30/19054714/a-quick-peek-at-portlands-neighborhoods|title=A Quick Peek at Portland's Neighborhoods|work=Portland Mercury|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref> have developed distinctive identities, with mild cultural differences and friendly rivalries between their residents, especially between those who live east of the Willamette River versus west of the river.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/07/16/perceptions-of-central-eastside-industrial-district-changing/|title=Perceptions of Portland's east side changing|publisher=DJCOregon.com|access-date=March 2, 2015|date=July 16, 2012|author=Reed, Jackson}}</ref>

[[Pearl District, Portland, Oregon|The Pearl District]] in [[Northwest District, Portland, Oregon|Northwest Portland]], which was largely occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards in the early to mid-20th century, now houses upscale [[art gallery|art galleries]], restaurants, and retail stores, and is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/05/new_pearl_district_affordable.html|work=Oregon Live|title=New Pearl District affordable apartment highlights misperception of neighborhood's wealth|author=Hottman, Sara|date=May 17, 2013|access-date=September 10, 2015}}</ref> Areas further west of the Pearl District include neighborhoods known as Uptown and Nob Hill, as well as the Alphabet District and NW 23rd Ave., a major shopping street lined with clothing boutiques and other upscale retail, mixed with cafes and restaurants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/neighborhood-guide/nw-23rd-portland-dining-shopping.html|work=Oregon Live|title=Rediscover the north end of NW 23rd Avenue, where the vibe is more quirky than trendy|author=Butler, Grant|date=September 1, 2011|access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>

<!-- add something about N PDXneighborhoods -->

[[File:Steam tug PORTLAND - Portland Oregon.jpg|thumb|left|Lloyd District from downtown Portland]]

Northeast Portland is home to the [[Lloyd District, Portland, Oregon|Lloyd District]], [[Alberta Arts District]], and the [[Hollywood District (Portland, Oregon)|Hollywood District]]. North Portland is largely residential and industrial. It contains [[Kelley Point Park]], the northernmost point of the city. It also contains the [[St. Johns, Portland, Oregon|St. Johns]] neighborhood, which is historically one of the most ethnically diverse and poorest neighborhoods in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kgw.com/story/news/investigations/2015/09/01/changing-face-st-johns/71536812/|work=KGW|title=The Changing Face of St. Johns|author=Roth, Sara|access-date=September 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906043643/http://www.kgw.com/story/news/investigations/2015/09/01/changing-face-st-johns/71536812/|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Old Town Chinatown]] is next to the Pearl District in Northwest Portland. In 1890 it was the second largest Chinese community in the United States.<ref>{{Cite book|last=O'Donnell|first=Terence|title=Portland: A Historical Sketch and Guide|publisher=Oregon Historical Society|year=1976|location=Portland, Oregon|page=104|language=English}}</ref> In 2017, the crime rate was several times above the city average. This neighborhood has been called Portland's skid row.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/371837-255157-new-homeless-shelter-in-old-town-chinatown-sparks-old-debate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912112743/http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/371837-255157-new-homeless-shelter-in-old-town-chinatown-sparks-old-debate|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 12, 2017|title=New homeless shelter in Old Town/Chinatown sparks old debate|last=Hewitt|first=Lyndsey|date=September 12, 2017|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Ladd Carriage House in 2014.jpg|thumb|[[Ladd Carriage House]], downtown Portland|left]]
[[File:U.S. National Bank Building - Portland, Oregon.jpg|thumb|The [[United States National Bank Building]], downtown Portland|left]]

Southwest Portland is largely residential. [[Downtown Portland, Oregon|Downtown district]], made up of commercial businesses, museums, [[skyscraper]]s, and public landmarks represents a small area within the southwest address section. Portland's South Waterfront area has been developing into a dense neighborhood of shops, condominiums, and apartments starting in the mid-2000s. Development in this area is ongoing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2015/06/portland_approves_make_or_brea.html|title=Portland approves 'make or break' South Waterfront deal with Zidell|last=Schmidt|first=Brad|date=June 24, 2015|work=The Oregonian|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> The area is served by the [[Portland Streetcar]], the [[MAX Orange Line (TriMet)|MAX Orange Line]] and four [[TriMet]] bus lines. This former industrial area sat as a [[brownfield]] prior to development in the mid-2000s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=De Sousa|first1=Christopher|last2=D'Souza|first2=Lily-Ann|year=2010|title=South Waterfront District, Portland, OR: A Sustainable Brownfield Revitalization Best Practice|journal=Sustainable Brownfields Consortium|citeseerx=10.1.1.593.1545}}</ref>

Southeast Portland is largely residential, and consists of several neighborhoods, including [[Hawthorne, Portland, Oregon|Hawthorne District]], [[Belmont, Portland, Oregon|Belmont]], [[Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon|Brooklyn]], and [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mount Tabor]]. [[Reed College]], a private liberal arts college that was founded in 1908, is located within the confines of Southeast Portland as is [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mount Tabor]], a volcanic landform.

South Portland includes the Lair Hill, Johns Landing and South Waterfront districts and Lewis & Clark College as well as the Riverdale area of unincorporated Multnomah County south of the Portland city limits.

==Demographics==
{{See also|Gentrification of Portland, Oregon}}{{US Census population
| 1860 = 2874
| 1870 = 8293
| 1880 = 17577
| 1890 = 46385
| 1900 = 90426
| 1910 = 207214
| 1920 = 258288
| 1930 = 301815
| 1940 = 305394
| 1950 = 373628
| 1960 = 372676
| 1970 = 382619
| 1980 = 366383
| 1990 = 437319
| 2000 = 529121
| 2010 = 583776
| 2020 = 652503
| estyear = 2025
| estimate = 635109
| estref = <ref name="2025 QuickFacts"/> {{loss}}
| align = right
| align-fn = center
}}

===Racial and ethnic composition===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Portland, Oregon}}

{{See also|History of Chinese Americans in Portland, Oregon|History of Koreans in Portland, Oregon|History of the Japanese in Portland, Oregon|Hispanics and Latinos in Portland, Oregon}}
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ class="nowrap" | <big>Ethnicities</big>
! Demographic profile
!2023<ref name="census.gov">{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Portland city, Oregon|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/portlandcityoregon/PST045224|access-date=June 26, 2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020-DP1">{{cite web |title=Portland city, Oregon; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=160XX00US4159000 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=June 26, 2025}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov"/> !! 1990<ref name="census1">{{cite web|title=Oregon – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|access-date=December 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>!! 1970<ref name="census1"/> !! 1940<ref name="census1"/>
|-
| [[White American|White (Non-Hispanic White)]]
|67.0%|| 66.4% || 76.1% || 84.6% || 92.2% || 98.1%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race)
|11.3%|| 11.1% || 9.4% || 3.2% || 1.7%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}} || —
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or More Races]]
|11.3%|| 10.7% || 4.7% || — || — || —
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]]
|8.1%|| 8.1% || 7.1% || 5.3% || 1.3% || 1.2%
|-
| [[African American|Black or African American]]
|5.8%|| 5.9% || 6.3% || 7.7% || 5.6% || 0.6%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]]
|0.8%|| 1.1% || 1.0% || — || — || —
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander Americans|Other Pacific Islander]]
|0.5%|| 0.6% || 0.5% || — || — || —
|}

[[File:Portland population growth.png|left|thumb|Graph showing the city's population growth from 1850 to 2010<ref>{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|access-date=November 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805115133/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|archive-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

In 1940, Portland's African-American population was approximately 2,000 and largely consisted of railroad employees and their families.<ref name="maccoll">{{Cite book|last=MacColl|first=E. Kimbark|title=The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915–1950|year=1979|publisher=The Georgian Press|location=Portland, Oregon|isbn=978-0-9603408-1-1}}</ref> During the wartime [[Liberty Ship]] construction boom, the need for workers drew many Black people to the city. The new influx of Black people settled in specific neighborhoods, such as the [[Albina, Oregon|Albina]] district and [[Vanport, Oregon|Vanport]]. The May 1948 flood, which destroyed Vanport, eliminated the only integrated neighborhood, and an influx of blacks into the northeast quadrant of the city continued.<ref name="maccoll" /> Portland's [[longshoremen]] racial mix was described as being "lily-white" in the 1960s when the local [[International Longshore and Warehouse Union]] declined to represent grain handlers since some were black.<ref>{{cite book|last=Levinson|first=Marc|title=The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger|year=2008|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-13640-0|title-link=The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger}} Related sources noted by Levinson: Journal of Negro History 65, no. 1 (1980): 27; Clyde W. Summers, "Admission Policies of Labor Unions", Quarterly Journal of Economics 61, no. 1 (1946): 98; Wilson, Dockers, p. 29. The Portland grain workers' case is mentioned in Charles P. Larrowe, Harry Bridges: The Rise and Fall of Radical Labor in the United States (New York, 1972), p. 368. 16. On Portland, see Pilcher, The Portland Longshoremen, p. 17;</ref>

[[File:Ethnic Origins in Portland, OR.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Portland]]

{{Pie chart
 | thumb   = right
 | caption = Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Portland (2020)<ref name="2020-DP1" /><br>''NH=Non-Hispanic''
 | label1 = White NH
 | value1 = 66.4 | color2=#36A
 | label2 = Black NH
 | value2 = 5.7 | color1=#6A5
 | label3 = Native American NH
 | value3 = 0.7 | color3=#FF33AC
 | label4 = Asian NH
 | value4 = 8.0 | color4=#1A9
 | label5 = Pacific Islander NH
 | value5 = 0.6 | color5=#E17720
 | label6 = Other race NH
 | value6 = 0.6 | color6=#F0FF00
 | label7 = Multi-racial NH
 | value7 = 7.0 | color7=#64ECDF
 | label8 = Hispanic Any Race
 | value8 = 11.1 | color8=#9400D3
 }}

Portland residents identifying solely as Asian Americans account for 7.1% of the population; an additional 1.8% is partially of Asian heritage. [[Vietnamese American]]s make up 2.2% of Portland's population, and make up the largest Asian ethnic group in the city, followed by [[Chinese American|Chinese]] (1.7%), [[Filipino American|Filipinos]] (0.6%), [[Japanese American|Japanese]] (0.5%), [[Korean American|Koreans]] (0.4%), [[Laotian American|Laotians]] (0.4%), [[Hmong American|Hmong]] (0.2%), and [[Cambodian American|Cambodians]] (0.1%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|title=Community Facts: Portland, Oregon|access-date=November 10, 2015}}</ref> A small population of [[Iu Mien Americans|Iu Mien]] live in Portland. Portland has two Chinatowns, with New Chinatown in the '[[Jade District]]' along SE 82nd Avenue with Chinese supermarkets, Hong Kong-style noodle houses, [[dim sum]], and Vietnamese [[phở]] restaurants.<ref>{{cite web|last=Swart|first=Cornelius|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/01/the_asian_american_community_i.html|title=Asian American community in east Portland's New Chinatown ponders the future|date=January 20, 2012|newspaper=The Oregonian|access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref>

With about 12,000 Vietnamese residing in the city proper, Portland has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in America per capita.<ref>[http://www.vatv.org/VAP.html "Vietnamese population by region: top metropolitan areas"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818064844/http://www.vatv.org/VAP.html |date=August 18, 2007 }}. Vietnamese American Population. Retrieved January 7, 2011.</ref> According to statistics, there are over 4,500 [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]]s in Portland, making up 0.7% of the city's population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/portlandcityoregon|title=QuickFacts|publisher=[[U.S. census]]}}</ref> There is a [[Tongan American|Tongan]] community in Portland, who arrived in the area in the 1970s, and Tongans and Pacific Islanders as a whole are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the Portland area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-oregon-census-tongan-population/%3foutputType=amp|title=Portland's Fastest Ethnic Group Struggles to Be Counted|publisher=[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]]}}</ref>

Portland's population has been and remains predominantly [[White people|White]]. In 1940, Whites were over 98% of the city's population.<ref name="census1"/> In 2009, Portland had the fifth-highest percentage of White residents among the 40 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. A 2007 survey of the 40 largest cities in the U.S. concluded Portland's urban core has the highest percentage of White residents.<ref name="bh" /> Some scholars have noted the Pacific Northwest as a whole is "one of the last Caucasian bastions of the United States".<ref name="WilsonE"/> While Portland's diversity was historically comparable to metro Seattle and Salt Lake City, those areas grew more diverse in the late 1990s and 2000s. Portland not only remains White, but migration to Portland is disproportionately White.<ref name="bh">{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/in_a_changing_world_portland_r.html|title=In a changing world, Portland remains overwhelmingly White|last=Hammond|first=Betsy|date=September 30, 2009|work=The Oregonian|access-date=March 11, 2011}}</ref><ref name="npr">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/16/133748144/history-hinders-diversification-of-portland-ore|title=History Hinders Diversification of Portland, Oregon : NPR|last=Templeton|first=Amelia|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=March 11, 2011}}</ref>

The Oregon Territory banned African American settlement in 1849. In the 19th century, certain laws allowed the immigration of Chinese laborers but prohibited them from owning property or bringing their families.<ref name="bh" /><ref name="insiders" /><ref name="frazier" /> The early 1920s saw the rapid growth of the [[Ku Klux Klan]], which became very influential in Oregon politics, culminating in the election of [[Walter M. Pierce]] as governor.<ref name="insiders">{{cite book|last=Dresbeck|first=Rachel|title=Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon|date=March 2011|edition=7th|isbn=978-0-7627-6475-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/insidersguidetop07eddres/page/36 36]|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|url=https://archive.org/details/insidersguidetop07eddres/page/36}}</ref><ref name="frazier">{{cite book|last1=Frazier|first1=John W.|last2=Tettey-Fio|first2=Eugene L.|title=Race, Ethnicity, and Place in a Changing America|publisher=Global Academic Publishing|isbn=978-1-58684-264-2|year=2006}}</ref><ref name="Levitas2002">{{cite book|last=Levitas|first=Daniel|title=The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right|year=2002|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-29105-1|url=https://archive.org/details/terroristnextdoo00levi}}</ref>

The largest influxes of minority populations occurred during World War II, as the African American population grew by a factor of 10 for wartime work.<ref name="bh" /> After World War II, the [[Vanport City, Oregon|Vanport flood]] in 1948 displaced many African Americans. As they resettled, [[redlining]] directed the displaced workers from the wartime settlement to neighboring [[Albina, Oregon|Albina]].<ref name="WilsonE">{{Cite book|title=Diversity and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Reader|last=Wilson|first=Ernest J|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=978-1135956998|page=55|chapter=page 55|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nOGSAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA55}}</ref><ref name="frazier" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Foster|first=Laura O.|title=Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods|publisher=Timber Press, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-88192-692-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/portlandhillwalk0000fost/page/239 239]|date=March 22, 2005|url=https://archive.org/details/portlandhillwalk0000fost/page/239}}</ref> There and elsewhere in Portland, they experienced police hostility, lack of employment, and [[mortgage discrimination]], leading to half the black population leaving after the war.<ref name="bh" />

In the 1980s and 1990s, radical skinhead groups flourished in Portland.<ref name="frazier" /> In 1988, [[Mulugeta Seraw]], an Ethiopian immigrant, was killed by three skinheads. The response to his murder involved a community-driven series of rallies, campaigns, nonprofits, and events designed to address Portland's racial history, leading to a city considered significantly more tolerant than in 1988 at Seraw's death.<ref>{{cite news|title=Our Homegrown Hitlers|last=Baker|first=Jeff|date=August 31, 2003|work=The Oregonian}}</ref>

76% of Latinos in Portland are of [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] heritage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latinos in Portland|url=https://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/index.cfm?a=297947&c=52639|website=The Portland Plan}}</ref> Italians and Russian Jews had a very visible presence in Portland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/narratives/commerce-climate-and-community-a-history-of-portland-and-its-people/the-mature-distribution-center/ethnic-diversity-in-the-city/|title=Ethnic Diversity in the City|website=www.oregonhistoryproject.org}}</ref> Portland also has a historic [[Romani people|Roma]] population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ijpr.org/show/as-it-was/2019-02-18/as-it-was-roma-also-known-as-gypsies-reach-oregon-in-1890s|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201148/https://www.ijpr.org/show/as-it-was/2019-02-18/as-it-was-roma-also-known-as-gypsies-reach-oregon-in-1890s|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 24, 2021|title=As It Was: Roma, Also Known as Gypsies, Reach Oregon in 1890s|website=Jefferson Public Radio}}</ref>

===2020 census===

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], Portland had a population of 652,503. The median age was 37.6 years. 17.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 13.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME%2CDP1_0021P%2CDP1_0024P%2CDP1_0025C%2CDP1_0049C%2CDP1_0045C%2CDP1_0069C%2CDP1_0073C%2CDP1_0125P%2CDP1_0126P%2CDP1_0129P%2CDP1_0133P%2CDP1_0137P%2CDP1_0138P%2CDP1_0139P%2CDP1_0141P%2CDP1_0142P%2CDP1_0143P%2CDP1_0145P%2CDP1_0146P%2CDP1_0147C%2CDP1_0148C%2CDP1_0149C%2CDP1_0156C%2CDP1_0157C%2CDP1_0158C%2CDP1_0159P%2CDP1_0160P&for=place%3A59000&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref><ref name="Census2020PL"/> Whites not of Hispanic origin made up 66.4% of the total population.<ref name="Census2020PL"/>

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME%2CP2_002N%2CP2_003N&for=place%3A59000&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref>

There were 282,110 households in Portland, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.9% were married-couple households, 23.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 302,034 housing units, of which 6.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 49.8% were owner-occupied, and 50.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%, and the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A59000&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref>
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 449,025 || 68.8%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] || 38,217 || 5.9%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]] || 7,335 || 1.1%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 52,854 || 8.1%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander|Other Pacific Islander]] || 3,919 || 0.6%
|-
| Some other race || 31,255 || 4.8%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || 69,898 || 10.7%
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race)'' || 72,336 || 11.1%
|}
===2010 census===

The 2010 census reported the city as 76.1% [[White (U.S. census)|White]] (444,254 people), 7.1% [[Asian American|Asian]] (41,448), 6.3% Black or African American (36,778), 1.0% Native American (5,838), 0.5% Pacific Islander (2,919), 4.7% belonging to two or more racial groups (24,437) and 5.0% from other races (28,987).<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov">{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|title=Portland (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau|publisher=Quickfacts.census.gov|access-date=October 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805115133/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|archive-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> 9.4% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] or Latino, of any race (54,840). Whites not of Hispanic origin made up 72.2% of the total population.<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov" />

===Households===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 583,776 people living in the city, organized into 235,508 households. The population density was 4,375.2 people per square mile. There were 265,439 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1989.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. Population growth in Portland increased 10.3% between 2000 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|title=US Census Bureau State & County|publisher=Quickfacts.census.gov|access-date=September 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805115133/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4159000.html|archive-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Population growth in the [[Portland metropolitan area]] has outpaced the national average during the last decade, and this is expected to continue over the next 50 years.<ref name="pt_growth">{{cite news|title=Metro takes long view of growth|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121200846357363500|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206074247/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121200846357363500|archive-date=December 6, 2008|last=Law|first=Steve|newspaper=Portland Tribune|date=May 29, 2008|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>

Out of 223,737 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3, and the average family size was 3. The age distribution was 21.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,146, and the median income for a family was $50,271. Males had a reported median income of $35,279 versus $29,344 reported for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,643. 13.1% of the population and 8.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Figures delineating the income levels based on race are not available at this time. According to the [[Modern Language Association]], in 2010, 80.9% (539,885) of Multnomah County residents ages 5 and over spoke English as their [[primary language]] at home.<ref name="mod">{{Cite news|publisher=Modern Language Association|title=Data Center Results: Multnomah County, Oregon|year=2010}}</ref> 8.1% of the population spoke Spanish (54,036), with Vietnamese speakers making up 1.9%, and Russian 1.5%.<ref name="mod"/>

===Sexual orientation and gender identity===
The Portland metropolitan area has historically had a significant [[LGBT]] population throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.travelportland.com/article/lgbt-history-in-portland/|work=[[Travel Portland]]|title=LGBT history in Portland|access-date=September 25, 2015|date=August 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926091323/https://www.travelportland.com/article/lgbt-history-in-portland/|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glapn.org/6020timeline.html|work=GLAPN|title=Oregon Gay History Timeline|access-date=September 25, 2015}}</ref> In 2015, the city metro had the second highest percentage of LGBT residents in the United States with 5.4% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, second only to San Francisco.<ref name="nylgbt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/upshot/the-metro-areas-with-the-largest-and-smallest-gay-population.html|work=The New York Times|title=The Metro Areas With the Largest, and Smallest, Gay Populations|date=March 20, 2015|access-date=September 25, 2015|author1=Leonhardt, David|author2=Cain Miller, Claire}}</ref> In 2006, it was reported to have the seventh highest LGB population in the country, with 8.8% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and the metro ranking fourth in the nation at 6.1%.<ref name="ACSGates">Gary J. Gates {{cite web|url=http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-Same-Sex-Couples-GLB-Pop-ACS-Oct-2006.pdf|title=Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey|access-date=June 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609015224/http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-Same-Sex-Couples-GLB-Pop-ACS-Oct-2006.pdf|archive-date=June 9, 2013|url-status=dead}} {{small|(2.07 MB)}}. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, [[UCLA School of Law]], October 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2007.</ref> The city held its first [[pride festival]] in 1975 on the [[Portland State University]] campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2015/5/26/40-years-of-portland-pride-june-2015|work=PDX Monthly|title=Looking Back on 40 Years of Portland Pride|date=May 26, 2015|author=Ritchie, Rachel|access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Portland, Oregon}}

[[File:First Presbyterian Church - Portland Oregon.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Presbyterian Church (Portland, Oregon)|First Presbyterian Church]] in downtown]]

Portland has been cited as the least [[religious]] city in the United States with over 42% of residents identifying as religiously "unaffiliated",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/faith/2015/03/portland_unaffiliated.html|work=Oregon Live|title=Yes, Portland is America's most religiously unaffiliated metro. But who exactly are the 'nones'?|author=Binder, Melissa|date=March 18, 2015|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> according to the nonpartisan and nonprofit [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s American Values Atlas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-most-godless-city-in-america-2015-03-24|work=Market Watch|title=This is the most godless city in America|author=Fottrell, Quentin|date=March 28, 2015|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref>
===Homelessness===
[[File:Northeast Portland homeless camp tents.jpg|thumb|Tent camps set up on the sidewalk in the Lloyd District neighborhood]]
A 2019 survey by the city's budget office showed that homelessness is perceived as the top challenge facing Portland, and was cited as a reason people move and do not participate in park programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=2019 Portland Insights Survey|publisher=City of Portland, Oregon|year=2019|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/cbo/article/740406|access-date=December 24, 2020|archive-date=November 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105193645/https://www.portlandoregon.gov/cbo/article/740406|url-status=dead}}</ref> Calls to 911 concerning "unwanted persons" have significantly increased between 2013 and 2018, and the police are increasingly dealing with homeless and mentally ill.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shepard|first=Katie|title=Portlanders Call 911 to Report "Unwanted" People More Than Any Other Reason. We Listened In.|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/02/06/portlanders-call-911-to-report-unwanted-people-more-than-any-other-reason-we-listened-in/|access-date=October 5, 2020|website=Willamette Week|date=February 6, 2019}}</ref> Homelessness has taken a toll on the sense of safety among visitors, and residents and business owners are adversely impacted.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chakraborty|first=Barnini|date=August 12, 2019|title=Portland residents, business owners want city officials to 'fix' homeless problem|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-residents-tell-elected-officials-to-stop-talking-and-fix-homelessness-crisis|access-date=October 4, 2020|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> Even though homeless services and shelter beds have increased, as of 2020 homelessness is considered an intractable problem in Portland.<ref>{{cite web|title=A community activist challenges Portland's incumbent mayor amid protests, COVID-19 and a racial reckoning|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2020/10/17/a-community-activist-challenges-portlands-incumbent-mayor-amid-protests-covid-19-and-a-racial-reckoning/|access-date=October 18, 2020|website=opb}}</ref>

When encampments were being cleared in the [[Springwater Corridor]] in 2016, a community member from the nearby [[Lents, Portland, Oregon|Lents]] neighborhood raised concerns that those campers were moving to their neighborhood. An aide, Lucas Hillier, from then-mayor [[Charlie Hales]]'s office publicly mocked the citizen on a Facebook post that it's nothing compared to the Springwater Corridor camp, referencing a [[KPTV]] story, writing "You think that one is bad, check out this douchebag." While the aide issued an apology, the citizen commented that the mayor's office was very disconnected from issues faced by their constituents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 16, 2016 |title=Lents resident mocked by mayor's aide: 'His verbal attack is shameful' |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/lents-resident-mocked-by-mayors-aide-his-verbal-attack-is-shameful/283-319437905 |access-date=November 19, 2025 |website=kgw.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Staff |first=FOX 12 |title=Crews still cleaning up after homeless camps nearly two weeks after Springwater sweep |url=http://www.kptv.com/story/33077144/crews-still-cleaning-up-after-homeless-camps-nearly-two-weeks-after-springwater-sweep |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916101259/http://www.kptv.com/story/33077144/crews-still-cleaning-up-after-homeless-camps-nearly-two-weeks-after-springwater-sweep |archive-date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=November 19, 2025 |language=en}}</ref> As of 2020, Lucas Hillier manages the campsite cleanup program for the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=$4.5 Million Contract To Cleanup Portland's Homeless Campsites May Go To Hazardous Waste Company |url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-homeless-campsite-cleanup-contract-rapid-response-bio-clean-city-council/ |access-date=November 19, 2025 |website=opb |language=en}}</ref>

The proposed budget for 2022–23 includes $5.8MM to buy land for affordable housing, and $36MM to equip and operate "safe rest villages".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hammond|first=Betsy|date=May 4, 2022|title=Portland's next budget, flush with federal cash and business taxes, would expand and add programs, cut almost nothing|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2022/05/portlands-next-budget-flush-with-federal-cash-and-business-taxes-will-expand-and-add-programs-cut-almost-nothing.html|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 6, 2022|website=The Oregonian}}</ref> A 2022 initiative approved by the Portland city council makes homeless camping illegal, eventually requiring homeless individuals to move into mass shelters.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portland leaders approve plan to ban homeless camping, create large government-sponsored shelters|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2022/11/03/portland-leaders-approve-plan-to-ban-homeless-camping-set-up-large-sites/|access-date=December 9, 2022|website=opb.org|date=November 3, 2022}}</ref>

Portland voters passed the Supportive Housing Services tax in 2020. In 2019, the reported number of homeless people was around 4,000. That number rose to over 10,000, though some of that increase was due to a change in counting methods in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oregonian/OregonLive |first=Lillian Mongeau Hughes {{!}} The |date=May 17, 2025 |title=Homelessness continues to rise in Portland area even as increased services help thousands |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/05/homelessness-continues-to-rise-in-portland-area-even-as-increased-services-help-thousands.html |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=oregonlive |language=en}}</ref>

===Crime===
According to the [[FBI|Federal Bureau of Investigation]]'s [[Uniform Crime Report]] in 2009, Portland ranked 53rd in violent crime out of the top 75 U.S. cities with a population greater than 250,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2009|publisher=[[FBI]]|title=Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2009 (Table 6)|access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref> The murder rate in Portland in 2013 averaged 2.3 murders per 100,000 people per year, which was lower than the national average. In 2011, 72% of arrested male subjects tested positive for illegal drugs, and the city was dubbed the "deadliest drug market in the Pacific Northwest" due to drug-related deaths.<ref>{{cite episode|series=[[Drugs, Inc.]]|title=Dope-landia|network=National Geographic|date=July 23, 2014|season=5|number=4|minutes=44}}</ref>

In the Portland [[Metropolitan statistical area]], which includes Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties, OR, and Clark and Skamania Counties, WA, for 2017, the murder rate was 2.6, and violent crime was 283.2 per 100,000 people per year. In 2017, the population within the city of Portland was 649,408, and there were 24 murders and 3,349 violent crimes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-6/table-6|title=Table 6|website=FBI}}</ref>

In the years following the COVID pandemic, the city saw an increase in crime, with car theft rates in Portland reaching the fifth-highest of any US metropolitan area in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 2, 2023|title=Portland is 5th in the US for car thefts|publisher=[[KPTV]]|url=https://www.kptv.com/2023/03/02/portland-is-5th-us-car-thefts/|access-date=July 17, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=April 12, 2023|title= an average of 30 cars are stolen every day in Portland|url=https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/an-average-of-30-cars-are-stolen-every-day-in-portland/|publisher=[[KOIN]]|access-date=July 17, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> More than 11,000 vehicles were stolen in 2022, up from 6,500 in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jarvie|first=Jenny|date=February 10, 2023|title=What's the matter with Portland? Shootings, theft and other crime test city's progressive strain|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-02-10/whats-the-matter-with-portland-urban-ills-tests-citys-progressive-strain|access-date=August 4, 2023|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
Similarly, an increase in violent crime peaked in 2022 with a record 101 homicides.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 23, 2022|title=Portland's 101 homicides in 2022 set new record: 'At some point, we have to be tired of burying our children'|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/01/portlands-101-homicides-in-2022-set-new-record-at-some-point-we-have-to-be-tired-of-burying-our-children.html/|access-date=April 20, 2023|website=The Oregonian|archive-date=April 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414063636/https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/01/portlands-101-homicides-in-2022-set-new-record-at-some-point-we-have-to-be-tired-of-burying-our-children.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, Portland recorded 90 homicides, compared with 20 in 2016, and 27 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 1, 2018|title=2017 in review: Homicides in Portland|url=https://www.koin.com/news/2017-in-review-homicides-in-portland/|access-date=March 9, 2023|website=KOIN.com|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309004935/https://www.koin.com/news/2017-in-review-homicides-in-portland/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, violent crime in the city saw a marked decline, representing the highest drop of any city covered by the Major City Chiefs Mid-Year Report at a 51% decrease from 2024.<ref name="portland.gov2025">{{cite web | url=https://www.portland.gov/mayor/keith-wilson/news/2025/8/8/portland-sees-decline-violent-crime-homicides-down-51-first-half | title=Portland Sees Decline in Violent Crime; Homicides Down 51% in First Half of 2025 | work=portland.gov | date=August 8, 2025 | accessdate=August 19, 2025 | quote=Compared to January through June 2024, overall violent crime in Portland fell by 17 percent. Aggravated assaults dropped by 18 percent, robberies declined by 10 percent, and sexual assault reports were down 12 percent. Notably, homicides fell from 35 incidents to 17 incidents – a reduction of 51 percent – representing the largest homicide decrease of any major city in the report.}}</ref>  However, Portland has the second highest property crime per 100,000 population in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 21, 2025 |title=Portland has one of the highest property crime rates in the U.S. |url=https://www.koin.com/news/portland/portland-has-one-of-the-highest-property-crime-rates-in-the-u-s/ |work=[[KOIN]] }}{{Dead link|date=April 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> The city saw just 17 homicides in the period from January 1, 2025, to June 30 as opposed to 35 during the same time frame in the previous year.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|author=Major Cities Chiefs Association|url=https://majorcitieschiefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MCCA-Violent-Crime-Report-2025-and-2024-Midyear-2.pdf|title=VIOLENT CRIME SURVEY – NATIONAL TOTALS Midyear Comparison January 1 to June 30, 2025, and 2024}}</ref> Car theft also saw a significant decrease starting in 2024, with the city seeing the lowest number of cars stolen since recording began in 2015.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |last1=Marks |first1=Makenna |title=Car theft in Portland hits newest low in nearly 10 years |url=https://www.kptv.com/2025/05/07/car-theft-portland-hits-newest-low-nearly-10-years/ |website=kptv.com |date=May 7, 2025 |publisher=Fox 12 Oregon |access-date=September 17, 2025}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|Category:Companies based in Portland, Oregon|l1=Companies based in Portland, Oregon}}[[File:Adidas Village Giant Shoes.jpg|thumb|[[Adidas]] has its North American headquarters in the [[Overlook, Portland, Oregon|Overlook neighborhood]].]]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.<ref name="citydata_economy">{{cite web |title=Portland: Economy – Major Industries and Commercial Activity |url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Portland-Economy.html |access-date=June 4, 2008}}</ref>

The city's 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.<ref name="answers_cg">{{cite web|title=Cascade General, Inc|website=[[Answers.com]]|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/cascade-general-inc?cat=biz-fin|access-date=June 4, 2008}}</ref><ref name="portofportland_report">{{cite web|title=Portfolio|url=http://www.portofportland.com/PDFPOP/Portfolio_06_07.pdf|access-date=June 4, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115174439/http://www.portofportland.com/PDFPOP/Portfolio_06_07.pdf|archive-date=January 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Port of Portland (Oregon)|Port of Portland]] is the third-largest export tonnage port on the west coast of the U.S., and being about {{convert|80|mi|km}} upriver, it is the largest freshwater port.<ref name="citydata_economy" />

The scrap steel industry's history in Portland predates World War II. [[Radius Recycling]] (formerly Schnitzer Steel), a major [[scrap]] recycler is headquartered in the [[KOIN Tower]] in Portland.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/07/schnitzer-steel-rebrands-as-radius-recycling.html | title=Schnitzer Steel scraps name, rebrands as Radius Recycling | work=[[The Oregonian]] | date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> Other heavy industry companies in Portland include [[ESCO Group]],<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023/09/esco-not-bailing-on-portland-has-leased-new-space-in-northwest-portland.html | title=ESCO not bailing on Portland, has leased new space in Northwest Portland | work=[[The Oregonian]] | date=September 24, 2023}}</ref> and [[Evraz Oregon Steel Mills]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.aist.org/evraz-to-acquire-oregon-steel-mills-for-us$2-3-billion | title=Evraz to Acquire Oregon Steel Mills for US$2.3 Billion | work=[[Association for Iron and Steel Technology]] | date=November 21, 2006}}</ref>

Technology is a major component of the city's economy, with more than 1,200 technology companies existing within the metro.<ref name="citydata_economy" /> This high density of technology companies has led to the nickname [[Silicon Forest]] being used to describe the Portland area, a reference to the abundance of trees in the region and to the [[Silicon Valley]] region in Northern California.<ref name=name>Rogoway, Mike (April 9, 2006). Bizz blog: Silicon Forest. ''The Oregonian''.</ref> The area also hosts facilities for software companies and online [[startup companies]], some supported by local [[seed funding]] organizations and [[business incubator]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2012/01/23/portland-makes-bid-to-become-budding-techlandia/|title=Portland Makes Bid To Become Budding Techlandia|work=Venture Capital Dispatch|date=January 23, 2012|first=Deborah|last=Gage}}</ref>

[[Providence Health & Services]] became the largest employer in the Portland Metro area  in 2023 with the second largest being Intel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Emily |date=September 25, 2023 |title=Providence edges out Intel as the Portland area's biggest employer |url=https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/09/25/providence-health-biggest-employer |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 21, 2025 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref>

The Portland metro area has become a [[business cluster]] for athletic/outdoor gear and footwear manufacturer's headquarters. The area is home to the global, North American or U.S. headquarters of [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] (the only [[Fortune 500]] company headquartered in Oregon), [[Adidas]], [[Columbia Sportswear]], [[LaCrosse Footwear]], [[Dr. Martens]], [[Li-Ning]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Gregory|first=Roger|title=Top Chinese shoemaker opens U.S. headquarters in Portland|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/2008/01/top_chinese_shoemaker_opens_us.html|work=The Oregonian|date=January 21, 2008|access-date=September 14, 2013|format=January 21, 2008}}</ref> [[Keen (shoe company)|Keen]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Duxbury|first=Sarah|title=Footwear firm gives Bay Area the boot|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2005/11/14/story4.html|work=San Francisco Business Times|access-date=September 14, 2013|date=November 13, 2005}}</ref> [[Hi-Tec Sports]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Brettman|first=Allan|title=Hi-Tec moving U.S. headquarters to Portland|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/hi-tec_moving_us_headquarters.html|work=October 10, 2010|access-date=September 14, 2013|date=October 10, 2010}}</ref> and [[Snow Peak (company)|Snow Peak]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Frimoth|first=Savanna|title=USA Flagship and Headquarters|url=https://www.snowpeak.com/blogs/explore/usa-flagship-and-headquarters|work=Snow Peak|access-date=March 8, 2025|date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

Other notable Portland-based companies include industrial goods and metal fabrication company [[Precision Castparts Corp.|Precision Castparts]], film animation studio [[Laika (company)|Laika]]; commercial vehicle manufacturer [[Daimler Trucks North America]]; shipbuilding and ship repair company [[Vigor Marine Group]]; advertising firm [[Wieden+Kennedy]]; bankers [[Umpqua Holdings Corporation|Umpqua Holdings]]; child care and early childhood education provider [[KinderCare Learning Centers]]; and retailers [[Fred Meyer]], [[New Seasons Market]], [[Storables]], and [[Powell's Books]].

Breweries are another major industry in Portland, which is home to 139 breweries/[[microbreweries]], the 7th most in the nation, as of December 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/chicago-beer-most-breweries-us-cities-brewers-association/|title=Chicago is home to more breweries than any other US city|website=Chicago Sun-Times|date=December 13, 2018|access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref>

The Oregon Employment Department estimates that the 2024 annual average total nonfarm employment in the city of Portland was 440,797.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oregon Employment Department |title=Economy:Current Employment Estimates (CES) |url=https://www.qualityinfo.org/ceest |access-date=February 6, 2026 |website=QualityInfo |language=en-US}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Supersector
!2024 Average Annual Total Nonfarm Employment
|-
|Natural Resources and Mining
| align="right" |1,160
|-
|Construction
| align="right" |22,097
|-
|Manufacturing
| align="right" |22,285
|-
|Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
| align="right" |82,360
|-
|Information
| align="right" |11,396
|-
|Financial Activities
| align="right" |23,923
|-
|Professional and Business Services
| align="right" |80,333
|-
|Education and Health Services
| align="right" |116,498
|-
|Leisure and Hospitality
| align="right" |46,883
|-
|Other Services
| align="right" |17,775
|-
|Public Administration
| align="right" |15,986
|-
|Unclassified
| align="right" |101
|}<!-- This contradicts the claim in the "Cuisine and Breweries" section, which says Portland has more breweries and microbreweries than any city in the world.  -->

===Top employers===
{{As of|2024}}, the Portland area's top employers were:<ref>{{cite web |date=December 9, 2024 |title=Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, City of Portland, Oregon, For the Year Ended June 30, 2024 |url=https://www.portland.gov/accounting/documents/2024-annual-comprehensive-financial-report/download |access-date=July 2, 2025 |website=Bureau of Revenue and Financial Services |publisher=City of Portland, Oregon |page=412}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Rank !! Employer
! Employees in 2024 !! Employees in 2015
! 2024 Share !! 2015 Share
|-
| 1 || [[Intel]]
| {{Increase}} 23,192 || 17,500
| {{Increase}} 1.78%  || 1.56%
|-
| 2 || [[Oregon Health & Science University]]
| {{Increase}} 20,917 || 14,616
| {{Increase}} 1.61%  || 1.30%
|-
| 3 || [[Providence Health & Services]]
| {{Increase}} 20,700 || 15,239
| {{Increase}} 1.59%  || 1.36%
|-
| 4 || [[Kaiser Foundation]]
| {{Increase}} 13,086 || 11,881
| {{Decrease}} 1.01%  || 1.06%
|-
| 5 || [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]
| {{Increase}} 10,700 || 8,000
| {{Increase}} 0.82%  || 0.71%
|-
| 6 || [[Fred Meyer]]
| {{Decrease}} 9,000 || 10,237
| {{Decrease}} 0.69% || 0.91%
|-
| 7 || [[Portland Public Schools (Oregon)|Portland Public Schools]]
| {{Increase}} 7,638 || -
| {{Increase}} 0.59% || -
|-
| 8 || City of Portland
| {{Decrease}} 6,631 || 8,558
| {{Decrease}} 0.51% || 0.76%
|-
| 9 || [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]]
| {{Increase}} 5,626 || -
| {{Increase}} 0.43% || -
|-
| 10 || [[Beaverton School District]]
| {{Increase}} 5,432 || -
| {{Increase}} 0.42% || -
|}

===Housing===
In 2016, home prices in Portland grew faster than in any other city in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/front-porch/index.ssf/2017/01/zillow_portland_area_leads_nat.html|title=Zillow: Portland area leads nation in home-price increases, second in rent hikes|newspaper=The Oregonian|access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref> Apartment rental costs in Portland reported in November 2019 were $1,337 for two bedrooms and $1,133 for one bedroom.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eastman|first=Janet|date=November 17, 2019|title=Portland rents are holding steady with two-bedroom units at $1,337 a month|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2019/11/portland-rents-are-holding-steady-with-two-bedroom-units-at-1337-a-month.html|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>

In 2017, developers projected an additional 6,500 apartments to be built in the Portland Metro Area over the next year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2017/08/02/sick-of-portland-changing-too-bad-here-are-7-places-where-this-city-could-soon-go-big/|title=Sick of Portland Changing? Too Bad. Here Are 7 Places Where This City Could Soon Go Big|date=August 2, 2017}}</ref> However, as of December 2019, the number of homes available for rent or purchase in Portland continues to shrink. Over the past year, housing prices in Portland have risen 2.5%. Housing prices in Portland continue to rise, the median price rising from $391,400 in November 2018 to $415,000 in November 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/realestate/2019/12/portland-area-homebuyers-face-even-fewer-choices-as-prices-rise-25-over-last-year.html|title=Portland-area homebuyers face even fewer choices as prices rise 2.5% over last year|date=December 23, 2019}}</ref> There has been a rise of people from out of state moving to Portland, which impacts housing availability. Because of the demand for affordable housing and influx of new residents, more Portlanders in their 20s and 30s are still living in their parents' homes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/10/10/portlands-housing-crisis-would-be-a-lot-worse-if-so-many-20-and-30-somethings-werent-living-with-their-parents/|title=Portland's Housing Crisis Would be a Lot Worse if So Many 20- and 30- Somethings Weren't Living with Their Parents|date=October 11, 2019}}</ref> There is a considerable amount of "[[Airbnb]] type" rentals in the city. An audit in 2018 located around 4,600 listings, of which 80% were illegally operated.<ref>{{Cite web|agency=Associated Press|date=August 8, 2018|title=Audit: 80 percent of Portland's Airbnb-style rentals are illegal|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/report-80-percent-of-portland-short-term-rentals-not-legal/|access-date=September 8, 2023|website=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Friendman|first=Gordon|date=August 8, 2018|title=80 percent of Portland Airbnb-style rentals operate illegally, audit finds|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2018/08/80_percent_of_portland_airbnb-.html|access-date=September 8, 2023|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>

In 2021, Portland became the largest city in the United States to end [[single-family zoning]], allowing four homes by right on virtually all residential lots and eliminating most off-street parking requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andersen |first=Michael |date=August 6, 2021 |title=The Eight Deaths of Portland's Residential Infill Project |url=https://www.sightline.org/2021/08/06/the-eight-deaths-of-portlands-residential-infill-project/ |access-date=December 27, 2025 |website=Sightline Institute |language=en-US}}</ref> In the three years since the law passed, approximately 1,400 new "[[Missing middle housing|missing middle]]" homes were created, outpacing other types of homes, and these homes cost approximately $300,000 less than comparable new single-family units.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2025 |title=This type of house is reshaping Portland's neighborhoods, creating affordable homeownership |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portlands-middle-housing-boom-expands-affordable-homeownership/283-82107e56-2358-42aa-a307-cd409158a7de |access-date=December 27, 2025 |website=kgw.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Tax policy===
Portland has no sales tax, and residents face some of the highest taxes in the United States. The state levies the sixth highest income tax on individuals, the top begins in at $125,000.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Oregon Tax Data Explorer |url=https://taxfoundation.org/location/oregon/ |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=Tax Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> Including taxes administered by [[Metro (Oregon regional government)|Metro]] and [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]], Portland Oregon has the 2nd highest top marginal rate in the United States at 14.7737%. The city rates ranks first for [[S corporation|S-Corporations]], [[Partnership]]s and [[Limited liability company|LLCs]] and first for [[C corporation|C-Corporations]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walczak |first=Jared |date=June 25, 2024 |title=Portland's Weirdly High Taxes |url=https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/state/portland-taxes/ |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=Tax Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> In addition to state taxes, Portland has the nation's fifth-highest effective property tax rate on median-valued homes among major cities<ref>{{Cite web |title=50-State Property Tax Comparison Study For Taxes Paid in 2022 |url=https://go.lincolninst.edu/50-state-property-tax-comparison-for-2022.pdf |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=go.lincolninst.edu}}</ref> and the 13th highest rate for commercial property taxes. Due to [[Oregon Ballot Measures 47 and 50|Oregon Ballot Measure 50]], property tax rates are related to the value of the land as of 1995, which has caused disparities in tax burden between two properties which sell for the same price but in different neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Njus |first=Elliot |date=September 11, 2015 |title=Tax breaks for gentrifiers: How a 1990s property tax revolt has skewed the Portland-area tax burden |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2015/09/measure_50_winners_and_losers.html |access-date=December 27, 2025 |website=oregonlive |language=en}}</ref> The city also imposes a 1% Clean Energy Surcharge on business with more than $1 billion in worldwide receipts and more than $500k in Portland revenue. All Portland residents over age 18 who earn more than $1,000 and are in a household with income above the poverty level are also required to pay a $35 [[Portland Arts Tax]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Acker |first=Lizzy |date=April 1, 2025 |title=Here's where Portland's arts tax money went last year |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2025/04/heres-where-portlands-arts-tax-money-went-last-year.html |access-date=December 27, 2025 |website=[[The Oregonian]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, local voters passed bills to impose a Supportive Housing Services tax and a Preschool for All Personal Income tax.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2025 |title=Supportive housing services tax |url=https://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/supportive-housing-services-tax |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref><ref name="multco.us">{{Cite web |title=Multnomah County Preschool For All Personal Income Tax {{!}} Multnomah County |url=https://multco.us/info/multnomah-county-preschool-all-personal-income-tax |access-date=October 4, 2025 |website=multco.us |language=en}}</ref> The goal of the Supportive Housing Services tax was to raise $250 million annually to address homelessness across the metro Portland region by levying a 1% tax on income above $125,000 for individuals or $200,000 for couples filing jointly, and a 1% business income tax on net income for business with receipts above $5 million. The Preschool for All tax is 1.5% on $125k individual / $200k joint filers and an additional 1.5% on income over $250k individuals / $400k joint, to fund preschool programs in Multnomah County. The Preschool for All rates are expected to increase by 0.8% in 2027.<ref name="multco.us"/> All local taxes are administered by the City of Portland Revenue Division, including for those who live in portions of Metro or Multnomah County outside the city.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kavanaugh |first=Shane Dixon |date=February 4, 2023 |title=Portland watchdog says city should waive fines for those who failed to pay new homeless services, preschool taxes |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/02/portland-watchdog-says-city-should-waive-fines-for-those-who-failed-to-pay-new-homeless-services-preschool-taxes.html |access-date=January 1, 2026 |website=[[The Oregonian]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
===Music, film, and performing arts===
{{See also|Music of Oregon#Portland{{!}}Music of Oregon|Cinemas in Portland, Oregon|List of films shot in Oregon#Northwest{{!}}List of films shot in Northwestern Oregon}}
<!-- * * * * * * * * NOTE * * * * * * * *
 * This section is ''not'' for listing every single band, bar venue, aspiring author, and filmmaker.
 * Only bands, and other artists, contributing significantly to music or to Portland should be included.
 * This section is meant to highlight only those who are extremely well known among the city's cultural contributors.
 * It's suggested any additions are discussed on the talk page first.
 * -->

[[File:Sagebrush Symphony, Burns, Oregon.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|The Sagebrush Symphony, an early incarnation of the [[Portland Youth Philharmonic]], performing in [[Burns, Oregon|Burns]] {{circa}} 1916]]
Portland is home to a range of classical performing arts institutions including the [[Portland Opera]], [[Portland Baroque Orchestra]], [[Oregon Symphony]] and [[Portland Youth Philharmonic]]; the last of these, established in 1924, was the first youth orchestra established in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Oregonian|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2009/11/latest_oregon_experience_chron.html|title=Latest 'Oregon Experience' chronicles a violin teacher's legacy|date=November 6, 2009|access-date=March 31, 2018}}</ref> The city is also home to several theaters and performing arts institutions including the [[Oregon Ballet Theatre]], Northwest Children's Theatre, [[Portland Center Stage]], [[Artists Repertory Theatre]], Curious Comedy Theatre and [[Miracle Theatre]].

In 2013, ''[[The Guardian]]'' named the city's music scene as one of the "most vibrant" in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/25/top-10-live-music-venues-portland-oregon|work=The Guardian|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=November 11, 2015|author1=Rayburn, Aaron|author2=Vickery, Ben|title=Top 10 live music venues in Portland, Oregon}}</ref> Portland is home to famous bands such as the [[The Kingsmen|Kingsmen]] and [[Paul Revere & the Raiders]], both famous for their association with the song "[[Louie Louie]]" (1963).<ref>{{cite web|last=Ely|first=Jack|title=The Kingsmen Homepage|url=http://www.louielouie.org/|publisher=The Kingsmen Online|access-date=December 6, 2012}}</ref> Other widely known musical groups include<!-- please don't add to this list! See the warning (up a paragraph) and discuss on talk page first --> the [[The Dandy Warhols|Dandy Warhols]], [[Quarterflash]], [[Everclear (band)|Everclear]], [[Pink Martini]], [[Sleater-Kinney]], [[Blitzen Trapper]], the [[The Decemberists|Decemberists]], and [[Elliott Smith]]. More recently, [[Portugal. The Man]], [[Modest Mouse]], and [[the Shins]] have made their home in Portland. In the 1980s, the city was home to a burgeoning punk scene, which included bands such as the [[Wipers (band)|Wipers]] and [[Dead Moon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jan/22/cult-heroes-wipers-greg-sage-punk-portland|work=The Guardian|title=Cult heroes: Wipers – the sound of emptiness and dread|author=Hann, Michael|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=September 12, 2015}}</ref> The city's now-demolished [[Satyricon nightclub]] was a punk venue where [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] frontman [[Kurt Cobain]] first encountered his future wife and [[Hole (band)|Hole]] frontwoman [[Courtney Love]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/print/profile/kurt-cobain-9542179|work=Biography.com|title=Kurt Cobain|access-date=May 17, 2010|archive-date=January 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114011736/http://www.biography.com/print/profile/kurt-cobain-9542179|url-status=dead}}</ref> Love was then a resident of Portland and started several bands there with [[Kat Bjelland]], later of [[Babes in Toyland (band)|Babes in Toyland]].<ref name="e_weeklykennedy">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/08/12/courtney-love-comes-out-hiding/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|title=The Power of Love|first=Dana|last=Kennedy|date=August 12, 1994|access-date=October 20, 2010|archive-date=July 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709093133/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/08/12/courtney-love-comes-out-hiding|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="e_true">"Courtney Love". The E! True Hollywood Story. October 5, 2003. E!.</ref> Multi-[[Grammy]] award-winning jazz artist [[Esperanza Spalding]] is from Portland and performed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at a young age.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2011/02/esperanza_spalding_didnt_come_out_of_the_blue.html|work=Oregon Live|title=Esperanza Spalding didn't come out of the blue to beat Justin Bieber at the Grammys – she came from Portland's jazz community|date=February 11, 2011|access-date=November 3, 2015|author=Hughley, Marty}}</ref>

A [[List of films shot in Oregon|wide range of films have been shot in Portland]], from various independent features to major big-budget productions. Director [[Gus Van Sant]] has notably set and shot many of his films in the city.{{sfn|Falsetto|2015|pages=1–29}} The city has also been featured in various television programs, notably the [[IFC (American TV channel)|IFC]] [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[Portlandia]]''. The series, which ran for eight seasons from 2011 to 2018,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/01/18/578887753/portlandia-is-ending-and-portlanders-are-ok-with-that|title='Portlandia' Is Ending, And Portlanders Are OK With That|author=Scott, Aaron|date=January 18, 2018|access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref> was shot on location in Portland, and satirized the city as a hub of liberal politics, organic food, alternative lifestyles, and anti-establishment attitudes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waaf.com/Talking-Portlandia-With-Fred-Armisen/11304434?pid=268536|title=Talking Portlandia With Fred Armisen|author=Mike Hsu|date=September 28, 2012|publisher=WAAF Radio|access-date=March 6, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921124433/http://www.waaf.com/Talking-Portlandia-With-Fred-Armisen/11304434?pid=268536}}</ref> [[MTV]]'s long-time running reality show ''[[The Real World (TV series)|The Real World]]'' was also shot in Portland for the show's 28th season: ''[[The Real World: Portland]]'' premiered on MTV in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/03/mtv_goes_real_world_retro_in_r.html|work=The Oregonian|title=MTV goes 'Real World' retro in run-up to 'The Real World: Portland'|date=March 21, 2013|access-date=March 31, 2018|author=Turnquist, Kristi}}</ref> Other television series shot in the city include ''[[Leverage (American TV series)|Leverage]]'', [[The Librarians (2014 TV series)|''The Librarians'']],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2018/03/tnt_cancels_portland-filmed_se.html|work=The Oregonian|date=March 8, 2018|title=TNT cancels Portland-filmed series, 'The Librarians'|access-date=March 31, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Under Suspicion (TV series)|Under Suspicion]]'', ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', and ''[[Nowhere Man (American TV series)|Nowhere Man]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2017/11/22_tv_series_set_in_oregon_ran.html|work=The Oregonian|date=November 22, 2017|title=23 TV series set in Oregon, ranked: Most memorable to totally forgettable|author=Turnquist, Kristi}}</ref>

An unusual feature of Portland entertainment is the large number of movie theaters serving beer, often with second-run or revival films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelportland.com/article/portland-brew-n-view-theaters/|work=Travel Portland|title=Portland brew 'n' view theaters|date=July 26, 2013|access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref> Notable examples of these "brew and view" theaters include the [[The Bagdad Theater and Pub|Bagdad Theater and Pub]], a former [[vaudeville]] theater built in 1927 by [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]];{{sfn|Palahniuk|2003|pages=63–64}} [[Cinema 21]]; and the [[Laurelhurst Theater]], in operation since 1923. Portland hosts the world's longest-running [[H. P. Lovecraft|H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Haunted Hotels: Eerie Inns, Ghoulish Guests, and Creepy Caretakers|page=10|author=Ogden, Tom|isbn=978-0762756599|date=2010|publisher=Globe Pequot Press}}</ref> at the [[Hollywood Theatre (Portland, Oregon)|Hollywood Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hplfilmfestival.com/|title=Lovecraft Film Festival Official site|access-date=November 25, 2007}}</ref>

===Museums and recreation===
{{See also|List of museums in Portland, Oregon|Tourism in Portland, Oregon|List of artists and art institutions in Portland, Oregon}}
[[File:OMSI entrance outside - Portland, Oregon.JPG|thumb|[[Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]] (OMSI)]]

Portland is home to numerous museums and educational institutions, ranging from art museums to institutions devoted to science and wildlife. Among the science-oriented institutions are the [[Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]] (OMSI), which consists of five main halls and other ticketed attractions, such as the {{USS|Blueback|SS-581|6}} submarine,<ref>{{cite web|work=KGW|url=http://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/fond-memories-aboard-uss-blueback-submarine-featured-at-omsi/500853963|title=Fond memories aboard USS Blueback submarine featured at OMSI|archive-date=May 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509011028/http://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/fond-memories-aboard-uss-blueback-submarine-featured-at-omsi/500853963|last=Pitawanich|first=Christine|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=April 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> the ultra-large-screen Empirical Theater (which replaced an OMNIMAX theater in 2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/09/change_projected_at_three_port.html|work=The Oregonian|title=Omnimax says goodbye; Bagdad goes first-run: Indie theater news|date=September 5, 2013|author=Mohan, Marc|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref> and the Kendall [[Planetarium]].<ref>{{cite web|work=The Bulletin|location=Bend, Oregon|title=Observatories and planetariums within a day's drive of Bend|author=Anderson, John Gottberg|date=August 20, 2017|url=http://www.bendbulletin.com/lifestyle/5520489-151/observatories-and-planetariums-within-a-days-drive-of|access-date=April 1, 2018|archive-date=April 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402163207/http://www.bendbulletin.com/lifestyle/5520489-151/observatories-and-planetariums-within-a-days-drive-of|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[World Forestry Center|World Forestry Center Discovery Museum]], located in the city's [[Washington Park (Portland, Oregon)|Washington Park]] area, offers educational exhibits on forests and forest-related subjects. Also located in Washington Park are the [[Hoyt Arboretum]], the [[International Rose Test Garden]], the [[Portland Japanese Garden|Japanese Garden]], and the [[Oregon Zoo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/05/portland_hiking_guide.html|work=The Oregonian|title=Portland hiking guide: The 20 best places to hike in the city|date=May 11, 2016|access-date=March 30, 2018|author=Hale, Jamie}}</ref>

[[File:Portland Art Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Portland Art Museum]]|left]]

The [[Portland Art Museum]] owns the city's largest art collection and presents a variety of touring exhibitions each year and, with the recent addition of the Modern and Contemporary Art wing, it became one of the United States' 25 largest museums. The [[Oregon Historical Society Museum]], founded in 1898, which has a variety of books, film, pictures, artifacts, and maps dating back throughout Oregon's history. It houses permanent and temporary exhibits about Oregon history, and hosts traveling exhibits about the history of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/museum/oregon-history-museum/|work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|title=Oregon Historical Society Museum|access-date=March 31, 2018|archive-date=April 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402101845/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/museum/oregon-history-museum/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Oaks Amusement Park]], in the Sellwood district of Southeast Portland, is the city's only [[amusement park]] and is also one of the country's longest-running amusement parks. It has operated since 1905 and was known as the "[[Coney Island]] of the Northwest" upon its opening.<ref name="beck">{{cite web|url=http://portlandtribune.com/sb/75-features/125058-oaks-amusement-park-and-its-beginnings-|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107162842/http://portlandtribune.com/sb/75-features/125058-oaks-amusement-park-and-its-beginnings-|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2014|work=The Bee|publisher=[[Pamplin Media Group]]|title=Oaks Amusement Park, and its beginnings|date=December 20, 2012|access-date=July 3, 2017|last=Beck|first=Dana}}</ref>

===Cuisine and breweries===
[[File:Widmer Brewing Company headquarters - Portland, Oregon.JPG|thumb|right|Widmer Brewing Company headquarters]]

Portland was ranked #1 in the nation as [[Food carts in Portland, Oregon|food cart]] city by [[Food & Wine]] in 2023 and at the time, there were around 1,000 food carts in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Michael |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Portland voted best food truck city in America |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2023/04/portland-voted-best-food-truck-city-in-america.html |access-date=December 15, 2025 |website=[[Oregonlive]] |language=}}</ref>

Portland has 58 active breweries within city limits,<ref name="Facts – Oregon Craft Beer">{{cite web|url=http://oregoncraftbeer.org/facts/|title=Facts – Oregon Craft Beer|publisher=OregonCraftBeer.org|access-date=February 26, 2015|archive-date=February 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227110857/http://oregoncraftbeer.org/facts/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 70+ within the surrounding metro area.<ref name="Facts – Oregon Craft Beer"/> and data compiled by the Brewers Association ranks Portland seventh in the United States as of 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/brewery-growth-both-urban-and-rural/|title=Brewery Growth is Both Urban and Rural|date=December 10, 2018|publisher=Brewers Association|access-date=July 25, 2019}}</ref>

Portland hosts a number of festivals throughout the year that celebrate beer and brewing, including the [[Oregon Brewers Festival]], held in [[Tom McCall Waterfront Park]]. Held each summer during the last full weekend of July, it is the largest outdoor craft beer festival in North America, with over 70,000 attendees in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2008/07/2008_obf_biggest_ever_say_orga.html|title=2008 OBF biggest ever|last=Foyston|first=John|work=The Oregonian|date=July 29, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922011706/http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2008/07/2008_obf_biggest_ever_say_orga.html|archive-date=September 22, 2013}}</ref> Other major beer festivals throughout the calendar year include the Spring Beer and Wine Festival in April, the North American Organic Brewers Festival in June, the [[Portland International Beerfest]] in July,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Brewers, beer lovers get many reasons to raise a glass|first=Anne Marie|last=Distefano|newspaper=Portland Tribune|date=July 8, 2005|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=30717|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206074237/http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=30717|archive-date=December 6, 2008|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref> and the Holiday Ale Festival in December.

===Sustainability===
The city became a pioneer of state-directed metropolitan planning, a program which was instituted statewide in 1969 to compact the [[urban growth boundary|urban growth boundaries]] of the city.{{sfn|Freilich|Sitkowski|Mennilo|2010|p=134}} Portland was the first city to enact a comprehensive plan to reduce [[carbon dioxide emissions]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Kate Sheppard|date=July 19, 2007|title=15 Green Cities|url=http://www.grist.org/article/cities3|access-date=June 23, 2010|publisher=Environmental News and Commentary}}</ref>

===Free speech and public nudity===
[[File:no war pdx.jpg|thumb|[[Protests against the Iraq War]] on March 19, 2006]]

Strong free speech protections of the [[Oregon Constitution]] upheld by the [[Oregon Supreme Court]] in ''[[State v. Henry]]'',<ref>{{cite court|litigants=State v. Henry|vol=732|reporter=P.2d|opinion=9|court=Or.|year=1987|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1154439/state-v-henry/|access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> specifically found that full nudity and [[lap dance]]s in [[strip club]]s are [[Freedom of speech|protected speech]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Busse|first=Phil|work=[[The Portland Mercury]]|title=Cover Yourself!|date=November 7, 2002|url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=27886&category=22101|access-date=February 1, 2007}}</ref> Portland has the highest number of strip clubs per-capita in a city in the United States, and Oregon ranks as the highest state for per-capita strip clubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://priceonomics.com/why-does-portland-have-so-many-strip-clubs/|title=Why Does Portland Have so Many Strip Clubs?|work=Priceonomics|access-date=April 1, 2018|author=Crockett, Zachary|date=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

In November 2008, a Multnomah County judge dismissed charges against a nude bicyclist arrested on June 26, 2008. The judge stated that the city's annual [[World Naked Bike Ride]]{{snd}}held each year in June since 2004{{snd}}has created a "well-established tradition" in Portland where cyclists may ride naked as a form of protest against cars and fossil fuel dependence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.katu.com/news/local/34445764.html|title=Judge: riding in the buff is 'tradition,' man cleared|agency=Associated Press|publisher=KATU|date=November 21, 2008|access-date=December 8, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122082145/http://www.katu.com/news/local/34445764.html|archive-date=January 22, 2009}}</ref> The defendant was not riding in the official World Naked Bike Ride at the time of his arrest as it had occurred 12 days earlier that year, on June 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2008.php|title=Pedalpalooza|year=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507093646/http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2008.php|archive-date=May 7, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

===Public art===
{{main|List of public art in Portland, Oregon}}

The city of Portland has over 400 pieces of permanently sited [[public art]].<ref name="Oregonian-Art">{{cite news|last=Rogoway|first=Mike|date=March 2, 2011|title=New, free iPhone app maps public art around Portland|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/2011/03/art_app.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Regional Arts & Culture Council – Permanently Sited|url=https://www.publicartarchive.org/collections/Regional-Arts---Culture-Council-Permanently-Sited|publisher=Public Art Archive|access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref> One of the oldest pieces of public art in the city is [[Skidmore Fountain]], which was completed in 1888.<ref>{{cite news|last=Perry|first=Douglas|date=February 24, 2017|title=A disappearing president, the real face of 'Portlandia': The fascinating history of 25 Portland public-art gems|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2017/02/a_disappearing_president_the_r.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref> Most pieces are maintained by the [[Regional Arts & Culture Council]], an organization that is partially funded by the city government. Several outdoor statues, sculptures, and monuments were removed or vandalized following the 2020 [[George Floyd protests]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Foden-Vencil|first=Kristian|date=December 28, 2020|title=Some of Portland's most prominent public art tumbled this year. Which ones should come back?|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/28/portland-oregon-statues-protest-black-lives-matter-elk/|publisher=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref> A [[percent for art]] ordinance was passed by Portland's city council in 1980 to allocate funding for public artwork in the capital budgets of major city projects.<ref name="Oregonian-Art"/>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Portland, Oregon}}

Portland is home to four major league sports franchises: the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], the [[Portland Timbers]] of [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS), the [[Portland Thorns FC]] of the [[National Women's Soccer League]], and the [[Portland Fire]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]. In 2015, the Timbers won the [[MLS Cup 2015|MLS Cup]], which was the first male professional sports championship for a team from Portland since the Trail Blazers won the [[1977 NBA Finals|NBA championship in 1977]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-12-06-columbus-crew-sc-vs-portland-timbers/recap/|title=Columbus Crew SC 1, Portland Timbers 2 MLS Cup Match Recap|publisher=mlssoccer.com|access-date=December 12, 2015|date=December 6, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211055535/http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-12-06-columbus-crew-sc-vs-portland-timbers/recap|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite being the 19th most populated [[United States metropolitan area|metro area]] in the United States, Portland contains only one franchise from the four major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB), making it the United States' second most populated metro area with that distinction, behind [[San Antonio]], which also has only an NBA team (the [[San Antonio Spurs|Spurs]]). The city has been often rumored to receive an additional franchise, although efforts to acquire a team have failed due to stadium funding issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=1600284|title=Though not perfect, Portland is a viable city for baseball|last=Neyer|first=Rob|date=August 21, 2003|publisher=ESPN|quote=Portland is the largest metropolitan area with just one major professional sports team (the Trail Blazers).|access-date=January 6, 2009}}</ref> An organization known as the [[Portland Diamond Project]] (PDP)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/12/722c420c1e1332/portland-diamond-project-looki.html|title=Portland Diamond Project, looking to build baseball stadium buzz, opens pop-up store|date=December 7, 2018}}</ref> has worked with MLB and local government, and there are plans to have an MLB stadium constructed at [[Zidell Yards]] in the [[South Waterfront, Portland, Oregon|South Waterfront]] neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|author1=Shane Dixon Kavanaugh|author2=Bach, Jonathan|date=September 24, 2024|title=Portland Diamond Project says it has agreement for baseball stadium at South Waterfront site|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2024/09/portland-diamond-project-says-it-has-agreement-for-baseball-stadium-at-south-waterfront-site.html|access-date=September 25, 2024|website=The Oregonian|language=en}}</ref> The PDP has not yet received the funding for this project.

On September 18, 2024, it was announced that the city would receive a WNBA franchise named the [[Portland Fire]], slated to start in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portland|url=https://www.wnba.com/portland|access-date=September 19, 2024|website=wnba.com}}</ref>

[[File:Jeld-Wen Field 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Providence Park]], home of the [[Portland Timbers]] and the [[Portland Thorns FC|Portland Thorns]]]]

Portland sports fans are characterized by their passionate support. The Trail Blazers sold out every home game between 1977 and 1995, a span of 814 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in American sports history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/portland-trail-blazers-history/|title=History of Portland Trail Blazers|website=[[Funding Universe]]|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref> The Timbers joined MLS in 2011 and sold out 163 consecutive games through March 8, 2020, when they played their final home game prior to MLS suspending the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Costello |first=Brian |date=July 18, 2021 |title=By The Numbers {{!}} A historic goal, a player in form and a big crowd all in Timbers win |url=https://www.timbers.com/news/by-the-numbers-an-historic-goal-a-player-in-form-and-a-big-crowd-all-in-timbers- |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260211060713/https://www.timbers.com/news/by-the-numbers-an-historic-goal-a-player-in-form-and-a-big-crowd-all-in-timbers- |archive-date=February 11, 2026 |access-date=September 3, 2025 |website=Portland Timbers |language=en}}</ref> The Timbers season ticket waiting list has reached over 10,000, the longest waiting list in MLS.<ref>{{cite web |last=Arnold |first=Geoffrey C. |date=November 5, 2013 |title=For the Portland Timbers, home field is a real advantage |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2013/11/the_home_field_is_a_real_advan.html |access-date=November 10, 2015 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref> In 2015, they became the first team in the Northwest to win the [[MLS Cup]]. Player Diego Valeri marked a new record for fastest goal in MLS Cup history at 27 seconds into the game.<ref>{{cite news|last=Merz|first=Craig|url=http://koin.com/2015/12/06/portland-timbers-columbus-crew-mls-title-game-12062015/|title=Champs! Timbers beat Columbus, win first-ever MLS Cup|date=December 6, 2015|publisher=[[KOIN]]|agency=Associated Press|access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-date=February 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208213148/http://koin.com/2015/12/06/portland-timbers-columbus-crew-mls-title-game-12062015/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Portland Trail Blazers, Dec. 26, 2013.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Moda Center]], home of the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] and the [[Portland Fire]]]]

The annual [[Portland Classic|Cambia Portland Classic]] women's golf tournament in September, now in its 50th year, is the longest-running non-major tournament on the [[LPGA Tour]], plays in the southern suburb of [[West Linn, Oregon|West Linn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandclassic.com|title=Cambia Portland Classic|publisher=portlandclassic.com|access-date=September 19, 2021}}</ref>

Two rival universities exist within Portland city limits: the [[Portland Pilots|University of Portland Pilots]] and the [[Portland State Vikings|Portland State University Vikings]], both of whom field teams in popular spectator sports including soccer, baseball, and basketball. Portland State also has a football team. Additionally, the [[Oregon Ducks|University of Oregon Ducks]] (in [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]]) and the [[Oregon State Beavers|Oregon State University Beavers]] (in [[Corvallis, Oregon|Corvallis]]) both receive substantial attention and support from many Portland residents, despite their campuses being 110 and 84 miles from the city, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dome backers saddened but note idea gaining|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=November 5, 1964|page=1}}</ref>

[[File:2015 Shamrock Run.jpg|thumb|The Shamrock Run, held annually on [[Saint Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day]]]]

Running is a popular activity in Portland, and every year the city hosts the [[Portland Marathon]] as well as parts of the [[Hood to Coast|Hood to Coast Relay]], the world's largest long-distance relay race (by number of participants). Portland served as the center to an elite running group, the [[Nike Oregon Project]] until its 2019 disbandment following coach Alberto Salazar's ban due to doping violations.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sgobba|first1=C|title=After Salazar Ban, Nike Shuts Down Oregon Project|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a29432537/nike-shuts-down-oregon-project/|website=Runner's World|year=2019}}</ref>

Historic Erv Lind Stadium is located in [[Normandale Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=1110|title=Normandale Park – Erv Lind Stadium|publisher=portlandoregon.gov|access-date=September 3, 2018}}</ref>

Portland also hosts numerous cycling events and has become an elite bicycle racing destination.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 4, 2023|title=Past Events: Biking in Portland|url=https://www.portland.gov/transportation/walking-biking-transit-safety/biking-portland/events/past|access-date=May 24, 2023|website=portland.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Maus|first=Jonathan|date=August 3, 2022|title=Bike racing will return to downtown Portland, thanks to Mayor Wheeler|url=https://bikeportland.org/2022/08/03/bike-racing-will-return-to-downtown-portland-thanks-to-mayor-wheeler-360829|access-date=November 8, 2022|website=Bike Portland}}</ref> The [[Oregon Bicycle Racing Association]] supports hundreds of official bicycling events every year. Weekly events at [[Alpenrose Velodrome]] and [[Portland International Raceway]] allow for racing nearly every night of the week from March through September. [[Cyclocross]] races, such as the [[Cross Crusade]], can attract over 1,000 riders and spectators.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Morical|first=Mark|date=October 29, 2019|title=Cyclocross draws a crowd|work=[[The Bulletin (Bend)]]|url=https://www.bendbulletin.com/sports/cyclocross-draws-a-crowd/article_63acf4a9-d603-5d08-a765-ee0a7dca1e29.html|access-date=January 15, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! Current league !! Championships !! Venue !! Founded
|-
| [[Hillsboro Hops]]
| [[Baseball]]
| [[Northwest League]]
| 3 (2014, 2015, 2019)
| [[Hillsboro Hops Ballpark]]
| 2013
|-
| Oregon Ravens
| [[American football]]
| [[Women's National Football Conference|WNFC]]
| 0
| Milwaukie High School
| 2019
|-
| Oregon Soar
| [[Ultimate (sport)]]
| [[Western Ultimate League|WUL]]
| 0
| TBA
| 2024
|-
| [[Oregon Steel]]
| [[Ultimate (sport)]]
| [[Ultimate Frisbee Association|UFA]]
| 0
| [[Providence Park]]
| 2022
|-
| [[Portland Bangers FC]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[USL League Two|USL 2]]
| 0
|[[Hilken Community Stadium]]
| 2025<ref>{{cite news |last=Streeter |first=Isaac |date=February 5, 2025 |title='A new way of doing things:' Introducing the Bangers, Portland's newest soccer team |url=https://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/a-new-way-of-doing-things-introducing-the-bangers-portlands-newest-soccer-team/article_970977a2-e3f7-11ef-9c84-1b2d6f945408.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311171121/https://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/a-new-way-of-doing-things-introducing-the-bangers-portlands-newest-soccer-team/article_970977a2-e3f7-11ef-9c84-1b2d6f945408.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 11, 2025 |work=Portland Tribune |accessdate=February 7, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| Portland Cascade
| [[Softball]]
| [[Athletes Unlimited Softball League|AUSL]]
| 0
| [[Hillsboro Ballpark]]
| 2026
|-
| [[Portland Cherry Bombs FC]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[USL W League]]
| 0
|[[Hilken Community Stadium]]
| 2025
|-
| [[Portland Fire]]
| [[Basketball]]
| [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]
| 0
| [[Moda Center]]
| 2024
|-
| Portland Paddlers
| [[Table tennis]]
| MLTT
| 1 (2026)
| [[Oregon Convention Center]]
| 2023
|-
| [[Portland Pickles]]
| [[Baseball]]
| [[West Coast League|WCL]]
| 1 (2024)
| [[Walker Stadium (baseball)]]
| 2018
|-
| [[Portland Thorns FC]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[National Women's Soccer League|NWSL]]
| 4 ([[2013 National Women's Soccer League season|2013]], [[2017 National Women's Soccer League season|2017]], [[2021 NWSL Challenge Cup]], [[2022 National Women's Soccer League season|2022]])
| [[Providence Park]]
| 2012
|-
| [[Portland Timbers]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
| 1 ([[2015 MLS Cup|2015]])
| [[Providence Park]]
| 2009
|-
| [[Portland Timbers 2]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[MLS Next Pro]]
| 0
| [[Providence Park]]
| 2014
|-
| [[Portland Trail Blazers]]
| [[Basketball]]
| [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| 1 ([[1977 NBA Finals|1977]])
| [[Moda Center]]
| 1970
|-
| [[Portland Winterhawks]]
| [[Ice hockey|Hockey]]
| [[Western Hockey League|WHL]]
| 5 ([[1981–82 WHL season|1981–82]], [[1983 Memorial Cup]], [[1997–98 WHL season|1997–98]], [[1998 Memorial Cup]], [[2012–13 WHL season|2012–13]])
| [[Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon)|Veterans Memorial Coliseum]]
| 1976
|-
| [[Rip City Remix]]
| [[Basketball]]
| [[NBA G League]]
| 0
| [[Chiles Center]]
| 2023
|-
| [[Rose City Rollers]]
| [[Roller derby]]
| [[Women's Flat Track Derby Association|WFTDA]]
| 3 (2015, 2016, 2018)
| The Hangar at [[Oaks Amusement Park]]
| 2004
|}

==Parks and recreation==
{{Main|List of parks in Portland, Oregon}}

[[File:Forest park wildwood trail in early summer P2860.jpeg|thumb|right|[[Forest Park (Portland, Oregon)|Forest Park]] is the largest wilderness park in the United States that is within city limits.]]
Parks and greenspace planning date back to [[John Charles Olmsted]]'s 1903 ''Report to the Portland Park Board''. In 1995, voters in the Portland metropolitan region passed a regional bond measure to acquire valuable natural areas for fish, wildlife, and people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/parks-and-nature-investments/bond-measures|work=OregonMetro.Gov|title=Parks and nature investments|access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref> Ten years later, more than {{convert|8100|acre|km2|0}} of ecologically valuable natural areas had been purchased and permanently protected from development.<ref>{{cite web|last=Houck|first=Mike|title=Metropolitan Greenspaces: A Grassroots Perspective|publisher=Audubon Society of Portland|url=http://www.audubonportland.org/conservation_advocacy/urbanconservation/metro_greenspaces|access-date=November 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071519/http://www.audubonportland.org/conservation_advocacy/urbanconservation/metro_greenspaces|archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref>

Portland is one of only four cities in the U.S. with extinct volcanoes within its boundaries (along with [[Pilot Butte (Oregon)|Pilot Butte]] in [[Bend, Oregon]], [[Jackson Volcano]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], and [[Diamond Head, Hawaii|Diamond Head]] in [[Honolulu]], Hawaii). [[Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon|Mount Tabor Park]] is known for its scenic views and historic reservoirs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Tabor Park|publisher=Portland Parks & Recreation|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=275|access-date=November 7, 2006}}</ref>

[[Forest Park (Portland, Oregon)|Forest Park]] is the largest wilderness park within city limits in the United States, covering more than {{convert|5000|acres|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news|author=Korn, Peter|title=Forest Park Fallacy: Boosters' Claim of 'Largest Forested City Park' Is Long Outdated|work=Portland Tribune|publisher=Pamplin Media Group|date=July 18, 2006}}</ref>

Portland's downtown features two groups of contiguous city blocks dedicated for park space: the [[North Park Blocks|North]] and [[South Park Blocks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=447&searchtext=park%20blocks|title=North Park Blocks|website=The City of Portland, Oregon|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=674&searchtext=park%20blocks|title=South Park Blocks|website=The City of Portland, Oregon|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> The {{convert|37|acre|0|adj=on}} [[Tom McCall Waterfront Park]] was built in 1974 along the length of the downtown waterfront after [[Harbor Drive]] was removed; it now hosts large events throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewFile&PolPdfsID=328&/Waterfront%20Park%20Master%20Plan.pdf|title=Waterfront Park Master Plan|website=Portland, Oregon|page=54|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> The nearby historically significant [[Burnside Skatepark]] and five indoor [[skatepark]]s give Portland a reputation as possibly "the most skateboard-friendly town in America."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204119704574238073660408040|title=Skateboarding Capital of the World|last=Dougherty|first=Conor|date=July 30, 2009|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=July 31, 2009}}</ref>

In February 2015, the City Council approved a total ban on smoking in all city parks and natural areas effective July 1, 2015. The ban includes cigarettes, vaping, as well as marijuana.<ref>{{cite web|author=Theen, Andrew|date=February 19, 2015|title=No smoking allowed: Portland City Council approves smoking ban for city parks, nature areas|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2015/02/no_smoking_allowed_portland_ci.html|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Government==
[[File:PortlandCityHall2025 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Portland City Hall (Oregon)|Portland City Hall]]]]

===City hall===
{{See also|Government of Portland, Oregon|Mayor of Portland, Oregon|Portland City Council (Oregon)}}

Since January 1, 2025, the city of Portland is governed by a [[mayor–council government]] system. Elected officials include the [[List of mayors of Portland, Oregon|mayor]], a 12-member city council, and a city auditor. The city council is responsible for legislative policy, while the mayor appoints a professional [[city manager]] who oversees the various bureaus and day-to-day operations of the city. The mayor is elected [[at-large]], while the council is elected in four geographic districts using [[single transferable vote]], with 3 winning candidates per district. Portland's current form of government was approved by voters in a 2022 ballot measure, with the [[2024 Portland, Oregon municipal elections|first elections]] under the new system [[2024 Portland, Oregon City Council election|held in 2024]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Portland voters approve charter reform, city launches transition {{!}} Portland.gov |url=https://www.portland.gov/transition/news/2022/11/9/portland-voters-approve-charter-reform-city-launches-transition |access-date=November 10, 2022 |website=www.portland.gov |language=en |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109171124/https://www.portland.gov/transition/news/2022/11/9/portland-voters-approve-charter-reform-city-launches-transition |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Portland Office of Community and Civic Life]] (formerly Office of Neighborhood Involvement)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/civic/28363|title=Inside Civic Life {{!}} The City of Portland, Oregon|website=portlandoregon.gov|access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref> serves as a conduit between city government and Portland's [[Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon|95 officially recognized neighborhoods]]. Each neighborhood is represented by a volunteer-based [[neighborhood association]] which serves as a liaison between residents of the neighborhood and the city government. The city provides funding to neighborhood associations through seven district coalitions, each of which is a geographical grouping of several neighborhood associations. Most (but not all) neighborhood associations belong to one of these district coalitions.

Portland and its surrounding metropolitan area are served by [[Metro (Oregon regional government)|Metro]], the United States' only directly elected [[metropolitan planning organization]]. Metro's charter gives it responsibility for [[land use]] and [[transportation planning]], [[solid waste management]], and map development.

The [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] government provides many services to the Portland area, as do [[Washington County, Oregon|Washington]] and [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] counties to the west and south.

Fire and emergency services are provided by [[Portland Fire & Rescue]].

===Courts and law enforcement===
{{see also|Multnomah County Circuit Court|Portland Police Bureau}}

Law enforcement is primarily provided by the [[Portland Police Bureau]] (PPB). The [[Multnomah County Sheriff's Office]] (MCSO) provides law enforcement on the city's [[TriMet|transit system]] through their Transit Police division which is supplemented from officers from all local law enforcement agencies that fall within [[TriMet|the transit authority's]] boundaries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Security on TriMet |url=https://trimet.org/about/security.htm |access-date=January 24, 2025 |website=trimet.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Pioneer Courthouse Portland.JPG|thumb|left|Built in 1869, the [[Pioneer Courthouse]] is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pioneer courthouse's bare earth will soon sprout native plants|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1160432721261470.xml&coll=7|work=The Oregonian|date=October 12, 2006|access-date=January 21, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110032321/http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fportland_news%2F1160432721261470.xml&coll=7|archive-date=November 10, 2006}}</ref>]]

===State and national politics===
Portland strongly favors the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]; registered Democrats (51.2%) outnumber [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] (10.5%) nearly 5 to 1. All city offices are [[non-partisan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/Auditor/Index.cfm?a=9178&c=27481|work=Portland Online|title=City Government Structure|author=Caballero, Mary Hull|access-date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> However, almost all of the city's elected officials are known to be Democrats. [[Fred L. Peterson]] in 1952 is the city's last elected Republican mayor, and no Republican has served as mayor even on an interim basis since [[Connie McCready]] held the post from 1979 to 1980.

Portland is split among three of Oregon's U.S. [[congressional districts]]. Most of the city is in the [[Oregon's 3rd congressional district|3rd District]], represented by [[Maxine Dexter]] (D-Portland). Most of the city west of the Willamette River is part of the [[Oregon's 1st congressional district|1st District]], represented by [[Suzanne Bonamici]] (D-Beaverton). A small portion of southeastern Portland is in the [[Oregon's 5th congressional district|5th District]], currently represented by Democrat [[Janelle Bynum]]. [[Lori Chavez-DeRemer]] was the first [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] to represent a significant portion of the city in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] since 1975, from 2023 to 2025. Both of Oregon's senators, [[Ron Wyden]] and [[Jeff Merkley]], are progressive Democrats from Portland.

In the [[United States presidential election in Oregon, 2008|2008 presidential election]], Democratic candidate [[Barack Obama]] easily carried Portland, winning 245,464 votes from city residents to 50,614 for his [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] rival, [[John McCain]]. In the [[United States presidential election in Oregon, 2012|2012 presidential election]], Democratic candidate [[Barack Obama]] again easily carried Portland, winning 256,925 votes from Multnomah county residents to 70,958 for his [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] rival, [[Mitt Romney]].<ref>{{cite web|work=The Oregonian|title=Oregon 2012 Election Results for Multnomah County|access-date=April 1, 2018|url=http://gov.oregonlive.com/election/2012/Multnomah/|archive-date=December 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229022748/https://gov.oregonlive.com/election/2012/Multnomah/}}</ref>

[[Sam Adams (Oregon politician)|Sam Adams]], the former mayor of Portland, became the city's first openly gay mayor in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|author=Judetz, Mary|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008581877_portlandmayor02m.html|title=Portland: Largest U.S. city with openly gay mayor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117051513/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008581877_portlandmayor02m.html |archive-date=January 17, 2013|date=January 2, 2009|agency=Associated Press|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref> In 2004, 59.7 percent of Multnomah County voters cast ballots against [[Oregon Ballot Measure 36 (2004)|Oregon Ballot Measure 36]], which amended the [[Oregon Constitution]] to prohibit recognition of [[same-sex marriage]]s. The measure passed with 56.6% of the statewide vote. Multnomah County is one of two counties where a majority voted against the initiative; the other is [[Benton County, Oregon|Benton County]], which includes [[Corvallis, Oregon|Corvallis]], home of [[Oregon State University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2004&off=60&elect=0&fips=41&f=0|title=Oregon Measure 36 Results by County|publisher=Uselectionatlas.org|access-date=October 16, 2010}}</ref> On April 28, 2005, Portland became the only city in the nation to withdraw from a [[Joint Terrorism Task Force]].<ref name="ACLU20050428">{{cite web|url=http://www.aclu-or.org/content/fbis-joint-terrorism-task-force|title=FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force|publisher=ACLU Oregon|date=April 28, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025081430/http://aclu-or.org/content/fbis-joint-terrorism-task-force|archive-date=October 25, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="WashExam20101128BY">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori|title=Politically correct Portland rejected feds who saved city from terrorist attack|work=San Francisco Examiner|date=November 28, 2010|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522114907/http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori}}</ref> As of February 19, 2015, the Portland city council approved permanently staffing the JTTF with two of its city's police officers.<ref>{{cite web|title=After 10-year hiatus, Portland OKs cops for FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/02/after_10-year_hiatus_portland.html|work=The Oregonian|author=Schmidt, Brad|date=February 19, 2015|access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style=margin:auto
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment {{as of|2022|January|lc=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://multco.us/file/35875/download|title=District Voter Counts|work=Multnomah County|date=January 6, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 253,789
| style="text-align:center;"| 55.55%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 36,763
| style="text-align:center;"| 8.05%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unaffiliated
| style="text-align:center;"| 138,751
| style="text-align:center;"| 30.37%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| Libertarian
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,752
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.60%
|-
| {{party color cell|Green Party (United States)}}
| Pacific Green
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,298
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.50%
|-
| {{party color cell|Constitution Party (United States)}}
| Constitution
| style="text-align:center;"| 298
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.07%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (United States)}}
| Other
| style="text-align:center;"| 22,245
| style="text-align:center;"| 4.87%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 456,896
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

===City planning and development===
[[File:Urban Growth Portland Oregon.ogv|thumb|Video of Portland's urban growth boundary. The red dots indicate areas of growth between 1986 and 1996.]]

The city consulted with urban planners as far back as 1904, resulting in the development of [[Washington Park (Portland, Oregon)|Washington Park]] and the [[40-Mile Loop]] greenway, which connects many of the city's parks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2009/09/the_40-mile_loop_more_than_a_b_1.html|work=The Oregonian|title=The 40-Mile Loop: More than a bike trail, and more than 40 miles|access-date=April 1, 2018|date=September 30, 2009}}</ref> Portland is often cited as an example of a city with strong [[land use planning]] controls.<ref name="smartplan">{{cite web|date=May–June 2003|title=The 'Smart Growth' Debate Continues|url=http://www.innobriefs.com/editor/20030423smartgrowth.html|access-date=November 7, 2006|publisher=Urban Mobility Corporation|archive-date=March 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306011023/http://www.innobriefs.com/editor/20030423smartgrowth.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is largely the result of statewide land conservation policies adopted in 1973 under Governor [[Tom McCall]], in particular the requirement for an [[urban growth boundary]] (UGB) for every city and metropolitan area. The opposite extreme, a city with few or no controls, is typically illustrated by [[Houston]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2007/10/how_houston_get.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306050645/http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2007/10/how_houston_get.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 6, 2008|title=How Houston gets along without zoning – BusinessWeek|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|access-date=October 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/cityguides/houston/2003-10-07-spotlight-zoning_x.htm|title=Houston: A city without zoning|work=USA Today|first=Sherry|last=Thomas|date=October 30, 2003|access-date=January 11, 2013|archive-date=January 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116141557/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/cityguides/houston/2003-10-07-spotlight-zoning_x.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFDB103FF934A2575BC0A960948260|title=Focus Houston; A Fresh Approach To Zoning|work=The New York Times|author=Reinhold, Robert|date=August 17, 1986|access-date=October 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2006/04/10/editorial1.html|title=The only major U.S. city without zoning|work=Houston Business Journal|date=April 9, 2006|access-date=October 20, 2008|first=Bill|last=Schadewald}}</ref>

[[File:PDX1966PGEplant.jpg|thumb|left|1966 photo shows sawdust-fired power plant on the edge of downtown that was removed to make way for dense residential development. High-rises to left in background were early projects of the Portland Development Commission.]]

Oregon's 1973 "[[urban growth boundary]]" law limits the boundaries for large-scale development in each metropolitan area in Oregon.<ref name="metro_ugb">{{cite web|title=Urban growth boundary|url=http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id/277|publisher=Metro|access-date=February 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116175631/http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id/277|archive-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> This limits access to utilities such as sewage, water and telecommunications, as well as coverage by fire, police and schools.<ref name="metro_ugb" /> Portland's urban growth boundary, adopted in 1979, separates urban areas (where high-density development is encouraged and focused) from traditional farm land (where restrictions on non-agricultural development are very strict).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/Pages/goals.aspx|title=Statewide Planning Goals|work=Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref> This was atypical in an era when automobile use led many areas to neglect their core cities in favor of development along [[interstate highway]]s, in suburbs, and [[satellite city|satellite cities]].

The original state rules included a provision for expanding urban growth boundaries, but critics felt this was not being accomplished. In 1995, the State passed a law requiring cities to expand UGBs to provide enough undeveloped land for a 20-year supply of future housing at projected growth levels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comprehensive Land Use Planning Coordination|work=Legislative Counsel Committee of the Oregon Legislative Assembly|url=https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors197.html|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> In 2007, the legislature changed the law to require the maintenance of an estimated 50 years of growth within the boundary, as well as the protection of accompanying farm and rural lands.<ref name="pt_growth" /> The growth boundary, along with efforts of the Portland Development Commission to create economic development zones, has led to the development of a large portion of downtown, a large number of mid- and high-rise developments, and an overall increase in housing and business density.<ref name="ssp_portland">{{cite web|title=Portland – SkyscraperPage|url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?cityID=29|access-date=June 4, 2008}}</ref>

[[Prosper Portland]] (formerly the Portland Development Commission) is a semi-public agency that plays a major role in downtown development; city voters created it in 1958 to serve as the city's [[urban renewal]] agency. It provides housing and economic development programs within the city and works behind the scenes with major local developers to create large projects. In the early 1960s, the Portland Development Commission led the razing of a large Italian-Jewish neighborhood downtown, bounded roughly by I-405, the Willamette River, 4th Avenue and Market street.<ref>{{cite web|work=Willamette Week|url=http://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2017/08/22/portland-once-had-a-thriving-little-italy-what-the-hell-happened/|title=Portland Once Had a Thriving Little Italy – What the Hell Happened?|access-date=April 1, 2018|author=Korfhage, Matthew|date=August 22, 2017}}</ref> Mayor [[Neil Goldschmidt]] took office in 1972 as a proponent of bringing housing and the associated vitality back to the downtown area, which was seen as emptying out after 5 pm. The effort has had dramatic effects in the 30 years since, with many thousands of new housing units clustered in three areas: north of Portland State University (between I-405, SW Broadway, and SW Taylor St.); the RiverPlace development along the waterfront under the Marquam (I-5) bridge; and most notably in the Pearl District (between I-405, Burnside St., NW Northrup St., and NW 9th Ave.).

Historically, [[Environmentalism|environmental consciousness]] has weighed significantly in the city's planning and development efforts.<ref name=topgreen>{{cite web|work=Reuters|title=Top 5 greenest cities in the world|date=March 1, 2010|via=GlobalPost|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/03/01/top-5-greenest-cities-in-the-world/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304030648/http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/03/01/top-5-greenest-cities-in-the-world/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 4, 2010|access-date=March 31, 2018|author=Hogdson, Beth}}</ref> Portland was one of the first cities in the United States to promote and integrate alternative forms of transportation, such as the [[MAX Light Rail]] and extensive bike paths.<ref name=topgreen/> The Urban Greenspaces Institute, housed in [[Portland State University]] Geography Department's Center for Mapping Research, promotes better integration of the built and natural environments. The institute works on urban park, trail, and natural areas planning issues, both at the local and regional levels.{{sfn|Platt|2006|p=43}} In October 2009, the Portland City Council unanimously adopted a [[Individual and political action on climate change|climate action]] plan that will cut the city's greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=57411|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921125734/http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=57411|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 21, 2013|title=Council adopts aggressive Climate Action Plan|author=Law, Steve|newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]]|date=October 27, 2009|access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref>

As of 2012, Portland was the largest city in the United States that did not add [[fluoride]] to its public water supply,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-portland-fluoridation-protests-20120912,0,619554.story|title=Portland joins fluoride bandwagon, will add it to water supply|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Muskal, Michael|date=September 12, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref> and [[water fluoridation|fluoridation]] has historically been a subject of [[Water fluoridation controversy|controversy]] in the city.<ref>{{cite web|author=Williams, Heidi|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/portlands_fluoride_debate_hist.html|title=Portland's fluoride debate: History, timeline and official positions|date=September 12, 2012|work=The Oregonian|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref> Portland voters have four times voted against fluoridation, in 1956, 1962, 1980 (repealing a 1978 vote in favor), and 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author=Blumgart, Jake|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/05/portland_fluoride_vote_will_medical_science_trump_fear_and_doubt.html|title=What's the Matter With Portland? The city has been fighting fluoridation for 50 years. Will facts trump fear this month?|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=May 17, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref> In 2012 the city council, responding to advocacy from public health organizations and others, voted unanimously to begin fluoridation by 2014. Fluoridation opponents forced a public vote on the issue,<ref>{{cite web|author=Slovic, Beth|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/portland_votes_to_add_fluoride.html|title=Portland votes to add fluoride to its drinking water as opponents vow to stop the effort|work=The Oregonian|access-date=April 1, 2018|date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> and on May 21, 2013, city voters again rejected fluoridation.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kost, Ryan|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/05/portland_fluoride_for_the_four.html|title=Portland fluoride: For the fourth time since 1956, Portland voters reject fluoridation|work=The Oregonian|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Portland, Oregon}}

===Primary and secondary education===
[[File:St. Mary's Academy in Portland (2014).jpg|thumb|right|[[St. Mary's Academy (Portland, Oregon)|St. Mary's Academy]], a private [[Roman Catholic]] girls' school established in 1859]]

Nine public school districts and many private schools include sections of Portland. [[Portland Public Schools (Oregon)|Portland Public Schools]] is the largest school district, operating 86 public schools.<ref>{{Cite news|year=2019|title=Portland Public Schools|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/oregon/districts/portland-sd-1j-106322|access-date=May 23, 2023}}</ref> In addition to PPS, other school districts in Multnomah County that serve parts of the city include the [[Beaverton School District]], [[Centennial School District (Oregon)|Centennial School District]], [[David Douglas School District]], [[Parkrose School District]], [[Reynolds School District (Oregon)|Reynolds School District]], [[Riverdale School District (Oregon)|Riverdale School District]], and [[Scappoose School District]].<ref>{{cite map|author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division|date=December 18, 2020|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Multnomah County, OR|scale=1:184,230|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41051_multnomah/DC20SD_C41051.pdf|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 19, 2023}}</ref> Portions in Clackamas County are in the [[North Clackamas School District]] and Centennial School District.<ref>{{cite map|author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division|date=December 18, 2020|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Clackamas County, OR|scale=1:204,700|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41005_clackamas/DC20SD_C41005.pdf|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 19, 2023}}</ref> Portions in Washington County are in Portland Public Schools.<ref>{{cite map|author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st41_or/schooldistrict_maps/c41067_washington/DC20SD_C41067.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS – SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Washington County, OR|scale=1:84,230|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 19, 2023}}</ref>

[[David Douglas High School]], in the [[Powellhurst-Gilbert, Portland, Oregon|Powellhurst]] neighborhood, has the largest enrollment of any public high school in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&InstName=david+douglas&SchoolType=1&SchoolType=2&SchoolType=3&SchoolType=4&SpecificSchlTypes=all&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&HiGrade=-1&ID=410394001037|title=Search for Public Schools – School Detail for David Douglas High School|website=nces.ed.gov}}</ref> Other high schools include [[Benson Polytechnic High School|Benson]], [[Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon)|Cleveland]], [[Franklin High School (Portland, Oregon)|Franklin]], [[Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)|Grant]], [[Jefferson High School (Portland, Oregon)|Jefferson]], [[Madison High School (Portland, Oregon)|Madison]], [[Parkrose High School|Parkrose]], [[Roosevelt High School (Portland, Oregon)|Roosevelt]], and [[Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School|Ida B Wells-Barnett]] (formerly Woodrow Wilson), and several suburban high schools which serve the city's outer areas. Established in 1869, [[Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon)|Lincoln High School]] (formerly Portland High School) is the city's oldest public education institution, and is one of two of the oldest high schools west of the [[Mississippi River]] (after San Francisco's [[Lowell High School (San Francisco)|Lowell High School]]).<ref name="Oregonian 2005-09-22">{{cite news|last=Geddes|first=Ryan|title=Public school notebook: The Count|work=The Oregonian|pages=A7|location=Portland, Oregon|date=September 22, 2005}}</ref>

Former public schools in the city included [[Washington High School (Portland, Oregon)|Washington High School]], which operated from 1906 until 1981, as well as [[Adams High School (Portland, Oregon)|Adams]] and [[Jackson High School (Portland, Oregon)|Jackson]], which also closed the same year.

===Higher education===
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| alt2              = Glass-faced skyscrapers abutting brick-lined urban area
| footer            = Urban Center, [[Portland State University]]
}}

[[Portland State University]] has the second-largest enrollment rate of any university in the state (after [[Oregon State University]]), with a student body of nearly 30,000.<ref name="pdx.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.pdx.edu/profile/snapshot-portland-state|publisher=Portland State University|title=Profile|access-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112033212/http://www.pdx.edu/profile/snapshot-portland-state|archive-date=January 12, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been named among the top fifteen percentile of American regional universities by [[The Princeton Review]] for undergraduate education,<ref name="bestreg">{{cite web|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/schoollist.aspx?id=763|title=The Princeton Review Best Regional Colleges|access-date=November 3, 2011}}</ref> and has been internationally recognized for its degrees in [[Master of Business Administration]] and [[urban planning]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.princetonreview.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=168268|title=Princeton Review Top 100 MBA Rankings|access-date=November 3, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425120048/http://ir.princetonreview.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=168268|archive-date=April 25, 2012}}</ref> The city is also home to the [[Oregon Health & Science University]], [[Portland Community College]], and [[Carrington College (US)|Carrington College]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Carrington College's New Portland Location|url=https://montavilla.net/2025/05/07/carrington-college-opens-at-mall-205/|website=Montavilla News|date=May 7, 2025|access-date=November 29, 2025|language=en-US|last=Leo|first=Jacob}}</ref>

Notable private universities include the [[University of Portland]], a Roman Catholic university affiliated with the [[Congregation of Holy Cross]]; [[Reed College]], a [[liberal arts college]], and [[Lewis & Clark College]].<!-- Please do not add additional colleges here without consulting the talk page. Consensus is that we will not list every single one -->

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Portland, Oregon}}

{{see also|List of radio stations in Oregon|List of television stations in Oregon}}

[[File:KGW headquarters and main studios (2015).jpg|thumb|[[KGW]] is the [[NBC]] affiliate.]]

''[[The Oregonian]]'' is the only daily general-interest newspaper serving Portland. It also circulates throughout the state and in [[Clark County, Washington]].

Smaller local newspapers, distributed free of charge in newspaper boxes and at venues around the city, ''[[Willamette Week]]'' (general-interest [[alternative weekly]] published on Wednesdays), and ''[[The Portland Mercury]]'' (another alt-weekly, targeted at younger urban readers and published every other Thursday). The ''[[Portland Tribune]]'', a former print newspaper, continues to publish as a subscription-based digital media since July 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portland Tribune to stop publishing print edition, trim staff |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/25/portland-tribune-stop-publishing-print-edition-carpenter-media-news-cuts/ |access-date=January 13, 2026 |publisher=[[OPB]] |language=en}}</ref> The Portland area also has newspapers that are published for specific communities, including ''[[The Asian Reporter (newspaper)|The Asian Reporter]]'' (a weekly covering Asian news, both international and local) and ''[[The Skanner]]'' (a weekly [[African-American newspapers|African-American newspaper]] covering both local and national news). The ''[[American City Business Journals|Portland Business Journal]]'' covers business-related news on a weekly basis, as does ''The [[Daily Journal of Commerce]]'', its main competitor. ''[[Portland Monthly]]'' is a monthly news and culture magazine. ''[[The Bee (Portland)|The Bee]]'', over 110 years old, is another neighborhood newspaper serving the inner southeast neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portland Bee|url=https://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/37/2067/23985|access-date=May 24, 2023|website=Mondo Times}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
===Healthcare===
{{Main|List of hospitals in Portland, Oregon}}

[[File:Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital - Portland, Oregon.JPG|thumb|right|[[Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center]]]]

[[Legacy Health]], a non-profit healthcare system in Portland, operates multiple facilities in the city and surrounding suburbs.{{sfn|Human Rights Campaign|2013|p=82}} These include [[Legacy Emanuel Medical Center|Legacy Emanuel]], founded in 1912, in Northeast Portland; and [[Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center|Legacy Good Samaritan]], founded in 1875, and in Northwest Portland.{{sfn|Human Rights Campaign|2013|p=82}} [[Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel|Randall's Children's Hospital]] operates at the Legacy Emanuel Campus. Good Samaritan has centers for breast health, cancer, and stroke, and is home to the [[Legacy Devers Eye Institute]], the Legacy Obesity and Diabetes Institute, the Legacy Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, the Legacy Rehabilitation Clinic of Oregon, and the [[Linfield College|Linfield]]-Good Samaritan School of Nursing.<ref name="Legacy">{{cite web|url=http://www.legacyhealth.org/body.cfm?id=21|title=Our Hospitals|access-date=August 26, 2008|publisher=Legacy Health System|date=August 15, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505215603/http://www.legacyhealth.org/body.cfm?id=21 <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=May 5, 2008}}</ref>

The Catholic-affiliated [[Providence Health & Services]] operates [[Providence Portland Medical Center]] in the [[North Tabor, Portland, Oregon|North Tabor neighborhood]] of the city. [[Oregon Health & Science University]] is a university hospital formed in 1974. The [[Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Oregon)|Veterans Affairs Medical Center]] operates next to the Oregon Health & Science University main campus. [[Adventist Medical Center]] also serves the city. [[Shriners Hospital for Children (Portland)|Shriners Hospital for Children]] is a small children's hospital established in 1923.

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in Portland, Oregon}}

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| caption1          = [[MAX Light Rail]] is the centerpiece of the city's public transportation system.
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| caption2          = [[Portland Streetcar]] is a three-line system serving [[Downtown Portland|downtown]] and nearby areas.
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The Portland metropolitan area has transportation services common to major U.S. cities, though Oregon's emphasis on proactive [[Land use forecasting|land-use planning]] and [[transit-oriented development]] within the [[urban growth boundary]] means commuters have multiple well-developed options.

In 2024, 7.1% of all commutes in Portland were on public transit.<ref name=":4">U.S. Census Bureau, "Commuting Characteristics by Sex," ''American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S0801'', accessed on February 6, 2026, <nowiki>https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2024.S0801?q=portland+commute&g=310XX00US38900</nowiki>.</ref> [[TriMet]] operates most of the region's buses and the [[MAX Light Rail|MAX]] (short for Metropolitan Area Express) [[light rail]] system, which connects the city and suburbs. Opened in 1986, the MAX system has expanded to five lines, with the latest being the [[MAX Orange Line (TriMet)|Orange Line]] to [[Milwaukie, Oregon|Milwaukie]], which began operating in September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm|title=Fall 2015 Service Improvements|access-date=September 26, 2015|website=TriMet|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927203752/http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref> [[WES Commuter Rail]] opened in February 2009 in Portland's western suburbs, linking [[Beaverton, Oregon|Beaverton]] and [[Wilsonville, Oregon|Wilsonville]].

The city-owned [[Portland Streetcar]] serves two routes in the Central City – [[Downtown Portland|downtown]] and adjacent districts. The first line, which opened in 2001 and was extended in 2005–07, operates from the South Waterfront District through Portland State University and north through the West End of downtown, to shopping areas and dense residential districts north and northwest of downtown. The second line that opened in 2012 added {{convert|3.3|mi|km|adj=off}} of tracks on the east side of the Willamette River and across the [[Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)|Broadway Bridge]] to a connection with the original line.<ref name="oreg-2012sep22">{{cite news|title=Portland Streetcar's eastside loop gets off to hobbled start Saturday|last=Rose|first=Joseph|author-link=Joseph Rose (journalist)|newspaper=The Oregonian|page=1|date=September 22, 2012|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/09/portland_streetcars_eastside_l.html|access-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> The east-side line completed a loop to the tracks on the west side of the river upon completion of the new [[Tilikum Crossing]] in 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR-Bridge-Fact-Sheet-August2011.pdf|title=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge to bring new options for transit, cyclists and pedestrians|publisher=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617125637/http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR-Bridge-Fact-Sheet-August2011.pdf|archive-date=June 17, 2012}}</ref> and, in anticipation of that, had been named the Central Loop line in 2012. However, it was renamed the [[Loop Service (Portland Streetcar)|Loop Service]], with an A Loop (clockwise) and B Loop (counterclockwise), when it became a complete loop with the opening of the Tilikum Crossing bridge.

Fifth and Sixth avenues within downtown comprise the [[Portland Transit Mall]], two streets devoted primarily to bus and light rail traffic with limited automobile access. Opened in 1977 for buses, the transit mall was renovated and rebuilt in 2007–09, with light rail added. Starting in 1975 and lasting nearly four decades, all transit service within downtown Portland was free, the area being known by TriMet as [[Fareless Square]], but a need for minor budget cuts and funding needed for expansion prompted the agency to limit free rides to rail service only in 2010,<ref name="oreg-2009aug12">{{cite news|last=Rivera|first=Dylan|title=The days of a free bus ride are over|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 12, 2009|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/no_more_free_bus_rides_in_port.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref> and subsequently to discontinue the fare-free zone entirely in 2012.<ref name="oreg-2012aug31">{{cite news|last=Bailey|first=Everton Jr.|title=TriMet boosts most fares starting Saturday; some routes changing|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 31, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/index.ssf/2012/08/trimet_boosts_most_fares_start.html|access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref>

TriMet provides real-time tracking of buses and trains with its TransitTracker, and makes the data available to software developers so they can create customized tools of their own.<ref name="transit apps">{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Joseph|title=TriMet's open source heaven: The 5 best transit-rider apps|date=July 16, 2009|newspaper=The Oregonian|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/07/open_source_heaven_the_5_best.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name="google adds trimet">{{cite news|last=Rogoway|first=Mike|title=Google Maps adds live TriMet arrival and departure times|date=June 8, 2011|newspaper=The Oregonian|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/google_maps_adds_lives_trimet.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:UnionStationPortland.jpg|thumb|left|Union Station]]

[[Interstate 5 in Oregon|I-5]] connects Portland with the Willamette Valley, [[Southern Oregon]], and California to the south and with [[Washington (state)|Washington]] to the north. [[Interstate 405 (Oregon)|I-405]] forms a loop with I-5 around the central downtown area of the city and [[Interstate 205 (Oregon-Washington)|I-205]] is a loop freeway route on the east side which connects to the [[Portland International Airport]]. [[U.S. Route 26 in Oregon|U.S. 26]] supports commuting within the metro area and continues to the Pacific Ocean westward and [[Mount Hood]] and [[Central Oregon]] eastward. [[U.S. Route 30 in Oregon|U.S. 30]] has a main, bypass, and business route through the city extending to [[Astoria, Oregon|Astoria]] to the west; through [[Gresham, Oregon]], and the eastern [[Commuter town|exurbs]], and connects to [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|I-84]], traveling towards [[Boise, Idaho]].

[[File:PDX from Rocky Butte.JPG|thumb|right|[[Portland International Airport]]]]

Portland's main airport is [[Portland International Airport]] (PDX), about 20 minutes by car (40 minutes by MAX) northeast of downtown. Portland is also home to [[List of airports in Oregon|Oregon's]] only public use heliport, the [[Portland Downtown Heliport]].

[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, provides service to Portland at [[Portland Union Station|Union Station]] on three routes. Long-haul train routes include the ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' (with service from Los Angeles to Seattle) and the ''[[Empire Builder]]'' (with service to Chicago). The ''[[Amtrak Cascades]]'' state-supported trains operate between [[Vancouver|Vancouver, B.C.]], and [[Eugene, Oregon]], and serve Portland several times daily. The city is also served by [[Greyhound Lines]] intercity bus service, which also operates [[BoltBus]], an express bus service. The city's first airport was the [[Swan Island Municipal Airport]], which was closed in the 1940s.

[[File:PortlandTramCar3.jpg|thumb|The [[Portland Aerial Tram]] connects the [[South Waterfront]] district with [[Oregon Health and Science University|OHSU]].]]

Portland is the only city in the United States that owns operating mainline [[steam locomotive]]s, donated to the city in 1958 by the railroads that ran them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orhf.org/capital-campaign/|title=Capital Campaign|publisher=[[Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation]]|access-date=December 31, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230073054/http://www.orhf.org/capital-campaign/|archive-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref> [[Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700]] and the world-famous [[Southern Pacific 4449]] can be seen several times a year pulling a special [[excursion train]], either locally or on an extended trip. The "Holiday Express", pulled over the tracks of the [[Oregon Pacific Railroad (1997)|Oregon Pacific Railroad]] on weekends in December, has become a Portland tradition over its several years running.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thebeenews.com/news/story.php?story_id=132423175015250800|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082537/http://www.thebeenews.com/news/story.php?story_id=132423175015250800|archive-date=April 26, 2012|title="Holiday Express" delights families, benefits new S.E. museum|author=Ashton, David F.|newspaper=The Sellwood Bee|date=December 20, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref> These trains and others are operated by volunteers of the [[Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation]], an amalgamation of rail preservation groups which collaborated on the finance and construction of the [[Oregon Rail Heritage Center]], a permanent and publicly accessible home for the locomotives, which opened in 2012 adjacent to OMSI.<ref name="oreg-2012sep">{{cite news|last=Tims|first=Dana|title=Oregon Rail Heritage Center ready for grand opening Saturday, Sunday|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=September 20, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/oregon_rail_center_is_now_arri.html|access-date=September 28, 2012|page=B1<!--in Sep 21 print edition-->}}</ref>

[[Cycling in Portland, Oregon|In Portland, cycling]] is a significant mode of transportation. As the city has been particularly supportive of [[urban bicycling]] it now ranks highly among the most [[bicycle-friendly]] cities in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virgin-vacations.com/11-most-bike-friendly-cities.aspx|title=11 Most Bike Friendly Cities in the World – Bicycle friendly cities|work=Virgin Vacations|publisher=Virgin Airlines|access-date=June 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729015011/http://www.virgin-vacations.com/11-most-bike-friendly-cities.aspx|archive-date=July 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bicycles accounted for 3.2% of commuting in 2024.<ref name=":4" /> Bicycle commuting declined by 46% between 2016 and 2022 according to [[Portland Bureau of Transportation]] report.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watson|first=Evan|date=March 17, 2023|title=Bicycle ridership in Portland has dropped off significantly over the past 6 years, PBOT says|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/bicycle-ridership-portland-dropped-significantly/283-f49b9a66-2494-4c99-afcb-b1bc0e746db6|access-date=December 2, 2023|website=kgw.com}}</ref> For its achievements in promoting cycling as an everyday means of transportation, Portland has been recognized by the [[League of American Bicyclists]] and other [[Bicycle user group|cycling organization]]s for its network of on-street bicycling facilities and other bicycle-friendly services, being one of only three U.S. cities to have earned a Platinum-level rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bikeleague.org/media/press/|title=League of American Bicyclists * Press Releases|publisher=Bikeleague.org|access-date=October 6, 2008|archive-date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530133918/http://www.bikeleague.org/media/press/}}</ref> A new [[bicycle-sharing system]], [[Biketown]], launched on July 19, 2016,<ref name="biketown launches">{{cite news|last=Njus|first=Elliot|title=Biketown bike-share program launches with inaugural Tilikum Crossing ride|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=July 19, 2016|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/07/biketown_bike-share_program_la.html|access-date=July 20, 2016}}</ref> with 100 stations in the city's central and eastside neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite news|last=Njus|first=Elliot|date=June 13, 2016|title=Biketown bike-share launch date, pricing, station locations announced|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/06/biketown_bike-share_launch_dat.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref>

Portland completely abolished the requirement for parking minimums in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2023 |title=191310 {{!}} Portland.gov |url=https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/passed/191310 |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=www.portland.gov |language=en}}</ref>

As of 2015, Portland is owed $32.4 million in unpaid parking citations due to the [[Government of Portland, Oregon|city government]]'s refusal to collect more aggressively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oregonian/OregonLive|first=Joseph Rose {{!}} The|date=June 19, 2015|title=Portland parking tickets: City's worst scofflaws owe $32.4 million – with no easy way to collect|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2015/06/portland_parking_scofflaws_owe.html|access-date=May 25, 2024|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>

===Water===
Portland's drinking water comes from two sources: The [[Bull Run Watershed]] and the Columbia South Shore Well Field. Most the city's supply of water water comes from the [[Bull Run Watershed]], which consists of roughly {{convert|102|sqmi}} of forested land about 30 miles (48 km) west of Mount Hood.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2025 |title=About Portland's water system {{!}} Portland.gov |url=https://www.portland.gov/water/about-portlands-water-system |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=www.portland.gov |language=en}}</ref> The Columbia South Shore Well Field is a secondary water source that supplements the water supply during high-demand summer months and unexpected watershed events. The well field consists of 25 groundwater [[well]]s near the Columbia River in Northeast Portland.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Williams|first=Kale|date=October 18, 2023|title=Portland's secondary source of drinking water: 25 groundwater wells spread out from the airport to Blue Lake Park|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/tech/science/environment/portland-groundwater-well-field-drinking-water/283-9cadce40-1351-4ecb-a600-9f0d903ad154|access-date=October 20, 2023|work=KGW8}}</ref>

Water from the Bull Run Watershed is [[Water treatment|treated]] first at the Headworks Treatment Facility for disinfection, then at the Lusted Hill Treatment Facility for [[Chloramination|chlorination]] and [[pH]] and [[alkalinity]] adjustment. Water from the Columbia South Short Well Field is treated onsite. All of the water is then sent to the Powell Butte reservoirs: Two large, concrete reservoirs buried underground at [[Powell Butte|Powell Butte Nature Park]] with a capacity of 50 million gallons of water each. Powell Butte feeds two other smaller reservoirs in Portland: The [[Washington Park (Portland, Oregon)|Washington Park]] Reservoir and the [[Kelly Butte Natural Area|Kelly Butte]] Reservoir.<ref name=":5" />

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Portland, Oregon}}

==Sister cities==
Portland's [[Sister city|sister cities]] are:<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=International Relations {{!}} Portland.gov |url=https://www.portland.gov/ogr/international-relations-program |access-date=June 10, 2025 |website=www.portland.gov |language=en}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Sapporo]], Hokkaido, Japan (1959)
* {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Guadalajara]], Jalisco, Mexico (1983)
* {{flagicon|ISR}} [[Ashkelon]], Southern District, Israel (1987)
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Ulsan]], South Korea (1987)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Suzhou, Jiangsu|Suzhou]], Jiangsu, China (1988)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Khabarovsk]], Khabarovsk Krai, Russia (1988)
* {{flagicon|TWN}} [[Kaohsiung]], Taiwan (1988)
* {{flagicon|ZWE}} [[Mutare]], Manicaland, Zimbabwe (1991)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bologna]], Emilia-Romagna, Italy (2003)
{{div col end}}

Portland's friendship city agreements are with:<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ferrera |first=John Ross |date=September 29, 2022 |title=City Council votes to make Lviv, Ukraine Portland's newest 'friendship city' |url=https://www.koin.com/news/portland/portland-oregon-city-council-lviv-ukraine-friendship-city/ |work=[[KOIN]] |archive-date=June 26, 2025 |access-date=June 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626000719/https://www.koin.com/news/portland/portland-oregon-city-council-lviv-ukraine-friendship-city/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|NED}} [[Utrecht]], Utrecht, Netherlands (2012)
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Lviv]], Lviv Oblast, Ukraine (2022)

==See also==
{{portal|Oregon|Cities|Pacific Northwest|United States}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
* [[1972 Portland–Vancouver tornado]]
* [[Keep Portland Weird]]
* [[List of hospitals in Portland, Oregon]]
* [[List of sports venues in Portland, Oregon]]
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon]]
* [[Roses in Portland, Oregon]]
* [[USS Portland|USS ''Portland'']], 2 of 3 ships
* [[Washington Center (Portland, Oregon)|Washington Center]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Allen|Burns|Sargent|2009}}|title=Cataclysms on the Columbia|author1=Allen, John Elliott|author2=Burns, Marjorie|author3=Sargent, Sam C.|year=2009|publisher=Ooligan Press|isbn=978-1-93201-031-2}}
* {{cite book|title=Portland: A Food Biography|first=Heather Arndt|last=Anderson|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-44222-738-5}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Barth|1991}}|title=Roadside Hollywood:The Movie Lover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More|author=Barth, Jack|publisher=Contemporary Books|year=1991}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Chandler|2013}}|title=Hidden History of Portland, Oregon|author=Chandler, J.D.|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-62619-198-3|year=2013}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Falsetto|2015}}|title=Conversations with Gus Van Sant|author=Falsetto, Mario|year=2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-44224-766-6}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Freilich|Sitkowski|Mennilo|2010}}|title=From Sprawl to Sustainability: Smart Growth, New Urbanism, Green Development|author1=Freilich, Robert H|author2=Sitkowski, Robert J.|author3=Mennilo, Seth D.|year=2010|publisher=Amer-Bar-Asso}}
* {{cite book|title=Healthcare Equality Index 2013|publisher=HRC|author=Human Rights Campaign|isbn=978-1-934765-27-2|date=2013}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|John|2012}}|title=Wicked Portland: The Wild and Lusty Underworld of a Frontier Seaport Town|year=2012|author=John, Finn|publisher=History Press|isbn=978-1-60949-578-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Marschner|first=Janice|title=Oregon 1859: A Snapshot in Time|publisher=Timber Press|page=187|isbn=978-0-88192-873-0|date=2008}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Mass|2008}}|title=The Weather of the Pacific Northwest|author=Mass, Clifford|year=2008|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-29598-847-4}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Palahniuk|2003}}|title=Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon|author=[[Chuck Palahniuk|Palahniuk, Chuck]]|year=2003|isbn=978-1-40004-783-3|publisher=Crown|title-link=Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Platt|2006}}|title=The Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st-Century City|author=Platt, Rutherford|year=2006|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|isbn=978-1-55849-554-8|url=https://archive.org/details/humanemetropolis00ruth}}
* {{cite book|title=History of Portland Oregon with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofportlan00scot|year=1890|publisher=D. Mason & Co.|first=H.W.|last=Scott}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Wilson III|2004}}|last1=Wilson III|first1=Ernest J.|last2=Wilson|first2=Ernest J.|title=Diversity and US Foreign Policy: A Reader|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=978-0-415-92884-7|page=55}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |first=C. |last=Abbott |title=Greater Portland: Urban Life and Landscape in the Pacific Northwest |location=Philadelphia |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-8122-1779-9}}; [https://archive.org/details/greaterportlandu0000abbo full text online]
*  Abbott, Carl.  ''Portland in Three Centuries: The Place and the People'' (Oregon State University Press; 2011) 192 pages; scholarly history [https://archive.org/details/portlandinthreec0000abbo online]
*  Abbott, Carl.  ''Portland : gateway to the Northwest'' (1985) [https://archive.org/details/portlandgatewayt00abbo online]
* {{Cite book |first=C. |last=Abbott |title=Greater Portland: Urban Life and Landscape in the Pacific Northwest |location=Philadelphia |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-8122-1779-9}}; [https://archive.org/details/greaterportlandu0000abbo full text online]
* Hodges, Adam J. ''World War I and Urban Order: The Local Class Politics of National Mobilization.'' New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
* {{Cite book |author-link=Stewart Holbrook |first=Stewart |last=Holbrook |title=Far Corner: A Personal View of the Pacific Northwest |orig-year=Reprint of 1952 edition |year=1986 |publisher=Comstock Editions |location=Sausalito, California |isbn=978-0-89174-043-8}}
* {{Cite book |first=Jewel |last=Lansing |author-link=Jewel Lansing |title=Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851–2001 |location=Corvallis |publisher=Oregon State University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-87071-559-4}}
* {{Cite book |first=E. Kimbark |last=MacColl |title=The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1885 to 1915 |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Georgian Press |year=1976 |oclc=2645815}} [https://archive.org/details/merchantsmoneypo00macc online]
* {{Cite book |first=E. Kimbark |last=MacColl |title=The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915 to 1950 |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Georgian Press |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-9603408-1-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=MacGibbon |first=Elma |url=http://www.sos.wa.gov/history/publications_detail.aspx?p=63 |access-date=June 22, 2013 |title=Leaves of knowledge |year=1904 |publisher=Shaw & Borden Co |location=Spokane |oclc=3877939}} Contents: "Elma MacGibbon reminiscences of her travels in the United States starting in 1898, which were mainly in Oregon and Washington." Includes chapter "Portland, the Western Hub."
* {{Cite journal |last=O'Toole |first=Randal |author-link=Randal O'Toole |url=http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-596.pdf |title=Debunking Portland: The City That Doesn't Work |journal=Policy Analysis |volume=596 |date=July 9, 2007 |oclc=164599623 |access-date=June 22, 2013}}
* {{Cite book |editor-first=Connie P. |editor-last=Ozawa |title=The Portland Edge: Challenges and Successes in Growing Communities |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Island Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-55963-695-7}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Portland, Oregon|voy=Portland (Oregon)}}
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* {{Official website|http://www.portland.gov/}}
** [http://www.portlandmaps.com/ Portland Maps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722074758/http://www.portlandmaps.com/ |date=July 22, 2010 }} (lot-level GIS)
* [http://www.portlandalliance.com/ Portland Business Alliance – Portland Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.travelportland.com/ Portland's Visitor Association] – official [[visitors' bureau]] website
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=July 14, 2023|En-Portland, Oregon-article1of2.ogg|En-Portland, Oregon-article2of2.ogg}}

{{Portland, Oregon}}
{{Portland neighborhoods}}
{{Clackamas County, Oregon}}
{{Multnomah County, Oregon}}
{{Washington County, Oregon}}
{{Oregon}}
{{USPopulousCities}}
{{Oregon county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Portland, Oregon| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in Clackamas County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in Multnomah County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in Washington County, Oregon]]
[[Category:County seats in Oregon]]
[[Category:Oregon populated places on the Columbia River]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Willamette River]]
[[Category:1845 establishments in Oregon Country]]
[[Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1845]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Oregon]]
[[Category:Railway towns in Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in the Portland metropolitan area]]
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