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ortland, Oregon, is a city in northwestern Oregon, the seat of Multnomah County and the largest city in the state. Portland is the business and transportation hub for much of the Pacific Northwest and a growing center for electronics manufacturing. The city has a striking natural setting and rich cultural resources; it refers to itself as the City of Roses.Portland lies on both banks of the Willamette River near where it empties into the Columbia River. Spring and summer weather is generally mild, and the city receives heavy rains in the late fall and winter. While heavy snow is rare, Portland occasionally suffers under ice storms brought about when frigid air from the state’s interior passes through the gorge of the Columbia River and collides with the warmer, moist air of the coast. Average annual precipitation is 36 inches. In January the average high temperature is 45° and the average low 34°; in July highs average80° and lows 56°.
Francis Pettygrove, one of the founders of Portland, named the city in 1845 after winning a coin toss with cofounder Asa Lovejoy. Pettygrove named it for his hometown of Portland, Maine; had Lovejoy won he intended to name it after his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
The city of Portland covers a land area of 124.4 square miles. The city is at the core of a metropolitan region covering five counties in Oregon (Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Yamhill, and Columbia) and one county (Clark) in the state of Washington north of the Columbia River. The region encompasses 5,028 square miles of land. After Portland, the largest cities in the metropolitan area are Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Lake Oswego in Oregon, and Vancouver in Washington.
Portland began on the west bank of the Willamette River upstream from its confluence with the Columbia River. The area of first settlement remains the city’s business and governmental center. Its best-known public building is the Portland Building (1982), built in the postmodern style. Over the entrance to the Portland Building is an 35-feet hammered-copper statue of "Portlandia". Numerous fountains enliven the city core. The Ira Keller Fountain occupies a city block and reproduces the feel of a mountain stream. Downtown Portland is notable for its tree-lined streets and short blocks, making them convenient and pleasant for pedestrians. In recent years the central business district has spread to the east side of the Willamette. Eight bridges cross the river in the heart of the city, and a modern light-rail system connects the downtown with outlying suburbs.
West of downtown a number of prestigious neighborhoods occupy the steep ridge of the West Hills. In northwest Portland is a vibrant neighborhood of shops and restaurants, many in restored Victorian homes. The east side of the Willamette is occupied principally by residential areas.
The city lies at the foot of the fertile Willamette Valley. To the west are the mountains of the Coast Range, and to the east is the Cascade Range. Snow-capped Mount Hood, at 11,239 feet, can be seen from most vantage points in the city.
