Quick Portland Facts

  • City of Portland Population: 500,000+
  • Elevation: Average height of 173 feet above sea level
  • Miles to Ocean: 78
  • Miles to Skiing: 65 (year round)
  • Average Spring Temperature (F/C): 52/10
  • Average Summer Temperature (F/C): 67/19
  • Average Fall Temperature (F/C): 55/12
  • Average Winter Temperature (F/C): 41/5
  • Average rainfall: 36 inches (less than Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Indianapolis or Seattle - and without that nasty humidity)
  • Race/Ethnicity: Caucasians make up over 80%; Hispanic/Latino make up approximately 8% with almost 3% African American; 1% American Indian or Alaska Native; more than 5% are Asian, approximately 0.3% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, more than 4.1% are of a myriad of smaller racial groups.
  • Housing: more than 60% live in owner-occupied housing while approximately 40% of Portland's residents rent.
  • Age: The median age is 35. Approximately 25% are 19 and under and 10% are 65 or older.
  • Educational spending per pupil: $5280 (National average= $5387)
  • Number of 4 year colleges: 13 (National average = 4)
  • Education Attainment: more than 20% of Portland's people hold a Bachelor's degree. Over 85% graduated from high school and beyond.
  • Major industry: Tourism, high-tech, and manufacturing.
  • Major Employers: NIKE, Intel Corp., Oregon Health Sciences University, Fred Meyer
  • Average state taxes paid as % of income: 6.3% (National average = 6.8%)
  • Mass transit availability: 21.9 (National average= 8.0)

What Portland has to Brag About:

  • "America's Best Big City " - (Money magazine December 2000)
  • No. 2, "Best Places to Live in the United States" - (Money magazine December 2001)
  • One of "25 Hot Downtown Destinations" - (Expo Magazine October 2002)
  • "It's the coolest city you've yet to fall in love with." - (Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine June 2002)
  • No. 3 urban destination for summer travel in the U.S. - (Travel + Leisure April 2003)
  • One of "10 perfect places in North America to spend your summer holiday." - (Money magazine April 2002)
  • "No. 1 for general safety" - (according to T+L readers April 2003)
  • "No. 1 for ease of getting around" - (according to T+L readers April 2003)
  • No. 2 in the U.S. for Sustainable Cities - SustainLane.com (June 2005)
  • "America's most wired city" (best wireless Internet access) - Intel Survey (March, 2003)
  • "One of America's Top 10 Fittest Cities" - (Men's Fitness Magazine 2001)
  • "North America's No. 1 Cycling City" - (Bicycling magazine November 2001)
  • "Best Running Town" - (Runner 's World May 2003)
  • "America's best undiscovered food and wine destination." - (Gourmet Magazine January 2002)
  • "The next Napa. " - (Gourmet Magazine January 2002)
  • "Number 4 on PETA's list of top 10 vegetarian-friendly cities in the U.S. " - (PETA.com May 2003)
  • "Easy going, green and filled with art." - (San Francisco Chronicle June 2001)
  • One of America's "Top 25 Arts Destinations" No. 13 - (AmericanStyle Magazine 2001)
  • "America's Cleanest City" - (Reader's Digest July 2005)
  • "Green building innovation and outreach." - U.S. Green Building Council (2003)
  • "Top Recycler Among the Nation's 30 Largest Cities" - Waste News (2001)
  • "Best Urban Park" in the United States (Portland's Forest Park)- (Outside Magazine October 2001)
Portland PGE Park
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