Relocating to Portland

Portland has plenty to see and do, from bars to biking and museums to keep you busy year-round. Add the Portland Art Museum, Pittock Mansion, and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry to your list. When you’re new to Portland take the time to check it all out.

What is Portland Known For?

Portland is a diverse city with lots to see and do. It’s well known for many things. If you’re looking for a place to travel, and you have your mind set on somewhere that is filled with rich history, beautiful scenery, and delicious food, look no further than the gorgeously weird city of Portland, Oregon.

Portland, Oregon is known for its lush nature parks, small business-based economy, craft breweries and distilleries, numerous art museums, and its commitment to conserving nature through its green-energy initiatives. It’s also known for its overall unique feel and it’s the slogan “Keep Portland Weird.”

The Bridges

The bridges on the Willamette are some of the defining features of Portland. The river is wide and imposing, and so are the majority of these monuments. Although we might take them for granted nowadays, going from one side of the city to the other wasn’t always easy. Before the Morrison Bridge was completed in 1887, the river was crossed by ferry.

Light rail and streetcars

Portland is kind of small to have a subway. Yet such a progressive-minded city just had to have a comprehensive public transport network.

No sales tax

The fact remains, though, that Oregon is one of five U.S. states that levies no sales tax altogether.

Environmental awareness

Portland, like Seattle and Boulder in Colorado, has implemented something called an urban growth boundary, which aims at limiting urban sprawl and protecting forest land at the same time. Portland recycles about 70% of its waste, extracts 60% of its power from hydroelectric sources, and has the highest rate of bike commuting in the country.

Washington Park

Washington Park is the go-to leisure area to the majority of Portlanders. Not only does it boast more than 24km (15mi) of hillside trails, it also houses the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Japanese Garden, the Hoyt Arboretum, and even its own railroad.

Columbia River Gorge

Portland is known for the river that divides it in two. But the Willamette is really a tributary of the majestic Columbia River, which it joins at the northernmost end of town. This huge waterway marks most of the border between Oregon and Washington.

Alberta Arts District

Portland is known for its thriving art scene, and the area around Alberta Street is the center of it all. It went from a working-class district to skid row, to a gentrified neighborhood in little more than a century.

Portland Saturday Market

Nothing screams Portland any louder than the oldest open-air handicrafts market in America. Founded in 1974, it has up to 400 stalls and is the best spot to get a one-of-a-kind, artsy souvenir from the city.

The market takes place in the city’s Old Town Chinatown and has been one of the main sources of revenue for the struggling neighborhood since it first opened.

Food carts

A food truck or cart is a rare sight in almost every American city, but of course, the opposite is true in Portland.

Portland’s definitely among the coolest and most unique cities in the United States. If you're ready to start exploring Portland homes for sale, start here!