Portland Misc

Fun Facts & Trivia about Portland, Oregon*

• Population:
  536,240; 1.9 million in the Portland metropolitan area
• Area:
  145 square miles (375 square km)
• Elevation:
  Average height of 173 feet above sea level (52.5 m)
• Time zone:
  Pacific
• Miles to ocean:
  78 (125 km)
• Miles to a glacier:
  65 to the Palmer Glacier on Mount Hood (104 km)
• Average temps:
  January, 39.6 F (4.2 C); July, 76 F (24.4 C
• Average rainfall:
  36.3 inches (less than Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Indianapolis or Seattle - and without that nasty humidity)
• Newspapers:
  The Oregonian (daily), The Portland Tribune (semiweekly), Willamette Week (weekly)
• Major industry:
  Tourism, high-tech, health care and manufacturing
• Weather:
  503.275.9792
• Road conditions:
  503.222.6721 (AAA Oregon)
• Airport:
  Portland International Airport (503.460.4040, www.flypdx.com)
• Transit:
  MAX, Portland's light rail system (503.238.7433, www.tri-met.org) Tri-Met bus system (503.238.7433,www.tri-met.org) Portland Streetcar (503.238.7433, www.portlandstreetcar.org) Amtrak, Union Station (800.872.7245, www.amtrak.com)
• Official Bird:
  Blue Heron
• Official rose:
  Mme. Caroline Testout Rose

Sister Cities

Portland Accolades

• "This gateway to Oregon’s wine country is a wine destination in its own right."
  Food & Wine magazine (August 2003)
• "Best running town" and home of the ‘Best urban running trail: the Leif Erickson Trail"
  Runner’s World (May 2003)
• No. 1 urban destination for summer travel in the United States, according to Travel + Leisure readers; plus No. 1 for general safety; No. 1 for ease of getting around; No. 3 for fall travel.
  Travel + Leisure magazine (April 2003)
• One of "America’s 10 Best Summer Vacations"
  Citysearch Editors’ Poll (June 2002)
• One of "10 perfect places in North America to spend your summer holiday."
  Money magazine (April 2002)
• One of America’s "Top 25 Arts Destinations"
  AmericanStyle magazine (Spring 2002)
• Called "the next Napa" and ". . . the Burgundy of America."
  Gourmet magazine (January 2002)
• No. 2, "Best Places to Live in the United States"
  Money magazine (December 2001)
• "North America’s No. 1 Cycling City"
  Bicycling magazine (November 2001)
• No. 5, "Top 100 Fantastic Places (and Things) for 2001"
  Travel + Leisure magazine (January 2001)

Portland Trivia

• The Portland Saturday Market is the largest continuously operating open-air crafts market in the United States.
• Powell’s City of Books, occupying an entire city block, is the world’s largest independent bookstore.
• The Port of Portland’s combined terminals handle $10.5 billion worth of cargo each year.
• Portland’s Junior Rose Festival Parade is the largest children’s parade in America.
• Portlandia is the second-largest hammered-copper statue in the world (the Statue of Liberty is the first).
• Portland’s International Rose Test Garden is the oldest in the nation.
• More Asian elephants (27 to date) have been born in Portland than in any other North American city.
• Portland is known as the epicenter of America’s craft brewing renaissance.
• Portland is home to both the world’s smallest dedicated park, Mill Ends Park (24 inches in size), and the nation’s largest forestedcity wilderness
  the 5,000-acre Forest Park.
• Portland has 37,000 acres of parks in the metro area.
• Portland’s nicknames include “Rose City,” “City of Bridges,” “Rip City,” and “Rivercity.”
• The Oregon Brewers Festival is the largest gathering of independent brewers in North America.
• The city of Portland was officially incorporated on February 8, 1851.
• There is no sales tax in Oregon.

*From the Portland Oregon Visitors Association

Fun Facts About Oregon

• Oregon is the 10th largest state in the union, covering 97,073 square miles.
• The population of Oregon is only 3.4 million, with 1.5 million living in the Portland area.
• You may not pump your own gas in the state of Oregon.
• The highest elevation point is Mt. Hood at 11,239 feet, and the lowest is at sea level.
• The deepest river-carved gorge in North America, Hells Canyon (at 7,900 feet) is located in the Northeastern corner of the state.
• There are more than 6,000 lakes and 112,000 miles of rivers and streams.
• Oregon's birthday is Valentine's Day, February 14, 1859.
• Most of Oregon is located in the Pacific time zone. Oregon's easternmost city, Ontario, is actually located in the Mountain time zone.
• There are more than 5,900 registered campsites, 230 state parks and 13 national forests in Oregon.
• Nearly half of Oregon's total area is forested - close to 30 million acres.
• Oregon has more than 7,000 bridges, including 53 covered bridges.
• There are 16 known hot springs in Oregon.
• Oregon has 12 downhill ski areas, with 400 trails in three mountain ranges.
• At 1,932 feet, Crater Lake, located in Southern Oregon is the deepest lake in the United States.
• The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is one of the richest fossil bed sites in the world.
• Oregon City, Oregon, was the first incorporated city west of the Rockies.
• There are currently 17 ghost towns in Oregon.
• There are nine lighthouses and one light ship along the Oregon Coast.
• Astoria, founded in 1811, is the oldest U.S. settlement west of the Rockies.
• Oregon has four National Historic Trails, and 14 National Historic Districts.
• The Oregon State Bird is the Western Meadowlark.
• The Oregon State Animal is the American Beaver.