Downtown Portland, Oregon view looking
across the Willamette River
This aptly nicknamed city, "The City of Roses", has become increasingly popular not only
with tourists, but as a place to live. As Portland grows, you will not necessarily
notice much of a shift in the mellowness and small town feel of this bustling
metropolis. The city adopted this nickname in 1905 as the city of renewal and growth.
Portland is surrounded by over 200 parks, one of them being Forest Park in
northwest Portland, which is the nation’s largest city park.
Wherever you go
in Portland, you are surrounded by nature’s awesome beauty. The majestic Mt. Hood
stands proudly against the eastern horizon and the famous Mt. St. Helen’s
stands (now flat topped after its 1980 eruption) to the north. There is the
Willamette River that runs straight through downtown. Portland is a
mecca of both fun and business. There are many summer days that you will see people water
skiing past ocean going ships docked at the Port of Portland. There is the old and
new shown in Portland architecture through smaller brick buildings to large glass and
steel skyscraper and everywhere you look there are trees, fountains, and art. It truly
is a beautiful city to see.