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Portland

City in Oregon, United StatesPortland is in northwestern Oregon, about 100 km east of the Pacific, where the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River, which forms the border with Washington state.

What it's known for

Portland is the largest city in Oregon, at the northern end of the Willamette Valley, the state's most populated region. Its nicknames include 'Rose City' and 'Bridgetown', and on clear days Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens stand out on its horizon.

Fun facts

  1. In 1845 the founders settled the name with a coin toss: Francis Pettygrove won and named it after his home town of Portland, Maine, instead of Asa Lovejoy's choice, Boston.
  2. The early settlement was called 'Stumptown' and 'The Clearing' because so many trees had been cut down to make room for it.
  3. The Portland Rose Festival is held every June, and the city's love of roses goes back to the Portland Rose Society, founded in 1889.

Finding it on the globe

Follow the Columbia River inland from the Pacific along the Oregon–Washington border. Portland is on the Oregon side, where the Willamette River joins from the south.

Easy to mix up

Don't confuse it with Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic coast. Also, Oregon's capital is not Portland but Salem, about 75 km to the south.

Sources: Wikipedia: Portland, Oregon, Wikipedia: Portland Penny, Wikipedia: Portland, Maine, Wikipedia: Salem, Oregon