Portland's Motto:
Portland's Official Bird: Great Blue Heron
What Makes Portland unique?
I'll name a few:
WORLD'S LARGEST and SMALLEST:
1. World's biggest floods on earth-the Missoula Floods which occurred at the end of the last ice-age, topping Portland with 400 feet of water, high enough to almost top our tallest buildings.
2. 2nd biggest lava field (100,000 SQUARE MILES) emanating from the Yellowstone hotspot millions of years ago - including one of only 4 volcanoes within a city limits in the U.S.
We have nearly 100 extinct volcanoes in the immediate area.
- The City of Dreamers
- The City That Works!
- Keep Portland Weird
Portland's Official Bird: Great Blue Heron
What Makes Portland unique?
I'll name a few:
WORLD'S LARGEST and SMALLEST:
1. World's biggest floods on earth-the Missoula Floods which occurred at the end of the last ice-age, topping Portland with 400 feet of water, high enough to almost top our tallest buildings.
2. 2nd biggest lava field (100,000 SQUARE MILES) emanating from the Yellowstone hotspot millions of years ago - including one of only 4 volcanoes within a city limits in the U.S.
We have nearly 100 extinct volcanoes in the immediate area.
FULL STOP.
PLAY AUDIO OF YELLOWSTONE SUPER VOLCANO
PLAY AUDIO OF YELLOWSTONE SUPER VOLCANO
Continuing with WORLD'S LARGEST:
3. Largest Park within a city limits in the U.S.
4. World's Largest Asian elephants breeding program in the world
5. Beer Capitol of the World! World's greatest number of breweries per capita
6. World's Longest Wheat Terminal
7. World's Largest Log Cabin and Independent bookstore
8. The Largest Living Thing on Earth is in Oregon. It is a 3.5-Square-Mile "humongous fungus", living in the Malheur Forest. It's also amongst the oldest, at 10,000 years old.
9. The Paul Bunyan statue in north Portland - representing the ultimate hipster, competes with Bangor Maine as the world's largest, both 31 feet (8433 N Interstate)
And #10. World largest, Naked Bike Ride, with over 10,000 riders. On June 24 annually.
And the smallest:
The World's smallest park, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, resides right here in downtown Portland.
THERE'S MORE:
1st female police officer in the United States- Lola Baldwin (1908)
Oldest Rose Garden in the U.S.
Simpsons Matt Grouenig grew up here:
The oldest federal building in the Northwest from eighteen sixty nine, called the Pioneer Courthouse
Bike-friendliest city - highest share (6%) of bicycle commuters in the U.S.
Some of the purest drinking water of any city in the country, the only major city to produce without fluoride.
The 10 bridges are nice, some being the oldest in North America with unique designs. (We have the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world, and the 1st & second oldest vertical-lift bridges in North America)
And did you know Portland is the only U.S. city to own two operating steam locomotives? Explore and get up close to these giant marvels of the past at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center just across the river next to OMSI. On Saturdays, after you’ve taken in the latest exhibit, hop aboard the charming Oregon Pacific Railroad passenger train for the 45 minute trip down to the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. $10 each, paid when boarding.
All aboard!
Quirky residents and fairy-tale like surroundings make Portland the perfect setting for one-of-a-kind TV shows like Portlandia, and Grimm.
What Keeps Portland WEIRD?
Independence, creativity, nonconformity...Whatever you call it, there's something about Portland that brings out the odd in everyone.
And we're not afraid to be weird.
Things that are keepin' it weird:
Without a doubt, the Rose City is one of the most eclectic places there is! You can go from pristine and proper to weird and wonderful within blocks of one another.
NEXT is the Portland Building and Portlandia
With many more
3. Largest Park within a city limits in the U.S.
4. World's Largest Asian elephants breeding program in the world
5. Beer Capitol of the World! World's greatest number of breweries per capita
6. World's Longest Wheat Terminal
7. World's Largest Log Cabin and Independent bookstore
8. The Largest Living Thing on Earth is in Oregon. It is a 3.5-Square-Mile "humongous fungus", living in the Malheur Forest. It's also amongst the oldest, at 10,000 years old.
9. The Paul Bunyan statue in north Portland - representing the ultimate hipster, competes with Bangor Maine as the world's largest, both 31 feet (8433 N Interstate)
And #10. World largest, Naked Bike Ride, with over 10,000 riders. On June 24 annually.
And the smallest:
The World's smallest park, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, resides right here in downtown Portland.
THERE'S MORE:
1st female police officer in the United States- Lola Baldwin (1908)
Oldest Rose Garden in the U.S.
Simpsons Matt Grouenig grew up here:
The oldest federal building in the Northwest from eighteen sixty nine, called the Pioneer Courthouse
Bike-friendliest city - highest share (6%) of bicycle commuters in the U.S.
Some of the purest drinking water of any city in the country, the only major city to produce without fluoride.
The 10 bridges are nice, some being the oldest in North America with unique designs. (We have the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world, and the 1st & second oldest vertical-lift bridges in North America)
And did you know Portland is the only U.S. city to own two operating steam locomotives? Explore and get up close to these giant marvels of the past at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center just across the river next to OMSI. On Saturdays, after you’ve taken in the latest exhibit, hop aboard the charming Oregon Pacific Railroad passenger train for the 45 minute trip down to the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. $10 each, paid when boarding.
All aboard!
Quirky residents and fairy-tale like surroundings make Portland the perfect setting for one-of-a-kind TV shows like Portlandia, and Grimm.
What Keeps Portland WEIRD?
Independence, creativity, nonconformity...Whatever you call it, there's something about Portland that brings out the odd in everyone.
And we're not afraid to be weird.
Things that are keepin' it weird:
- A lot of weird ice creams (salt & straw ON 23RD FOR EXAMPLE),
- Weird beers and really weird donuts.
- Many weird museums including the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium. Not for the faint of heart, the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium promises unusual experiences like selfies with aliens and bug sundaes. It's packed full of creepy but fun exhibits, like Al Capone’s safe, an alien autopsy table, and an exhibit on spontaneous combustion, this Northwest Portland gallery and shop serves up original artwork, ice cream and keeps Portland weird. Located 640 SE Stark St.
- Everyone has a beard, skinny jeans, nobody has a job and they all live in 12 room co-op houses. In short, everyone here has the day off.
- Our obsession with Elvis - From the jump-suited Elvis impersonator at Saturday Market to the 24-hour Church of Elvis, (closed), to the many interpretations of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, in Portland, the King is alive!
- Beer and liquor is served at theaters and barber shops
- We have the fewest churches per square mile anywhere with the highest # of strip clubs per capita in the US. In fact, the United States 1st female police officer was Lola Baldwin, was hired to patrol the strip clubs. We have 3 weird strip clubs--a vegan, a steakhouse and a karaoke strip club.
- The Shanghai Tunnels are weird
Without a doubt, the Rose City is one of the most eclectic places there is! You can go from pristine and proper to weird and wonderful within blocks of one another.
NEXT is the Portland Building and Portlandia
With many more
