Big city excitement and small town charm make Portland, Oregon, known as "the City of Roses", one of the favorite destinations in the West. Portland is situated approximately 70 miles from the Pacific Ocean in a magnificent setting between the sparkling waters of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Portland's historic old town, galleries and museums, Saturday Market, and theatre companies will keep visitors busy for weeks! Lush green parks are perfect for a picnic or an afternoon stroll. Also, Portland is just a short distance from Willamette Valley wineries, skiing at Mt. Hood, and all of the excitement and beauty of Oregon's spectacular ocean coastline.

Portland's award winning mass transit system is one of the most extensive and advanced in the U.S. The transit system includes buses, streetcars, historic trollies, and the MAX, an urban light rail line. There's also a downtown transit mall with Fareless Square, the downtown free-ride zone.

Portland was built with walking or bicycling in mind. The short blocks, combined with public art and statues, fountains, bridges and parks offer opportunities for leisure and contemplation for the casual stroller. Walking tours of the downtown area focusing on the best of the city's art, architecture, urban parks and fountains are available. For the more adventuresome walker or jogger, Forest Park has over 70 miles of trails.

Nightlife in Portland is excellent and varied. This includes the world class performances of the internationally-known Oregon Symphony. Performing arts in the area offer ballet, Shakespeare, Broadway musicals, modern dance, and much more. Outdoor summer concerts are plentiful, with music for everyone. See art up close at the First Thursday art gallery walks in different areas of the city. Portland has many local pubs and brew houses, where tasting local microbrews is considered a fine way to spend an evening. The Rose City is the home of the Trail Blazers basketball team, and also has hockey and baseball for sports fans.

Oregon job growth, until recently, has outpaced national averages.  Just a few of the major corporations that call the Portland area home are Nike, Intel, Adidas, Nautilus, Tektronix, Hewlett Packard, Columbia Sportswear, LaCrosse, Flir Systems, plus many more.

A splendid location, relaxed respectability, and an urban lifestyle that is unsurpassed for its livability is what makes so many visitors return and make Portland their new home.