Portland is the largest city in the US state of Oregon. The town’s history began with the many settlers who arrived at the Willamette Valley area in the 1840s. The town of The Clearing grew between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. In the following years, Asa Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove acquired the land around the town, and they changed the name to Portland after tossing a coin for the name.

After this, development proceeded quickly in the well-located city. In 1851, the town had a population of more than 800, growing to over 46,000 in 1890 and nearly 300,000 in 1920. In 1905, Portland hosted the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, which attracted 1.6 million visitors. During the Second World War, a new period of growth started, when Portland and the neighboring city of Vancouver became home to the production of not least the so-called Liberty Ships. A new boom came with technology companies such as Intel from the 1990s.

Today, Portland is a modern metropolis, where you can head out for some exciting walks in the downtown, which lies along the Willamette River. You can start at Pioneer Courthouse Square, located in the middle of Portland’s business district. The square takes up an entire city block, and until 1951 the Portland Hotel was located on the site and for many years it was the city’s leading hotel. The current site was laid out in 1984, and along SW 6th Avenue you can see original iron gates that were formerly part of the Portland Hotel. You can also notice the stones that make up the square’s pavement.

There is a name on each stone, and they represent people who donated 15 dollars to the construction of the square in 1982-1983. To the east of the interesting urban space, you can see the Pioneer Courthouse, which was built in 1869, making it one of the oldest federal buildings west of the Mississippi. To the south is Jackson Tower, which was built 1909-1912 in the Beaux-Arts style as the headquarters of the now defunct newspaper, the Oregon Journal.

In the area east of the modern business district around Pioneer Courthouse Square is Portland’s old town with a great variety of architecture i.e. older high-rise buildings. The city originated and was initially built approximately between the Willamette River, the Burnside Bridge, Yamhill Street and 4th Avenue. Here you can walk the streets and see some beautiful examples of architecture from the early Portland.

Great examples are the Dekum Building in 3rd Avenue, which was built in 1892 with materials from Oregon, the New Market Theater from 1875, which was built with inspiration from Covent Garden in London, and the Bishop’s House from 1878, which can be seen on SW Harvey Milk Street. You can also visit the area around the so-called Yamhill Historic District with its many beautiful buildings in Italianized style from the years 1878-1887, such as the Mikado Building from 1880 and the Willamette Block from 1882. In this area of ​​the city, you can also enjoy a nice stroll along the Willamette River, where there is a riverwalk and green spaces.

In Portland, there is plenty of opportunity to visit museums and other cultural institutions. Along the river promenade in the center, you can see the Oregon Maritime Museum in the form of the paddle steamer Portland, which was built in 1947. The city is home to the Portland Art Museum as well, which is the city’s leading art museum with works by both American and international artists. If you want to board an exciting trip through Portland’s history, the Oregon Historical Society Museum is the right choice.

It is a historical museum where you can see the famous Portland Penny, which determined the city’s name when the coin was used to toss for the new name of The Clearing. Portland’5 Centers for the Arts is another interesting place. Behind the name hides several art scenes and institutions located in the buildings Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Antoinette Hatfield Hall and Keller Auditorium. The 1928 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is one of many examples of old movie theaters and theaters in Portland.

There is also beautiful scenery in and around Portland, and many of the sites are easily accessible. To the west of the city is the large Washington Park, where you can go for lovely walks in the nature. In the park there are also several attractions such as the International Rose Test Garden, where you can enjoy many fine plants with over 600 different types of roses.

Nearby, you can visit the Portland Japanese Garden, a traditional Japanese garden that opened in 1967. The World Forestry Center, Hoyt Arboretum and Oregon Zoo are also located in Washington Park. In this area, it is possible to get up into the heights of the West Hills at, for example, the Pittock Mansion from 1914, from which there is a fantastic panoramic view of Portland and the over 3,400-meter-high stratovolcano, Mount Hood. You can also choose to take a nice walk in the Lan Su Chinese Garden, a lovely Chinese garden in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, where the famous Shanghai Tunnels lie between the buildings.