Ted Harris · Portland Real Estate

Use the sub-pages links of Portland, Oregon to learn more about the Portland quadrants and their neighborhoods. More information on nearby cities, towns, and unincorporated communities can be found on the SUBURBIA PAGE

What's in a Name?

Portland has often been called "Rose City" or "City of Roses", nicknames originated during the 1905 Lewis and Clark centennial expedition. Its climate is ideal for growing roses, and the city has many rose gardens. Other nicknames for the city of Portland include "Stumptown", "Bridgetown" (due to its numerous bridges), "Puddletown" (due to the weather), and "River City" (due to its proximity to the Willamette and Columbia Rivers). "PDX" (after the city's airport code), "P-town", and "Rip City are also used when referring to the largest city in Oregon, straddling the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Portland is often cited as an example of a well-planned city. Housing costs are lower than most urban areas in California and Washington, and residents enjoy many benefits of a more compact urban area, including efficient public transportation and less traffic than similarly sized cities.

Portland is divided into five main sections: Southwest, Southeast, Northwest, North and Northeast. Burnside Street is the boundary between north and south, and the Willamette River divides the eastern and western sections. North of Burnside Street, the river curves west and in place of it Williams Avenue is used as a divider. Between Williams and the river is the fifth, North, quadrant. Each section has unique characteristics and style, much like Portland's suburbs.

Use the Maps link to explore the Portland region and get directions. The Home Search link directs you to a searchable online database that be customized to find homes in the areas that interest you most. Use the links at the top margin to further explore the unique Portland areas, its geography, climate, attractions, and transportation options.

Population: 1,572,771 million people live in the Portland Metro area: (Multnomah Country - most of the City of Portland), Clackamas County (SE), Washington County (W), and Clark Country (N).
Households: 614,568 total households. 63.7% of the households are family households and 36.3% are non family households. 49.8% are married couples with a family and 9.8% are female householder with no husband present.
Race/Ethnicity 80.5% white; 2.9% black; 0.9% American Indian or Alaska Native; 4.9% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 4.1% other race, 3.3% two or more races. The Hispanic or Latino make up 8% of the total population.
Age The median age is 34.9. 27% are 19 and under and 10% are 65 or older.
Education Attainment 20.2% hold a Bachelor's degree. 87.1% are high school graduates or higher.
Residence in 1995 12.6% lived in a different state in 1995.
Nativity and Place of Birth 87.7% born in USA; 11.4% foreign born.
Region of Birth of Foreign Born Europe 20%; Asia 34%; Latin America 37%.
Ancestry 20.9% German, 12.8% English, 11.9% Irish; 4.7% Norwegian, and 3.5% Swedish.
Labor Force 851,671 or 69.5% of population.
Commuting to Work 71.9% drove alone; 11.5% carpool; 7.1% public transportation; 3.3% walked, 1.6% other; 4.6% worked at home.
Mean Travel Time to Work 24.5 minutes.
Income in 1999 Median household income was $46,789; median family income $56,045, per capita income $23,732; median earnings for full-time males (year-round workers) $40,214; median earnings for full-time females (year-round workers) $30,094.
Poverty Status in 1999 6.2% (24,605 total) of the families below poverty level. 19,860 of these families have children under 18 years of age living with them and 10,939 families have children under 5 year of age living with them.
Housing 62% live in owner-occupied housing units and 38% live in renter occupied housing units.

Click here to view the 2000 Census and to download the latest 2006 population estimates for Oregon state/cities

Welcome to Portland!

Portlandia is a sculpture by Raymond Kaskey located above the entrance of Michael Graves' Portland Building in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is notable for being the second largest copper repoussé statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty.

Installed in September 1985 after being floated down the Willamette River on a barge, the statue is based on the design of the city seal. It depicts a woman in classical clothes with a trident reaching down with right hand to greet visitors. The statue itself is 36 feet (11 meters) high. If standing, the woman would be approximately 50 feet (15 m) high.