The Official Guide to Portland

Portland is on the northwestern border of the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, north of California and south of Washington. Portland, Oregon’s largest city, is 78 miles (126 km) from the Oregon Coast, at the convergence of two major rivers (the Columbia and Willamette), near the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, Willamette Valley wine country and other regional destinations. The Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other tribes.

Portland is 175 miles (282 km) from Seattle, or about a three-hour drive by car. The trip from Seattle to Portland can also be made by bus, train (via Amtrak), plane (via Alaska Airlines and Delta, among others) or even by bike — if you’re a seasoned distance cyclist, that is.

For the most robust Portland experience, a week will allow you to deeply immerse yourself in the city. If you’re limited to a weekend, however, you can still experience many of Portland’s main attractions. Check out our collection of itineraries to plan based on the length of your stay and which part of the city or region you’d like to explore. Our events calendar can also help you find things to do during your next trip to Portland.

No matter how long your scheduled visit is, there are always more live music venues, art galleries, food carts and natural areas to explore.

Portland is known for having the amenities of a major city (such as an international airport, an efficient public transit system, major league sports teams and many museums and art galleries) and the charms of a small city (such as plentiful arts and crafts fairs, independent bookstores and local traditions like the annual Rose Festival Parade and the World Naked Bike Ride).

It’s typical to spend a day in Portland strolling through one of the city’s many unique neighborhoods, visiting locally owned businesses, restaurants, public green spaces and cultural attractions.

Perhaps because of our abundant rainfall, Portland’s culture of coziness encourages people to spend time indoors honing their crafts, making art, enjoying delicious food, seeing live music, browsing bookstores, and sipping tea, beer, wine, cocktails and coffee.

Rain or shine, you can take advantage of the city’s proximity to nature by playing in the Willamette River, wandering through lush public parks and gardens, biking the city’s 162 miles (261 km) of bike lanes and hiking trails both within city limits and in the nearby Columbia River Gorge.

Portland’s calendar is packed year-round with events, live music and performances, meaning there’s never a shortage of things to do. (Use our events calendar to explore upcoming Portland events based on their dates and your interests.)

Portland also offers a seemingly infinite array of things to see, taste and do. For a first-time trip, we recommend checking out our list of top sights and things to do in Portland. To take a deeper dive, check out our culture collection where you can explore dozens of ways to enjoy Portland’s music, art, bike culture, food, beer, outdoors, makers, tax-free shopping, cultural communities, nightlife, sports, cannabis, weirdness and more.

The things you should see during a trip to Portland, Oregon depend on your interests. For first-time visitors, we recommend checking out our list of top sights and things to do in Portland, which highlights popular attractions like Powell’s City of Books, Portland Japanese Garden, Portland Saturday Market, Forest Park and more.

For a deeper dive into things to see and do in Portland, check out our culture collection where you can explore dozens of ways to enjoy the city’s music, art, bike culture, food, beer, outdoors, makers, cultural communities, nightlife, sports, cannabis, weirdness and more.

Above all, the people of Portland are why the city is so exceptional. Portland has a thriving community of artists and makers who encourage innovation in design and craft (whether it be creating a sneaker or a new flavor of doughnut). In Portland, it’s good to experiment with what you love.

Portlanders also place a high value on sustainability, which can be seen in the way locals maintain and enjoy the city’s public gardens and green spaces, urban forests, miles of protected bike lanes, efficient public transportation and preserved natural areas.

Portland is perhaps best known for being a sustainability-minded, bike-friendly city with easy access to nature; plentiful coffee, art, craft beer, delicious food and live music; and crafty people who celebrate individuality and creativity (which, yes, some people call “weird”). Check out our culture collection to explore more things Portland is known for and visit our list of top sights and things to do for a round-up of can’t-miss local attractions.

Portland’s layout is also unique. With 12 bridges entirely within city limits, and several more connecting Portland to Vancouver, Washington, the city’s “Bridgetown” moniker is certainly accurate. Portland is divided into north and south by Burnside Street and into east and west by the Willamette River. What’s the final result of this awesome confluence of bridges, rivers and bustling streets? A vibrant city with six quadrants (yes, there are six of them!) and more than 90 formally recognized neighborhoods — each with its own unique style, each calling out to be explored.

Portland is a renowned culinary destination — broadly speaking, it’s a city famous for fresh food featuring local ingredients. You’ll find everything from some of the finest seafood in the world to truly delectable doughnuts. Portland is also known as perhaps the greatest city for food carts. And if you’re looking for outdoor dining, you’re in luck: The number of patio options in Portland is truly impressive.

While Portland doesn’t necessarily have a single iconic food, it does have a number of must-taste specialties. The Maple Bacon Bar at Voodoo Doughnut, the white curry (with brisket burnt ends) at Eem and khao man gai at Nong’s are a few you won’t want to miss. And don’t forget about the beverages for which Portland is most famous: coffee and craft beer. (We’re no slouches when it comes to wine and tea, either.)

Yes — Portland is a safe city for visitors. Like many cities, Portland is confronting issues related to social justice, livability and the coronavirus pandemic. But for a major American city, Portland continues to have comparatively low rates of violent crime. Of course, it makes sense for visitors to Portland to exercise caution, stay aware of their surroundings and take steps to learn more about safety in Portland.

The best time of year to visit Portland depends on your preferences, as each season has its own unique weather conditions, events and attractions. You can explore the changing colors of fall, the cultural offerings of winter, the gorgeous blooms of spring and the abundant outdoor adventures of summer.

No matter when you visit, Portland offers tax-free shopping, diverse cultural offerings, live music, award-winning culinary experiences and more. To find out what each season and month in Portland offers, check out our When to Visit page. You can also visit our events calendar to discover more things to do and see based on your interests and the dates of your trip.

The phrase “Keep Portland Weird” actually has roots in Austin, Texas, where independent businesses adopted the slogan “Keep Austin Weird” in 2002 to encourage people to shop locally. Terry Currier, the owner of Music Millenium, is said to have been so inspired by the phrase he brought it back to Portland (a city that, like Austin, has its own culture of weirdness).

Portland’s quirks appear in many ways, including at annual events like the World Naked Bike Ride and the Adult Soapbox Derby, or in strange places like the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and the world’s smallest park. The city’s thriving and ever-expanding community of artists, designers and makers also help foster Portland’s culture of embracing individuality and creative expression.

You can find the city’s iconic black and yellow “KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD” mural at 22 SW Third Ave., behind Dante’s and across the street from Voodoo Doughnut.

According to the U.S. Census, as of 2021 the racial makeup of Portland, Oregon, is:

• White: 77.4%
  
• Black or African American: 5.8%
  
• American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.8%
  
• Asian: 8.2%
  
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.6%
  
• Two or More Races: 5.3%
  
• Hispanic or Latino: 9.7%
  

(These percentages do not add up to 100% because some categories reflect people who listed more than one race.)

Yes, Portland’s tap water is safe to drink. Most of the city’s tap water comes from rainfall collected in the Bull Run watershed, a drainage basin located 30 miles (48 km) east of Portland. Bull Run water isn’t filtered (though a new filtration system is being installed and is expected to start filtering Bull Run water by 2027), but chlorine is added to the water to disinfect it of any potential natural contaminants. For more information about Portland’s tap water, visit the City of Portland’s About Portland’s Water System website.

Portland earned the nickname “Stumptown” during a period of unprecedented change to the once-forested area in the mid-1800s, when white settlers chopped down vast numbers of trees to make room for city development. Though the trees were cleared, many of their hard-to-remove stumps were left behind (they were so prevalent, in fact, that Portlanders used to jump from stump to stump to avoid trekking through muddy roads). The Portland of today is stump-free, but the nickname “Stumptown” lives on.

The term “Rip City” was born during an NBA basketball game on Feb. 18, 1971, between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers. When Blazers guard Jim Barnett hit an unexpected long-range shot, play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely blurted out (for reasons still unknown) “Rip city! All right!”

Unfortunately, the Trail Blazers lost the game 136 to 114, but Schonely’s celebratory words, “Rip City,” live on today as both a nickname and rallying cry for Portlanders and Blazers fans around the world.