Portland, Oregon in Profile
Renowned for culture, art, and natural beauty, Portland, Oregon is home to the world-famous Portland Rose Festival, which lasts for 25 days each June. This celebration encompasses more than 70 events, including the Grand Floral Parade (second largest all-floral parade in the nation), a waterfront carnival, a fine arts festival, and even an Indycar race.
Set against one of the world’s most beautiful natural backdrops, Portland offers a huge wealth of sightseeing attractions. Authentic 19th-century Western cast iron architecture abounds, and art exhibits, street vendors, and concerts are plentiful during summer months.
Portland is appropriately proud of its outdoor public art and fountains. One of the most famous is Portlandia, a 35-foot tall hammered copper sculpture of a kneeling woman, and Ira's Fountain, a cascading water sculpture dotted with islands and terraces across from the Civic Auditorium. The city’s role as a gateway to Asia and the Pacific Rim is attested by the abundance of Japanese cultural attractions. Among these is the Grotto, a 60-acre shrine; the Japanese Garden, the most authentic example of Japanese gardens outside of Japan; and there’s also the International Rose Test Garden. For a different flavor visitors can check out the Classical Chinese Garden in the Old Town/Chinatown district.
Incomparably beautiful natural scenery can be found around nearby Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge. Portland is not that distant – about a two hour’s drive -- from the Pacific Ocean. Willamette Valley vintiers frequently offer wine-tastings.
The Portland Center for the Performing Arts is a buzzing hive of artistic activity offering more than 900 annual events. The Center includes the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Newmark Theatre, Dolores Winningstad Theatre, and Keller Auditorium. Portland's performing arts groups include Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Center State, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Portland Gay Men's Chorus, and Chamber Music Northwest.
The Oregon Historical Society's History Center houses exhibits tracing the history of the Pacific Northwest from prehistoric times to the present. The Oregon Maritime Center and Museum features ship models, navigational instruments, hardware, and historical exhibits.
The Portland Art Museum, one of the 25 largest museums in the country, houses collections of 35 centuries of world art, including European works from the Renaissance to the present, nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art, and Native American, Asian, and West African art. In 2000 the museum unveiled three new centers in its Millennium Project expansion: the Center for Native American Art, Center for Northwest Art, and the outdoor public sculpture gardens. The most recent project in the expansion program began in February 2004 as renovation and restoration started on the museum's "North Building," a former Masonic Temple acquired in 1991.
Several notable authors have made Portland their home, including the noted children’s author Beverly Cleary. Fans of her work should check out the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Grant Park, which showcases bronze statues of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy—characters made famous in the Portland author's classic children's books.
Washington Park is home to many children's attractions, including the Portland Children's Museum. It features hands-on exhibits for children through 10 years of age. The Oregon Zoo, which opened in 1887, houses animals from around the world. The zoo's latest project is a Great Northwest exhibit, which features animals and ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest region.