Portland

Home to charming neighborhoods with an urbane heart, Oregon's biggest city is flanked by the rivers Willamette and Columbia. In its affable riverside oasis, Portland, also known as the 'City of Roses' is a delightful mix of vibrant cultures. From its origin as a flourishing railroad town with lumber and steel industries, Portland quickly shaped itself into a progressive city that spanned a multitude of interests. Its thriving arts and culture scene is known to be both cutting-edge, yet delightfully familiar as the cradle of a booming acoustic culture, which developed through the seventies and included punk and indie rock music genres. Today, it boasts of an eclectic live-music milieu. Portland is no stranger to art either, and is home to a wealth of museums, festivals and eminent galleries that celebrate the visual arts. Synonymous with New Age superlatives, this hip city also rules the culinary world of the Pacific Northwest, hosting as many as 70 beer breweries, an array of wine bars and innumerable local cuisine-wielding food carts and restaurants in its urbane sprawl. Molded into an excellently planned city from the very beginning, Portland's diverse neighborhoods are home to an array of modern and historic architecture that upholds its humble beginnings and history. Within its labyrinthine expanse, Portland also readily makes space for endless miles of lush gardens and jade groves that are avenues for relaxation and recreation. With a dynamic landscape and an innovative mindset, Portland is Oregon's original creative child.