Introduction 1
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Introduction 1 Introduction Larry W. Price Department of Geography Portland State University Portland, Oregon is one of five major less than in the larger California cities. cities along the west coast of the United Portland is a big place but retains many States. Most Americans have heard of of the attributes of a smaller place. This it and know approximately where it is quality. was nicely capsu1ized in an article located. Yet if you were to ask them to published in the October 21, 1985, New tell you something about the city they Yorker: Portland ... /(combines the intimacy would probably find it difficult to do. of a town with the density and the rich POdland is generally considered the ness of a city." It is this character, in least major 'Of the west coast cities. fact, the juxtaposition of big·and small, There is nqthing distinctive that sym the built and the natural, that is the bolizes it as,the Space Needle does for essence of the place. Seattle or the Golden Gate Bridge does. The economy of Portland is not dom for San Francisco. It is not nestled inated by a single industry as in Seattle; along a beautiful deep- water bay with consequently it projects a less distinctive ships anchored offshore. and ferries image focused around wood products moving- from place to place. Instead and diversified manufacturing and com there is a river spanned by bridges with merce. And yet the intellectual and in tugboats comprising a large part of the dustrial climate of Portland has combined water traffic. Still, when this scene is to produce the recent blossoming of combined with the nearby 'hills, it makes the "Silicon Forest," which has become for an extremely attractive setting, a recognized force in the world of com especially with the distant high Cascade puters, instruments, and related soft volcanoes as background. It is also ware. Portland is becoming known as within this river setting that the Port 0f an important center of innovation and Portland exports more wheat than any high technology. other port in the c0untry. In fact, when On a cultural basis Portland cannot measured on the- basis of total tonnage, compete with San Francisco; we did P.ottland is the largest export port in not host Tutankhamen. We have no the United States. world class marina or aquarium. How The population of Portland (1,341,000 ever, there is a good symphony, zoo, for the SMSA) is about a million less museums, and a new performing arts than Seattle and several times less than theater. Portland has a high reputation San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San for, jazz and is the home of several Diego. During the decade of the 1970's, nationally known jazz musicians, e.g., however, P.ortland gained population Tom Grant, Mel Brown, and David faster than any of them except for San Friesen. We, do not have a professional Diego. Still, congestion and crowding football team, but the Trail Blazers have are not a problem. The cost of housing put Portland on the basketball map. is less than in Seattle and considerably The number of world class authors 2 Introduction who live in Portland and Oregon is. massif of the Portland Building designed impressive; those more recently hi the by Michael Graves. The addition of the limelight include Ken Kesey, Jean Auel, huge (38 ft. tall) and beautiful hammered and Ursula LeGuin. Portland is -an €)ut copper sculpture of "Portlandia" by standing book town with more used Ray-mond Kaskey to the west entrance bookstores per capita than most cities, of this building makes it a "must see" including one of the single largest for visitors. used-new bookstores anywhere. Like most cities, Portland lost popu Oregon<has received substantial pub lation to suburbs in th~ years following licity in recent years because of its in World War II, but recently it has been novative approaches to land use, and successful in attracting people back to its concern with the environment and the .central city. This, includes. creating. the quality of life. The "Oregon Bottle more "people places;" e.g., the- mall, Bill" is perhaps one ,of the best known the square, and the fountains; creating expressions ,of the seriousness of this attractive. middl~ income housing espe~ concern. In the 1960's a major committ cially along the river; and promoting ment was mane to clean up the an interesting old town, Saturday Market, Willamefte River. The success of that and other urban renewal projects. In effort is reflected in a virtual rennaissance tfie late 1970's a major decision was, of interest in the river with a ,number made by then Mayor Neil Goldschmidt of recent hou:;ing and recreational to cancel a planned freeway development developments' being focused there. to the southeast side: and divert the During"the late 1960's Portland also con allocated federal funds 10 mass transit. demned and remo'v'ed a formerly heavily This eventually resulted in a new light traveled -downtown highway next to rail.system -which runs from downtown the -river and transformed it into a park. to Gresham (MAX). Although contro This is-now the site of the annual Rose versial, this development has been far Festival. To improve air quality, a limit more successful at the outset than: even was set on the number- of automobiles the most optimistic CQuid have hoped. ~ that could be in the downtown. Portland The concern for quality; of eRviron has been more ,successful than most ment was perhaps; voiced best- by places in integrating activities and re former ·Governor- Tom McCall, in his ducing the duplication and overlap of famous comment "come visit but don't services and 'functiol1&'that occur between stay." What he meant was, "we like- it the central eity and "suburbs. Similarly, the way it is." Portland has embraced Portland has designed innovative ways newcomers, .however. This can be seen of using taxation and public monies to in the number of immigrants 'wlio have carefully restructuFe and build the settled here. While' Portland does "not downtown. support :the -large ethnic communities National competitions have ,been of New York or Chicago, smaller enclaves heid to attract the most creative designs exist. 'There is a. ~'China Town" (altholigh for buildings and structures. Among few' Chinese live there), and a ·distinct the more notable that have changed blaok community. Still, homogeneity is th~ face of the downtown in recent far more characteristic than ethnic ,dis years are: the Pioneer Courthouse. Square continuity. Portland has .fewer blacks, completed in 1984, already a symbolic hispaniCs, .and orientals than the ,other center for the city; and the post-modem west coast cities.- The 1980 Census. .indi.. Introduction 3 cates that 93.3 percent of Portland's beckons like a backyard playgrtmnd. It population is white; compared to Seattle's is 'one of the ,few places in the country 89.4 percent, and Los Angeles' 73.5 per _where one can ski throughout- th~ cent. Although less in actual numbers summer. The coast" with its pounding than either Blacks (33,385) or Hispanics surf and spectacular headlands, is equi (24,341), the nonwhite minority with distant to the west. fhe Columbia Gorge, the largest impact on the Portland land with its'waterfalls and rapidly changing scape is East Asian (23,971). A strong environments, serves as' an exciting oriental influence can be seen in local change-'or"place. In winter when it is architecture, landscaping, and in the raining in Portland, bright and sunny abundance of specialty resturants and skies can usually be found within two grocery stores. Portland supports one hours drive to the east of the Cascades. of the better public Japanese Gardens Oregonians are big on nature. The in the country. local Audubon Society is well sub Portland recently gained notoriety by scribed; native plant" societies thrive. being voted lithe most liveable city." Mushroom hunting is a practiced science. The ramifications of this claim are pursued The growing of roses, camellias, and in the last chapter which explains how rhododendrons is pursued as cult-like Portland combines the amenities of a activities. The relative number of big city with the atmosphere of a town. people who belong to environmental We can have our cake and eat it too. organizations, e.g., the Sierra Club or This is countered by the discomforting Nature Conservancy, is among the fact that Portland has one of the highest highest in the country. Wetlands and reported crime rates in the country. other natural habitats in the city are Most Portlanders do not sense this, watched with careful eyes. The Great however; residents typically think Blue Heron nests in oak trees along the nothing of walking down city streets Willamette with equanimity. Portland after dark. has become reknowned as a top town Another of the amenities and charac for runners. The Mazamas, a local teristics of Portland is the closeness and mountain climbing club, is one of the quality of nature. One of the impressions oldest and most respected such organi that newcomers often mention is the zations in the country. Oregonians love greenness of things. This, of course, is to hunt and fish; the American Rifle a function of the climate and dominance Association finds high membership of evergreen vegetation, but it is also here. because of ample open space and parks. In short, two threads are woven There are many places in Portland through the tapestry of the following where one can be surrounded by woods essays. One is that Portland is a big yet within throwing distance of houses city but with many of the attributes of and stores.