Portland, Oregon serves as the county seat of Multnomah County. The existing population of Portland is approximately 584,000 and the metropolitan area of Portland has about 2,260,000 people. Located near the convergence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the most densely inhabited within Oregon State. It is the 3rd largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Only the city of Seattle and Washington have higher populations.
Portland was incorporated as a city in 1851. Known as an environmentally friendly, "green" city, Portland has a sophisticated public transportation network, including light rail transit. The city's commission-based government is considered progressive for its efficient land use planning. Portland extends south towards Lake Oswego within the county of Clackamas and west to Washington County.
Enjoying a Marine west coast climate, Portland is a famous rose growing center. "The City of Roses" is the home of the International Rose Test Garden and many rose gardens. The climate is characterized by dry, warm summers and wet, mild wintertime. Portland is well-known for its beer scene, with a lot of microbreweries and microdistilleries producing different local beers with unique names. Portland is also known for its coffee and energetic cafe scene.
Portland is a perfect location for business. The city enjoys transportation advantages: North-South and East-West Interstates, International air terminal, two west coast intercontinental railroads and marine shipping facilities. What's more, energy is relatively not expensive here and resources are accessible. Mercer, the US consulting firm ranked the city 42nd within the world when it comes to quality of life. Mercer ranked Portland high in housing, public safety, the environment, recreation, sanitation and education, amongst other indicators.
The city of Portland has had great success in retaining businesses like for instance Wieden+Kennedy, an advertising company, and StanCorp Financial Group and Umpqua Holdings Corporation, two financial services firms. Other companies in Portland comprise Rentrak, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, Integra Telecom, NW Natural and restaurant chains McMenamins and McCormick & Schmick's. Then again, several companies have moved headquarters out of Portland, like Willamette Industries, Louisiana-Pacific, US Bank, Evraz North American and CH2M Hill.
The city of Portland is the home of the Timbers MLS and the Trail Blazers NBA teams.