That's My World -- Portland, OR

Time once again for the opportunity to share the beauty of your world with all of us, so I want to invite you to share the fun! My World is hosted by Klaus and the My World Team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and myself! Click on the icon to sign up and play with us! Please do read and follow the instructions on the My World home page!



I've been taking another look at a number of places that have been "my world" over the years and today I'd like to take you to Portland, Oregon. I moved to Portland from Dallas, Texas in 1992 and immediately fell in love with the city and the northwest in general. I made up my mind that it was the only part of the country I wanted to live in -- I haven't changed my mind. I did move from Portland, but not the northwest. And as usual, since I rarely used a camera in those days, I've had to depend on Google and Wikipedia and they never disappoint me!



Portland started as a spot known as "the clearing," which was on the banks of the Willamette about halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. In 1843, William Overton saw great commercial potential for this land but lacked the funds required to file a land claim. He struck a bargain with his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts: for 25¢, Overton would share his claim to the 640 acre (2.6 km²) site. Overton later sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Pettygrove and Lovejoy each wished to name the new city after his respective home town; this was decided with a coin toss, which Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses. The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society.

At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851 Portland had over 800 inhabitants, a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, and a newspaper, the Weekly Oregonian. By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500.[15] The city merged with Albina and East Portland in 1891 and with Linnton and St. Johns in 1915.

Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland, a lovely place to enjoy a lunch or just people watch!



Portland's location, with access both to the Pacific Ocean via the Willamette and the Columbia rivers and to the agricultural Tualatin Valley via the "Great Plank Road" through a canyon in the West Hills (the route of current-day U.S. Route 26), gave it an advantage over nearby ports, and it grew quickly.] It remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle's deep water harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River.

This boat, The Portland Spirit, is a great way to enjoy the scenery along the river. They have evening trips with music and dancing, they have day trips, good food and guaranteed fun!



And, of course, for sports fans there is the Rose Garden. There are also many concerts with singers and bands for a wonderful evenings entertainment.



Portland Museum of Art



Portland also has an excellent public transportation system that will get you anywhere you need to go! And that is one thing, in particular, that I really miss!



And Portland State University.



It's a great place to visit or to live!