The City

Whether you see Portland, Oregon, as a small town with a big-city feel or a big city that feels like a small town, it is a cool place to live. Located on the banks of the Willamette River only 90 minutes from snow-capped peaks and the Pacific Ocean, you might not realize Portland's bustling downtown and waterfront are the heart of a metropolitan region with more than 2 million people. Twelve bridges span a wide elbow of the Willamette River, connecting the east and west sides of town. Throughout the metro area are thriving neighborhoods filled with restaurants, record shops, bars, funky clothing stores, antique malls and art galleries. Portland also has an abundance of movie theaters (some even serve beer and pizza), new and used bookstores (including Powell's, the largest bookstore west of the Mississippi), coffee shops and clubs.

Within walking distance of the PSU campus is the world-class Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society, a performing arts complex and a concert hall. For the sports-minded, Portland has its own NBA team (the Trail Blazers) as well as minor-league baseball, hockey and soccer teams. Outdoorsy types love Forest Park, the largest city park in the nation, with 5,000 acres of hiking and biking trails, a zoo, public gardens and beautiful old-growth woods. And all of this is connected by one of the world's leading public transportation systems, a combination of buses, streetcars, and light-rail trains, making the entire metro area only a couple stops away.

If you like day trips, a short drive in any direction will lead you to some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world: mountains, seashore, river gorge and desert...