Portland

Portland is one of the most livable urban areas in the U.S. and its renowned beauty is a result of a unique natural setting, which offers views of the Cascades and Mt. Hood to the east, Mt. Adams to the northeast, and Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier to the north. Eleven bridges span the Willamette River, which divides the city into east and west sections.

Indian traders traveling between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver carved out an acre of land by the Willamette River 12 miles north of Oregon City, which became known as The Clearing. In 1843 William Overton claimed the 640 acres surrounding the area, which he then sold to Asa Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove, who set out to build a city. Winning a coin toss (an 1835 copper penny), Pettygrove named the city-to-be after his hometown in Maine. Had the toss gone the other way today's Oregon metropolis would have been known as Boston!

Portland maintains active sister city relationships with Sapporo, Japan, Bologna, Italy, Guadalajara, Mexico, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Khabarovsk, Russia, Ashkelon, Israel, Mutare, Zimbabwe, Suzhou, China, Ulsan, South Korea.