subject: Looking For Culture In Portland: Hotels, Wheat, And Hispters [print this page] If you're in the Pacific Northwest, welcomeIf you're in the Pacific Northwest, welcome. If you're lost in Portland or hotels are just out of your grasp, fear not. The City of Roses is always quick to provide some new jewel of a hotel, motel, or cafe for your enjoyment. Though it tends to get overshadowed by Seattle and Vancouver to the north and San Francisco to the south, Portland is managing to hold onto its hipster credibility and emerging as a kind of Austin of the Pacific Northwest. It is, after all, the largest city in Oregon.
Straddling the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland enjoys an annual nod as one of the greenest cities in the United States. This is no small task as it's home to more than 2 million residents and ranks as the 23rd most populous metropolitan area in the United States. Granted, we're not talking about the vastness of Los Angeles or staggered veneer of Houston -- but by Oregon standards, its way ahead of the curve.
Portland is headquarters for more than a few big name companies. We're talking about Intel, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, and Nike to name a few. Although these purveyors of modern American comfort and expediency abound, the city has historically been known as an agricultural hub. Specifically: wheat.
You may not think it when Portland comes to mind, but the city has historically been one of the largest shippers of wheat in the United States. Even now, it's the second largest wheat port in the world. It handles over 13 million tons of cargo a year. Consequently, it is home to the largest dry dock in the nation and is considered the third largest port in America.
Dry docks aside, the city is becoming known for it's emergence as a cultural capital. The hipster generation (that's part Gen X and part Gen Y) have flocked to this emerald isle and transformed it into a "happening" place. Music, art, film, and fashion trends have been trail blazed by the ever-irreverent bold hipsters, dedicated to a lifelong quest for ultimate irony. It's a fitting feather in the cap of a city that's been quietly cultivating wheat and companies.
