Portland
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Portland is the largest city in Oregon State of the U.S. it seats near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, and is located in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains. The climate is marked by warm, dry summers as well as damp, cool-to-chilly winter days. This climate is ideal for growing roses. For more than a century, Portland has been known as the "City of Roses", with many rose gardens ¨C most prominently the ¡°International Rose Test Garden¡±. Portland is home to the most total breweries and independent microbreweries of any city in the world, with 58 active breweries within city limits and 70+ within the surrounding metro area. The city receives frequent acclaim as the best beer city in the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the top-5 beer destinations in the world.
1. Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 1,200 m deep, the canyon stretches for over 130 km as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary of Washington State and Oregon State. Columbia River Gorge starts at the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River down to eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean.
2. The International Rose Test Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June, depending on the weather. New rose cultivars are continually sent to the garden from all around the world and are tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance and other attributes. It is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States and exemplifies Portland's nickname, "City of Roses."
3. Portlandia
Portlandia is a sculpture by Raymond Kaskey located above the entrance of the Portland Building, in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is the second-largest copper repouss¨¦ statue in the United States, after the Statue of Liberty. The statue is based on the design of the city seal. It depicts a woman dressed in classical clothes, holding a trident in the left hand and reaching down with the right hand. The statue is above street level, and faces a relatively narrow, tree-lined street. An accompanying plaque contains a poem by Portland resident Ronald Talney.
4. Pioneer Courthouse Square
Pioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as Portland¡¯s ¡°living room¡±, is located in the heart of Downtown Portland, is ranked as the world¡¯s fourth-best public square. Each year the Park is activated by more than 300 programmed event days made possible through community-driven initiative and the generosity of private sector sponsors throughout the Portland region. This scope of annual programming contains iconic annualized community traditions and unique events that reflect the civic role of the Park within its community and the evolving needs of the citizenry that it supports.
