PORTLAND, the largest city of Oregon, U.S.A., on the Wil lamette river, at its confluence with the Columbia, II° m. by water from the Pacific ocean, 118 m. S.S.W. of Seattle, 700 m. N. of San Francisco and 2,391 m. from Chicago; a port of entry, the county seat of Multnomah county, and the financial, commercial and industrial centre of the vast Columbia River basin. It is at the intersection of the Pacific and the Columbia River highways; is a station on the Pacific coast airway; and is served by the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, the Southern Pacific, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle, and the Union Pacific railways, electric inter-urban trolley and motor-coaches, and over so steam ship lines with sailings to all the principal ports of the world. Portland's population was 258,288 in 1920 and 301,815 in 1930. It ranked 25th in the country and had a metropolitan population of 378,728. The population estimate for 1936 was 320,000.
The city covers 63.45 sq.m. on both sides of the Willamette river, rising to heights commanding magnificent views of the river valleys and of the snow-clad summits of Mt. Hood, 5om. E. by S. (11,225ft. high), Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, The Three Sisters and other peaks of the Cascade range. The climate is mild and equable, with an average mean monthly temperature rang ing from F in the coldest month (January) to 66.7° in July and August, and an average annual precipitation of 41.6in., of which 33in. falls in the six months October to March inclusive. Violent storms and earthquakes are unknown. The annual rose festival in June is one of the famous events on the Pacific coast. The city park system embraces 2,292ac., and includes 24 play grounds, 3 public golf courses, 59 public tennis courts, 13 base ball diamonds, 7 swimming pools and a zoological garden. In one of the parks are the International Rose Test Gardens of the American Rose Society. There is a public auditorium with a seat ing capacity for 6,600. The municipal water-supply comes from the Bull Run lake reserve, 3,000f t. high in the Cascades, fed by melting snow from Mt. Hood. It is sufficient for a population of 2,000,000, is admirably suited for use in the colouring and manu facture of textiles, and is so pure that it does not need to be distilled for use in medical prescriptions or batteries. The general death rate (11.70) is above average but the infant mortality rate (35.5) is among the lowest in the country (1934). Since 1913
the city has operated under a commission form of government. A permanent zoning commission was established in 1918, and a general plan for the city's development has been adopted. The assessed valuation of property for 1936 was $281,359,535.
Portland is the seat of the Medical school, the School of Social Work, and a branch of the extension division of the University of Oregon ; the Northwestern College of Law, the North Pacific College of Dentistry, the North Pacific College of Pharmacy, several private junior colleges and preparatory schools; and Reed college, founded by Simeon G. Reed and his wife (pioneers of 1854) and opened in 1910, which had an endowment of $1,826, 281.67 in 1936. There are 78 grade and 20 high schools.
The fine fresh-water harbour has a shore-line of 29.5m. within the city limits, 6.5m. of docks, berthing space for I oo vessels and 65ac. of cargo space. Over $5o,000,000 has been invested by Federal and municipal governments and private interests in chan nel improvement and port facilities. Rock jetties at the mouth of the Columbia protect the entrance and the river channel, which accommodates ships of 35ft. draft at zero stage all the way to Portland. Port facilities are ample and modern. They include three municipal terminals, with cold-storage plants, a 2,053,800bu. elevator, storage tanks for oil and molasses and efficient handling equipment ; 7 lumber, 12 flour and grain, 1 o coal and oil, 1 o gen eral cargo docks, privately owned. The water-borne commerce amounted to 7,446,315 tons in valued at $281,273,456. Foreign commerce, which increased rapidly following the World War, amounted to 169,216 tons of imports and 477,911 tons of exports. Outbound cargoes consist largely of lumber, wheat, flour, canned and fresh fruits, paper and paper pulp, hides, scrap iron, doors, furniture and ready-made houses, many of which go to Japan. Corn, copra, coffee, burlap bags, sugar and hemp are leading articles among the imports. In 1935 exports from the Oregon customs district, of which Portland is the headquarters, were valued at $17,521,000; imports at $8,325,000. Portland is the leading wheat-shipping port on the Pacific coast, and is rap idly growing in importance as a lumber-shipping port, as the vast timber resources of its tributary territory come under the axe.