Located in the north west of the Pacific, Portland is the biggest city in the state of Oregon. In the initial years though, this city was shadowed by Oregon, which was the territorial capital of that time. However, for most of the nineteenth century, Portland enjoyed the status of the most significant port in the Pacific Northwest.

But it had many tunnels built underneath the city, which ran for several miles from the Willamette River. These tunnels were named as the ‘Shanghai Tunnels’, which open into the basements of the bars and hotels. Back in the dark era, the hotel customers were drugged or tricked into getting captivated through these tunnels to be human smuggled or taken up as slaves on ships. The tour of these tunnels is very popular, among the tourists, visitors and residents today.

The climate of Portland is seasonal and moderate, with up to forty-two inches of rain annually. However the winter is wet and depressing as compared to summer which is dry and hot. Other than the time when the city is experiencing heat waves in summers, the weather remains quite pleasant throughout. Such a climate is perfect for the cultivation of roses. This city is also known as ‘The City of Roses’, as it has many rose gardens. The oldest rose test garden of the United States of America, which is named the International Rose Test Garden is located in Portland.

The naming of this city has an interesting origin. Portland was almost named Boston, when a coin toss was announced at the time between Asa Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove, who decided to flip a coin to settle the issue. Lovejoy wanted they city to be named as Boston after his hometown but Peetygrove insisted that the city name be kept Portland after his native town. However in a flip contest of best of three, Pettygrove won by two to one and thus, the city was named Portland.

The city is home to the world famous symphony, the Oregon symphony, the first of its kind in the Western America. Portland also has the nation’s largest outdoor crafts market. It is one of the two states in America, where the presence an attendant is vital to pumping gas. Another attraction of the city is that it has no personal sales tax except on hotels and car rentals.