The Portland metropolitan area has approximately 1.7 million people.
It is the largest metropolitan area in Oregon and ranks 25th nationally.
Portland ranks as the 8th largest area in the eleven western states.
The city of Portland, the largest city in Oregon has approximately
500,000 people with the balance of the population found in the cities
of Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, and several smaller
communities.
Portland is situated at twenty feet above sea level, near the confluence
of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, about 65 miles inland from
the Pacific Ocean. Portland lies midway between the lower Coast Range
to the west and the high Cascades Range to the east, each about 30
miles distant.
Portland is also located at the northern end of the Willamette Valley,
a rich and diverse agricultural region. The long growing season and
mild temperatures of the Willamette Valley are favorable for a diversity
of agricultural products.
