Portland, Oregon

It's not totally by chance that Portland has become the place where all the cool kids want to live. Set at the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, with the 7-mile-long Forest Park providing a trail-laden green swath just to the west of town, and Mount Hood rising to the east, the setting is beautiful and the climate conducive to the growth of the world's best berries, abundant mushrooms, and all sorts of farm crops. Great chefs have been drawn to the bounty of local foods, which are readily available at the many farmers markets. The generally mild, albeit somewhat drizzly, climate and progressive transportation planning have also ...

It's not totally by chance that Portland has become the place where all the cool kids want to live. Set at the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, with the 7-mile-long Forest Park providing a trail-laden green swath just to the west of town, and Mount Hood rising to the east, the setting is beautiful and the climate conducive to the growth of the world's best berries, abundant mushrooms, and all sorts of farm crops. Great chefs have been drawn to the bounty of local foods, which are readily available at the many farmers markets. The generally mild, albeit somewhat drizzly, climate and progressive transportation planning have also made Portland a place where "bike culture" is a commonly used phrase, and where hordes of locals (and visitors) find it more fun to bike to a favorite indie coffee shop than to drive to the big-name chain. As Portland has grown and new areas, such as the trendy Pearl District, have been developed, the city's cultural offerings have become more sophisticated.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.