Welcome to Portland
Getting Here
Portland is a major American city with freeway access via the I-5 (175 Miles South of Seattle, WA), and the I-84.
- Driving Directions from Seattle (2.5 Hours)
- Driving Directions from San Francisco (10 Hours)
The Portland International Airport (PDX) is located just 7 miles from the city center, is easily accessible by the Red MAX line and offers flights to domestic and international locations.
Amtrak's Union Station is located right in the heart of Portland's Old Town neighborhood and offers service along the entire west coast including Canada.
- Train from Seattle takes 3.5 Hours
- Train from San Francisco takes 18 Hours
Getting your Bearings
Portland is divided into 5 major sections: North Portland (N), Northwest (NW), Southwest (SW), Northeast (NE), and Southeast (SE). This division makes it very easy to quickly tell from a street name, which section that street is located in as all street names are preceded by the section letters (N, NW, SW, NE, SE). So if you're looking for SW Broadway, you know that it is in the Southwest section.
Each section has many different neighborhoods and districts. Here are some of the most popular districts:
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Getting Around
The best way to get around Portland is by Public Transportation or by Bike. Learn more about all of your transportation options on our Transportation page.
PDX - (pee-dee-ex)
- The airport code for the Portland International Airport
- Acronym bestowed on the city of Portland by it's residents
History:
Portland was settled in 1843 and incorporated in 1851. The name was decided on by a famous coin toss, where the two founders decided which of their hometowns to name the city after. The toss was won by Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Find out more at the Portland wikipedia page.
Population:
The city of Portland has a population of approximately 500,000 residents, with a population of 2 million in the Portland metropolitan area.
