Portland

Portland is big on livability, big on visit-ability, and is very accessible.

Maybe you've heard that the city of Portland, Oregon, has been proclaimed as North America's "Best Big City," according to Money magazine. One visit will explain why. Come take a first-hand look at the region’s natural beauty, its bustling local scene, our seasonally focused dining and our welcoming accommodations – much of which can be accessed via the region’s convenient and eco-friendly light-rail system. You’ll soon understand why so many visitors flock here year-round.

Portland’s downtown area is scaled to human dimensions. It is “foot friendly” and was recently named among the Top 10 American Walking Cities by Walking Magazine. The visitor who explores downtown Portland is never overwhelmed, but rather intrigued and amused. The blocks are short – just 200 feet long. Cafes, restaurants, bookstores, galleries and specialty stores are waiting around every corner. Words of wisdom from famous thinkers are carved in the brickwork under one’s feet. Bronze sea lions and bear cubs frolic among award-winning architecture. Green-suited concierges known as “Portland Guides” walk through downtown streets day and night answering questions and helping with directions.

Portland does not have everything you have come to expect in a major metropolis – sales tax, gridlock, smog. It is a large city that has managed to maintain its small town charm. Packed into a convenient natural environment, Portland is accessible and complete.

Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, Portland sits squarely between the Pacific Ocean (90 minutes by car) and the 10,000 plus foot tops of the Cascade Mountain Range (Mt. Hood is 1 hour by car).

You can literally go clamming at the beach, have dinner in Portland that night, and go snow skiing in the mountains the next day. A 45 minute drive east from town on Interstate 84 places you smack dab in the middle of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, a place of breathtaking beauty which includes 620-foot Multnomah Falls.

For more on the excitement awaiting you in the NAVDF's 2010 host city, visit the official website of Travel Portland

http://www.travelportland.com/