Almost every resident of Portland will give a different answer for what makes the City of Roses stand out. Some will cite nature: “It is so green and so beautiful,” says Sarita Dua, a principal broker with Keller Williams Sunset Corridor. “Even my own kids, the first time they came home after college, they were sticking their heads out of the window. They were like, ‘It’s so beautiful. We forgot how beautiful it is.’”
Others may say that it’s how locals stay true to the city’s “Keep Portland Weird” slogan, and a stereotypical resident that gave rise to the "Portlandia" comedy series. “Portland, at one point, was the cheapest major city on the West Coast,” says Donna Herrick, a twenty-year resident of the city and the owner of Rose City Comics. “Which naturally drew a lot of artistic types of people who were attracted by the cheap rent. This created the camaraderie and attitude of accepting people who fell outside of the norm.”
Though Portland fell on hard times after the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests of 2020, the city of roughly 630,000 is beginning to bounce back. The Ritz-Carlton opened its first Pacific Northwest location in Downtown Portland in November 2023, the region's first Soho House—an exclusive social club for creative types—opened in the Buckman neighborhood in March 2024, and the city was awarded the yet-to-be-named WNBA’s 15th franchise, with play slated to begin for the 2026 season.
The city of Portland features stunning new condos on the waterfront.
The city of Portland is home to over 200 parks.
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Competitive West Coast housing prices
The median home sale price—around $538,000—has risen by 1% year over year, and it’s more than $100,000 higher than the national median. Homes include sleek, modern condos in Slabtown, a rapidly developing section of the Northwest District , century-old, original Craftsman and Victorian houses as well as midcentury homes east of the Willamette River.
Though higher than the national price, “Portland is still one of the best-priced West Coast metros,” Dua says. “It’s smack-dab between Seattle and San Francisco, both much higher-priced markets.” Since the real estate market cooled after a nationwide post-pandemic boom, homeowners—especially those who have refinanced—have been reluctant to take on new, higher rates. “There are those would-be-nice buyers who don’t need to buy, but kind of wanted to, who are staying put because they have low rates and don’t want to trade them,” Dua says.
The area is also home to many sportswear giants. Nike's sleek, futuristic world headquarters sprawl across 286 acres, encompassing 75 buildings in Beaverton and attracting creative types and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. Columbia Sportswear also has its corporate headquarters in the Cedar Mill suburb, while Adidas expanded its North American headquarters in Portland’s Overlook neighborhood in 2021.
Portland and other nearby Oregon cities are collectively known as the “Silicon Forest.” Technology behemoth Intel has a campus less than 15 miles to the west in Hillsboro, Lam Research—another major technology player in Portland—designs and manufactures semiconductors, with corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in Tualatin, Hillsboro and Sherwood.
Some of Portland's largest employers, though, are in the healthcare industry. Providence Health & Services, which has providers and clinics throughout the country, is the city’s No. 1 employer, and the Oregon Health & Science University is a close third, with the only medical doctorate program in the state. The university also maintains programs in nursing, dentistry, public health and pharmaceuticals and serves as a national research hub.
Colorful homes line the streets of Portland.
Residents of Portland take great pride in their well manicured yards.
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The home of James Beard
Plans to revitalize Portland’s downtown district include new multi-use developments, tax incentives for businesses and a task force led by the governor. “Since COVID hit, many of the workers who used to come downtown every day have not been in their offices,” says Laura Bartroff, director of communications for the Portland Art Museum. “This means that events, particularly arts and culture events, have emerged as the largest draw for downtown Portland.”
The Winter Light Festival, a weeklong art show bringing light installations and interactive displays to the city streets, attracted 208,000 people in 2023 and generated more than $4.4 million of revenue for the downtown economy.
Bartroff says the art museum is also enjoying a rebound post-pandemic. “Our exhibitions at the Portland Art Museum draw thousands of people each month,” Bartroff says. “And we’ve recently brought back our popular, free First Thursday program, which aligns with the First Thursday art gallery events.”
Portland is not limited to its downtown area, however. The Pearl District and Nob Hill neighborhoods have emerged as shopping and dining destinations, with eclectic boutiques, art galleries and the kind of restaurants that have established Portland as a foodie city. The Pearl District is home to Powell’s City of Books—the largest new and used bookstore and one of the city’s claims to fame—while Nob Hill borders Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country.
Portland’s food scene is known far and wide, which is no surprise given its location in the fertile Willamette Basin region, near wineries and less than 80 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The most prestigious award in the industry is named after Portland-born Chef James Beard.
In 2024, the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Award for the Northwest and Pacific region went to Gregory Gourdet of Kann, which has also won Best New Restaurant. Langbaan, a 24-seat Thai restaurant in Nob Hill, won the 2024 Outstanding Restaurant Award. “And in addition to actual restaurants, we have a huge food truck scene here. You will find food carts in every neighborhood of Portland,” Bartroff says.
Portland's Powells Books is the World's largest independent book store.
Hal's Cafe is one of the forty six McMenamins locations in Portland.
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From tiny Mill Ends Park to massive Forest Park
The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC are the city’s professional men's and women’s soccer teams, respectively, drawing crowds of around 20,000 fans per match at the city’s soccer-specific stadium in Goose Hollow . The Portland Thorns celebrated their inaugural NWSL season in 2013, while the Portland Timbers launched their franchise in 2011 and became MLS Champions just four years later. The Portland Trail Blazers play home games in the Lloyd District at the Moda Center, which has a capacity of nearly 21,000. The team last won the NBA Championship in 1977.
In 2011, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association named Portland Parks & Recreation as the best-managed park system in the U.S. Since then, the park system has faced budget shortfalls that repeatedly put the city’s 330 parks at risk.
“There are over 200 parks in Portland,” says Matt Moss, a Portland resident and Realtor with eXp Realty. “That’s one thing that stood out to me in the city. The world’s smallest park, Mill Ends Park, is in downtown Portland. It’s a little tiny square with a small tree, like two feet by two feet. There’s Forest Park, which has over 5,000 acres of forests and trails. Then there’s everything in between.”
Visit Mill End Park, the smallest park in Portland on SW Naito Pkwy.
Explore the 5,2000 acres of Forest Park a few footsteps from home in the Northwest District.
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Portland Public Schools and many universities
Portland Public Schools is the largest school district in the Portland area, serving more than 44,000 students. According to Niche, the highest-rated district is the Lake Oswego School District, which earns an overall A-plus grade. Portland Public Schools earns an overall grade of B-plus. Niche lists 14 colleges in the Portland metro area, with Reed College, University of Portland and Lewis & Clark College taking the top three rankings on the site’s list. Portland State University, ranked fourth on Niche, is the city’s largest public university, with more than 21,000 students.
Portland State is well known for it's Art's Program.
The Engineering and Computer Science building sits on SW 12th street of downtown Portland.
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BIKETOWN and the new, improved airport
Interstate 5 spans the U.S. West Coast, connecting Portland to cities like Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Interstate 84 serves as the main route into the city from the east, putting Portland roughly 430 miles west of Boise, Idaho. There are also numerous local highways, making it easy to travel between quadrants. “You can travel as little as twenty minutes and be in the forest,” Bartroff says. “Drive ninety minutes and you’re on the coast. Less than an hour and you’re in the mountains.” Connecting the city to the further reaches of the country and beyond, Portland International Airport (PDX) is the largest airport in Oregon. The airport has 71 direct flights to cities across the U.S., as well as Mexico, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Germany and the Netherlands. The main wing was renovated and re-opened in August 2024 with more than 5,000 live plants and a timber ceiling to emulate Oregon nature. Portland is a bikeable city, with more than 400 miles of bike lanes and a bike score of 83 out of 100 from Walk Score. Nike, one of the city’s biggest employers, partnered with Lyft to create BIKETOWN, an electric bike-share program with pick-up and drop-off locations around the city. The BIKETOWN mobile app offers yearly memberships, though single rides have a $1-unlock fee and cost 30 cents per minute.Portland has three primary options for public transportation: TriMet’s bus system, the MAX Light Rail service, as well as the Portland Streetcar system. The bus system, which consists of 75 lines, connects to light rail and streetcar stops.
Rent a Nike Bike and explore the city of Portland.
The Pearl District of Downtown Portland offers a Light Rail System.
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Infamous Portland rain can lead to flooding
Portland is infamously a rainy city. In fact, there’s a saying in Portland that those carrying umbrellas must not be locals. However, it’s not because locals are so used to rain -- it usually doesn’t rain heavily enough to warrant an umbrella, with an average rainfall of around 44 inches per year. The rainy season lasts from mid-October through mid-May, which accounts for about 90% of the annual rainfall. Drier, sunnier months include July and August, which experience yearly temperature highs of around 80 degrees. The winter season sees temperature lows of 37 and 38 degrees.
Though it may not warrant an umbrella, rainfall in the Portland area may be enough to spur flooding in the Willamette and Columbia rivers, especially when coupled with snowmelt from the surrounding Cascade mountain range. Longtime residents of the city may remember the 1996 flooding of the Willamette River, when citizens built a makeshift barrier out of plywood called “Vera’s Wall” in honor of the then-Mayor Vera Katz. Homeowners with riverside property are at an increased risk of potential flooding damage.
According to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, Portland's reported rates for both property and violent crimes exceed national and state averages. The Portland Police Bureau’s statistics show that violent crime rates increased by about 19% between October 2015-2016 and October 2023-2024. During that same time, property crimes increased by less than 2%.
The city of Portland enjoys the Willamette River as well as the Columbia River.
The I-5 bridge spans the Columbia River and connects Washington and Oregon.
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Creating new neighborhoods and honoring the old
A few areas of Portland are slated to be redeveloped as new neighborhoods. A nonprofit called the Albina Vision Trust is seeking to add affordable housing projects, employment-related developments and public spaces to rebuild Lower Albina, a historically Black neighborhood that was destroyed by the construction of Interstate 5 during the 1960s. Though the project could take decades to complete, it’s already received $450 million in funding from the federal government and $38 million from the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Prosper Portland, an organization that owns the site of the former U.S. Post Office at the west end of Broadway Bridge, plans to breathe life back into the area with mixed-income housing and high-density employment. The project aims to connect the Old Town Chinatown and Pearl District neighborhoods. Its location within an eighth of a mile of the light rail, streetcar and TriMet buses also promises to connect future residents to the rest of the city.
The Broadway Bridge is a main thoroughfare and connects the east and west side of Portland.
China Town, also known as Old Town, is the oldest neighborhood in downtown Portland.
When working with me, buyers and sellers alike say they feel like they are my only client, and are surprised to learn that I’m giving the same care and attention to more than one person at a time!
I take great pride in knowing that my clients feel able to trust me. They can tell that I speak from experience (20 years of it, in fact), listen deeply, and honestly look out for their best interest. It’s extremely important to feel cared for while making big, important decisions like where to buy or how to sell. Let alone at a time when interest rates are so high and unpredictable! Whether it’s your first time navigating the real estate market or you’ve been around the block a few times—you haven’t navigated today’s market, so you’ll need someone knowledgeable in your corner. I know what kinds of nuances can make or break a deal, how to price a house so it won’t linger on the market and lose value, and I know how to make you competitive among other potential buyers.
As a lifelong Portlander with nearly 20 years of experience as an agent, I know the neighborhoods inside and out. I love getting to work closely with clients, and asking the questions that help me to understand what’s important to you, and what home will need to feel like. I especially love helping buyers become settled in the city I love more than any other—sharing recommendations for great outdoor adventures, restaurants in our unparalleled food scene, and the best places to pick berries!
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
