Featured Market: Oregon

This featured market includes Portland.

Imagine a city with the vitality of a large metropolis and the personality of a small community. With its reputation for art and culture, farmers' markets and natural beauty, Portland was once known as America's "best kept secret." Today it is a highly regarded travel destination and place to live.

Career and recreational opportunities helped Portland earn a high ranking in Money magazine's "Best U.S. Cities in Which to Live". Portland has it all: professional basketball, some of the best skiing in the country, extraordinary cuisine and a stunning coast less than 100 miles away.

Dining in Portland is a culinary treat, with fresh, locally grown ingredients a priority in its unique restaurants, cooking schools, microbreweries and nearby wineries.

Nearby Mount Hood, at 11,235 feet, boasts four ski resorts and North America's longest ski season, an average of 345 days per year. It is also a popular spot for ice climbing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Summer activities include camping, fishing, hiking and golf.

Little wonder that Portland's life style makes it so difficult for residents and visitors to leave.

Fast Facts:

• When the city's founders were deciding on a name for their new town, "Portland" won over "Boston" in a coin toss.
• Though Portland is one of the best American cities for cycling and walking, you can also get around town on bus lines and street cars.
• Voted one of America's "10 Best Places to Live and Work for Those Under 40" by Monster.com (January 2005).
• Portland Art Museum is one of the 25 largest museums in the country.