Portland Metropolitan Area
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The Portland Metropolitan Area is a region in Oregon that includes Portland, Oregon City, Hillsboro and other cities around Portland.
Cities
- The largest city in the State of Oregon and also the county seat of Multnomah County.
- - a census designated place wedged between Beaverton and Hillsboro. Residents here have always resisted annexation to either Beaverton or Hillsboro
- - suburb 7mi/11km west of Portland growing up to become an economic powerhouse as it is home for Columbia Sportswear, Electro Scientific Industries, Nike & Tektronix.
- - county seat for Washington County, one of three counties making up the greater Portland metropolitan area and also a location for one of several Intel pre-fab plants.
- county seat for Clackamas County, one of three counties making up the greater Portland metropolitan area. Originally established by the Hudson Bay Co in 1829 as a company town, by 1844 it is the first city west of the Rockies to be incorporated.
Understand
As well as Portland, the city proper, the area includes:
- East Multnomah County - the eastern suburbs of the city, including the cities of Gresham and Troutdale; the gateway to Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.
- Washington County (Oregon) - the western suburbs of Portland, a growing high-tech area near Hillsboro and Beaverton, and home to Nike and other well-known Oregon companies. The rural areas also have wineries.
- Clackamas County - the southern and southeastern suburbs, including affluent Lake Oswego and historic Oregon City, leading to the foothills of Mount Hood.
Get in
Portland International Airport (PDX), Portland-Hillsboro Airport (HIO).
Get around
Two main highways pass east-west through the region - Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 26 (Powell Boulevard). I-84 going east will take you into the Columbia Gorge, while U.S. 26 going east takes you up Mount Hood and into Central Oregon.
The MAX Blue Line runs from downtown Portland into Gresham, terminating at the Cleveland Avenue station.
- Oregon Route 217 is another freeway that runs from Tigard to Beaverton.
The MAX Blue Line runs from downtown Portland into Gresham, terminating at the Cleveland Avenue station.
Go next
- Vancouver (WA), is sometimes included in the region even though it is across the Columbia River in Washington.
- Salem is the state capital, about an hour away.