9. Religion and Poverty

Religion and poverty don't really sound like they go together, and they don't. However, in the southern region of the United States, where poverty was once rampant, religion was (and still is) very important to its people.

I am not making any argument as to the relation between religion and poverty, I am merely discussing the two as they relate to southern region of the U.S. and the areas around Portland, Oregon.

In the south, the Baptist evangelical religions are most prominent. By looking at the map above, you can see the region defined as the south, merely by its prominent religion.

Portland on other hand is prominently catholic, however the obvious influence of religion is not as big as it is in the south. The south contains some of the largest church congregations in the world. For example, Georgia and Oregon are relatively similar in geographic size, however Georgia has 80 megachurches (more than 2000 weekly attendance) and Oregon has 23. North Point Community Church in Georgia averages 23,000 people per attendance, while the largest I could find in Oregon was Beaverton Foursquare Church at 6000(1).

A hundred years or so ago, the poverty in the Southern region could be directly linked to the proportion of African Americans in a region. In 1900, the percentage of African Americans in the south was 89.7% of the entire U.S. population. Today it is around 55%. The south is no longer as poverty stricken as it used to be and the affect of a populations ethnic origin is also not nearly as much of an influence as it once was(2).

Although I was unable to find the numbers for 1900, Portland now has only 6.4% of its population of African American descent(3). This may have played a role in the late 1800's and early 1900's for its prosperous economic growth, but I believe it has little weight in today's economy.

1. http://hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/database.html
2. Stephen S. Birdsall, Regional Landcapes of the United States and Canada, 7th edition.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#Climate

8. Thriving Economy

Appalachia consist of region with a relatively poor economy in the past due to the geographically limited access caused by the Appalachian mountains. These mountain ranges limited the affect of the growth spurt the United States was having as it continued to expand west.

The Portland area is similar to the Appalachians because it too is surrounded by mountains. The Cascades surrounded it on the east and the Coastal ranges to the west. Unlike the Appalachians relatively low, smooth ranges, the Cascade and Coastal ranges in Oregon are tall and steep, laced with volcanoes, as discussed in the previous post. However, despite this geographical limitation, Portland grew much faster than the areas within Appalachia (see post 3).

Appalachia's mountain ranges trap the this region from access to the west or east and only allow easy access at the northern and southern regions. Because of this, trade in and out of this region was difficult.

(Modern Freight Train Routes)

Portland on the other hand, has access to the Ocean via the Willamette River and land via freight and other land based transportation networks. Although Appalachia now has decent access by train, it did not have the luxury in its early days before freight service was made available. Porland on the other hand is a much younger region (as far as human immigration) than the Appalachians. This combined with its unique and protected access to the ocean made Portland a recipe for economic growth.

7. Oregon's Western Topography vs the Bypassed East

The Bypassed East is part of the Appalachian Highlands' northeastern extension. It is an area often forgotten by the robust trade networks farther south. The mountain ranges there rarely top 1500 meters (4600 feet). This is due to the millions of years of erosion. Because of this, much of the soil in the Bypassed East is less than satisfactory for farming. Also, farming is only possible during a few months of the year, due to the high latitude and extreme cold weather. Despite this drawback, the Bypassed East is able to survive and compete in the fishing, mining, and farming sectors.

Portland is located in the northern most region of Oregon in the Willamette Valley. Portland is one of only three cities in the continental United States with an extinct volcano(1). It is surrounded by the Cascade and Coastal mountain ranges, with the Rockies not too far to the East. Unlike the Bypassed East, the Cascade mountain ranges are tall and jagged. Mt. Hood is just a few miles from Portland and reaches over 11, 000 feet in elevation. Portland is also a major port city and does very well in fishing, steel manufacturing and local farming.


1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#Climate

5. What We Make

Portland may not be the biggest city in the United States by population or economy, but its manufacturing industry is nothing to laugh at. Portland is the home of a huge variety of manufacturing businesses, from steel, paper, food, electronics, transportation equipment, chemicals, furniture, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, textiles, eco-friendly products and much more(1). I will focus on just two companies, Schnitzer Steel Industries and Keen.

Schnitzer Steel Industries is one of the largest grossing companies in Portland, bringing in 3.5 billion dollars a year in sales and it's Portland location employs 69 people. They create parts for heating equipment, iron and steel mills, motor vehicles and structural metal products(1).

Many companies are manufacturing their products in Asia in order to lower overhead costs. Keen, a shoe company, is keeping some of its manufacturing in Portland. Keen is an outdoor products company, which focuses on shoes. In 2008 they moved their company from Alameda, California to Portland, Oregon. Chief executive of Keen, James Curleigh, when asked about their manufacturing in Portland said, "It's not so much flying our flag in America, it's about having sourcing options for the future"(2).




1.http://www.allbusiness.com/companyprofile/Schnitzer_Steel_Industries_Inc/B6A923AA686F75996516EA8B7BCDD1ED-1.html

2. http://www.blueoregon.com/news/2253/

4. Megalopolis

A megalopolis is essentially a grouping of very large metropolitan areas that grow to the point where they almost form one large metropolis, or megalopolis. The megalopolis in the United States if formed by many major metropolitan regions between Virginia and New Hampshire. There are approximately 50 million people living in this Megalopolis.

Portland, Oregon is on the opposite coast of the United States' megalopolis and is far from being part of a megalopolis. There are only half a million people living in Portland and just under 4 million living in the entire state of Oregon(1).

Although not at all a megalopolis, Portland does share some similar characteristics to cities that make up the megalopolis on the east coast. Many of the megalopolis cities are port cities and support a large part of their economies through importing and exporting goods via ocean ports and waterways. Portland, although on directly on the coast, has great access through the ocean and its port also is very important for its growing economy.

The other similarity I will discuss is with transportation. Transportation in a Megalopolis is tremendously important, as there are many people packed into small geographical regions (for reference, New Jersey has a population density of 1,134 people per square mile, while Oregon has 35)(2). Portland has a public transportation system that can compete with the biggest cities in the United States. In the city, light rail, buses, highways, and dedicated bike lanes (often separated from street traffic) make Portland a city that is able to combine the small town feel with the big city attitude.


1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon
2. http://www.statemaster.com/graph/peo_pop_den-people-population-density

3. Heading West

By signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the United States was not officially independent of the British. Soon after this, the expansion of U.S. territory headed west. The phrase Manifest Destiny (an idea that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continental North America, from coast to coast) was coined in the mid 1800's as thousands of Americans were making their way west along the Oregon Trail.

Portland didn't see its start until 1851, when, at the toss of a coin, it was named Portland, by Portland, Maine native Francis W. Pettygrove. Before this, the area where Portland now exists was known as The Clearing (along the banks of the Willamette river between Fort Vancouver and Oregon City). Two month following its incorporation, in Feb of 1851, Portland had a whopping 800 residence (653 white males, 154 white females and 4 of color)(2). It grew very quickly, due to it's ocean access for shipping and trade, and by 1879 had 17,500 residences (1).

(Map of Portland in 1880)(2)

Portland is now over 500,000 strong, with a diverse mix of people from all over the U.S. and the globe. Below is a table of the current demographics (2).

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Portland,_Oregon

2. Weather or not to move?

I have though long and hard about moving to this great city. After visiting Portland last April, a big reality hit me, literally. Rain. It rains a lot in Portland. It was no new news, but to experience it first hand, day in, day out, was a whole other thing. Coming from sunny Los Angeles, where the average rainfall is 15 inches (of which most is in winter) (2), the 35-inch average of Portland (1) is a rude awakening. While Portland is touted as having some of the most beautiful weather during the summer months, it more than makes up for it during the other eight or nine months of gloom and rain during the remainder of the year.

Located in the Humid Subtropical region of the U.S., Portland is characterized by mild, damp winters and relatively warm, dry summers. The summer holds an average of 79º F, but due to its inland location, heat waves above 100º F are not uncommon (1).

I have actually never visited Portland during its prime summer months. However, even after spending a week in the rain, I still think Portland could be a wonderful city to live in.

1. http://or.water.usgs.gov/non-usgs/bes/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

1. Regions

Portland is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States in the state of Oregon. It’s the most populous city in Oregon and the third most populous in the Pacific Northwest. This may seem pretty large, but in fact, it’s just below 600,000 people(1) (compared with the 8.4 million in New York city(2), or the 3.8 million in Los Angeles(3)).

The Port of Portland is the 3rd largest port on the west coast of the United States1. Much of Portland’s economic muscle can be attributed to its Port’s natural access to the ocean, via the converging Willamette and Columbus rivers. Although it seems natural to call the city Portland, due to this economical viability as a port, this is not how it came to be known as Portland. Portland received its name by the flip of a coin (the Portland Penny) between founders Francis W. Pettygrove, from Portland, Maine and Asa Lovejoy, from Boston, Massachusetts(1). The rest is history.

Portland is divided into five major regions: North Portland, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. The west and east regions are all more or less divided by the Willamette river. The western side was the earliest to be populated and remains the densest of the regions.

Portland has one of the most advanced transportation networks in the United States. Effective use of buses, freeways and light rails makes Portland’s transportation network comparable to New York or Boston. There is even a ‘Ride Free’ on the light rail systems surrounding the shopping districts. Portland, however, has an advantage above all other U.S. cities, when it comes to transportation. Portland is ranked the most bicycle friendly city in the U.S(4). This is one of the main reasons I would love to live in Portland, Oregon.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Oregon
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_york_city
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_angeles
4. http://www.democracynow.org/2008/4/15/portland_considered_most_bicycle_friendly_city