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