Portland

Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon, located at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The city is situated in an urban metro area surrounded by over 25 suburban communities in a three county area. Across the Columbia River is the state of Washington with several more suburban communities that are part of the larger metro area.

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Demographics

As of 2014, the American Community Survey population estimate for Portland is 619,360. The larger urban metropolitan area is made up of over 2.3 million residents. The population is predominantly white at over 76% in 2010, with 9.4% Hispanic ethnicity and 6.3% Black or African American as sole race and another 1.5% identifying as Black and African American as well as other races. The city is younger and more diverse than its surrounding suburbs and the State of Oregon. It also has more concentrated poverty and disability status than the surrounding suburbs.

Portland’s educational attainment is similar to the surrounding area and state at the high school level, but is much more educated when measured by attainment of a bachelor’s degree. Poverty is higher than the suburbs at 17.8%, but this may not be statistically different from the state level of poverty. Housing costs have long been lower than comparable cities on the West Coast. However, since 2010, rents have rapidly risen creating increased pressure on lower income groups and resulting in displacement of families from the center of the city to the edges or the suburbs. Housing prices have also rapidly risen and since the housing crisis, supply has been very limited. This has resulted in the city government declaring a housing emergency changing how rent can increase and in an effort to slow evictions related to rising rents.

Economic Profile

Portland has traditionally been a resource extraction oriented economy centered around shipping and movement of goods through the region. Today the Port of Portland remains an important point of entry of vehicle imports and the export of agricultural goods from eastern Oregon and Washington. Though labor disputes have recently resulted in the withdrawal of containerized shipping from Portland. Over the past several decades this base has diversified with the emergence of high tech industries, primarily located in the neighboring communities of Washington County. Newer software and startup technology companies are now relocating to Portland, creating new opportunities for those that can join that workforce.

Hazards Profile

Portland faces a diverse set of hazards, some it has lived with for the life of the city, and new emerging one. Being a river city, flooding has always been a concern – most notably the 1964 and then 1996 floods that threatened downtown Portland. These events are often triggered by warm rain events that fall on snowpack in the middle of the winter. The rain and sudden snowmelt swell the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Events such as these have altered the urban form of the city, and its racial and economic make up. The community of Vanport, the location of World War II shipbuilding, was destroyed by floods. This displaced the largely African American population.

The city also faces volcano threats such as the 1982 eruption of Mt St Helens, and the potential future eruption of other area volcanos. Land slides and urban wildfires are a concern along the western edge of the city where large natural areas and high value development mix. Winter storms can also bring hurricane like winds to the city when storms from the Pacific cross the Coast Range into the Willamette Valley. Snow is rare, but when it occurs it shuts the city down, sometimes for many days.

Beginning in the 1990’s new scientific research revealed that Portland, along with the rest of the Pacific Northwest, is due for a large (>9.0M) earthquake. The source of this will be the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Before the 1990’s Oregon did not consider itself part of earthquake country. Since the discovery, the region has wrestled with how to prepare after many years of the issue not being a priority. Today many public buildings are vulnerable to a large earthquake along with infrastructure.

Census Data

Portland, OR[1] Portland MSA[2] Oregon[3]
Demographics
Population (2014) 619,360 2,348,247 3,970,139
Population Per Square Mile 4,375 351 40
Households (2009-2013) 250,133 707,444 1,516,456
Persons under 5 years (2010) 6.00% 6.40% 6.20%
Persons over 65 years (2010) 10.40% 11.30% 13.90%
White alone (2010) 76.10% 79.90% 83.60%
Hispanic or Latino (2010) 9.40% 11.70% 11.70%
Black or African-American alone (2010) 6.30% 3.10% 1.80%
Income & Economy
Median Household Income (2009-2013) $52,657 $58,115 $50,229
Persons Living in Poverty 17.8%* 13.9%* 16.6%*
Housing
Housing Units (2010) 265,439 752,035 1,675,562
Owner-Occupied Rate (2009-2013) 53.40% 60.70% 62.00%
Median Value Owner-Occupied Housing Units (2009-2013) $284,900 $277,200 $238,000
Median Gross Rent (2009-2013) $915 $943 $875
Education and Health (2009-2013)
High School Graduates, Adults Age 25+ 90.50% 90.50% 89.40%
Bachelors or Higher, Adults Age 25+ 43.80% 23% 29.80%
Persons Under Age 65 with a Disability 8.50% 7.20% 9.70%
* Comparisons limited
[1] Data collected from U.S. census using QuickFacts Beta at http://www.census.gov/quickfacts
[2] Data from American FactFinder for MSA: http://factfinder.census.gov/
[3] Data collected from U.S. census using QuickFacts Beta at http://www.census.gov/quickfacts