With a population of about 593,000, Portland is the most populous city in Oregon, and is situated on the Northern end of the State right across the border with Washington State. Portland is supposed to be one of the best designed cities in North America in terms of infrastructure and location. When Portland was incorporated in 1851, it had about 800 inhabitants, and of course has grown since then. The area around Portland was settled by two bands of natives before it was settled in modern times. Perhaps one of the most famous tidbits about Portland – and Oregon for that matter – is that there is no sales tax, which makes it attractive to people and competitive for shopping, and today, people from as far away as British Columbia drive to Portland to do some shopping.
