Portland and Oregon Notables
|
|
Portland - The Good Stuff
|
|
-
Among the Ten Best Managed Cities - Financial World magazine.
- Among the Top Ten American Walking Cities - Walking Magazine.
- Best Place to Live in the USA for 2000 - Money Magazine
- Marjabelle Young-Stewart's top ten listing of Most Polite Cities in America.
- Most kid-friendly city in USA (out of 25 metro areas) in 2001 - Kid-Friendly Cities Report Card 2001
- Most enlightened town (number two) - Utne Reader
- One of the America's Top 20 Best Places to Work - Employment Review.
- One of Four Cities Most Likely to Weather a Recession - U.S. News and World Report.
- Outside Magazine One of the "10 Greatest Places to Live."
- Portland top big-city recycler - Waste News.
- Portland ranks No. 5 in list of 100 fabulous places for 2001 - Travel + Leisure
- 16th Best Place to Live out of 351 Metro Markets - Places Rated Almanac.
|
Portland - The Not So Good Stuff
|
|
|
Oregon Notables
|
|
- Oregon third (Fall 2001) for number of women holding leadership positions in state government - The Center for Women in Government
- Farmer's Almanac rates Eugene, Oregon and Astoria, Oregon as TEN WORST WEATHER CITIES IN USA - Farmer's Almanac
- Oregonians Vote: Ranked 10th in voter turnout in the 2000 election - Secretary of the State
- American's Best Online A number of Oregon places get awards. Sunset Bay State Park is one of the Best Ten State Parks in the USA. Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of the Top Ten Lighthouses in the USA. Rogue River is one of America's Top 10 White Water Rafting Trips. Dave Helfrich River Outfitters is one of their top family vacations spots.
- Both gas and diesel fuel is taxed at the rate of 24 cents per gallon in Oregon. The national average for gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. Oregon's has one of the highest rates in the nation - it ranks in the top 10 states. See the Federation of Tax Administrators for information on other taxes.
- Oregonians Smell Better! Only service station attendants can pump gas in Oregon. The law was enacted in 1951 and the statute has stood up to several challenges. The common reason cited for the law are safety and maybe they are right as you can see by the photo from a state where patrons pump their own.
|
What Makes Oregon Different
|
|
Oregon Coast is Public Land The Oregon coast (all 362 miles) is public land so you can walk anywhere on the beach. The bill, signed into law on July 6th, 1967, made Oregon unique among coastal states by guaranteeing public access to the entire coastline, from the California border to the Columbia River mouth. The law has survived court challenges to become part of the Oregon way of doing things. Visitors are often surprised at what Oregonians take for granted -- that they can walk the beaches freely, at least up to the normal high water mark. Supporters say public beach access helps keep people interested in the coast and its environment. Many Oregonians demonstrate that interest each year by taking part in beach clean-ups, monitoring programs and other volunteer activities.
|
