Some observations about Portland

[pmcalk]

Last week, my husband & I went to Portland for a few days.  There were many things that I liked about the city, most prominently, the downtown, which was quite dense and very busy.  I assumed that Portland was a fairly large city--maybe 1 million--simply based upon the activity downtown.  I was surprised to learn that the city (as opposed to the metro area) is actually fairly small--a bit over 500,000, equivalent to OKC, and only slightly larger than Tulsa.  Here are some things I thought interesting about Portland:

1.  Portland has an Urban growth boundary.  Actually, I knew that already, but I was surprised at how much support it has among locals, and how much they attribute the success downtown to the boundary.  I am sure that it has no chance of happening in Tulsa, but it is an interesting idea.

2.  Transportation on Portland's lightrail is free downtown.  

3.  There is no sales tax in Oregon.  None.  I am not naive--I am sure that they pay hefty income and property to make up for that.  But I was amazed (and probably spent more than I should have) at the idea that something would cost the exact amount that it was marked.

4.  There is no limit to the number of times a body can be pierced.  Seriously.  Just when you thought you saw the most piercings, someone would walk down the street with even more.  I don't know if it is the weather in Oregon or what, but, really there should be a law on how many times you can pierce yourself.  Especially if you work in the retail business.  And there are other colors besides black.

Except for that last point, I wonder how much the other three contribute to Portland's downtown success.  Maybe the residents are just naturally urban.  But if we really want to see our downtown come alive, it wouldn't hurt to look at Portland's success.