# is it me, or does Portland (OR) have an abnormally large and vibrant downtown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252 "2011-02-22T17:54:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/1 "2011-02-22T17:54:09Z")
Just came back from a visit. Now, granted, it was a Saturday night in an as-ideal winter’s day/night (crystal clear, low 40s, no rain) for Portland. BUT. The downtown was absolutely hopping. And it was big. And it had several different pockets of neighborhoods. I’ve been to similarly-sized metro areas (Cleveland, Raleigh, Indianapolis, St. Louis) and Portland’s downtown seemed a few orders of magnitude nicer and busier. A lot closer to a city of 5 million than 2.5 million. Am I high on crack? Did I just see Portland’s downtown with rose-colored glasses? Or is it recognized as having a very vibrant downtown? ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/2 "2011-02-22T19:41:29Z")
I lived in San Jose most of my life, before moving here to Portland six years ago. I’d never thought about it before, but I think you’re right. San Jose is larger than Portland area-wise, and much larger population-wise, yet its downtown is much smaller and not nearly so bustling as Portland. That’s likely because of the proximity of San Francisco, though. I also spend a few months in Seattle, but I didn’t spend enough time really exploring the downtown area to make an accurate comparison. But my impression was the size and activity of downtown Seattle was about the same as Portland. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/3 "2011-02-22T20:15:19Z")
Doesn’t Portland have limitations on growth and sprawl? I would think that would tend to help maintain a vibrant downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/4 "2011-02-22T21:00:42Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Doesn’t Portland have limitations on growth and sprawl? I would think that would tend to help maintain a vibrant downtown. It seems a pretty expansive metro area, so the city isn’t overly dense. 580k in the city, 725k in the county, 2.2 m in the metro area.. It didn’t seem to have the forced density through zoning restrictions (like a Vancouver, BC) just that it’s… busier than i’dve thought. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/5 "2011-02-22T22:09:51Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I lived in San Jose most of my life, before moving here to Portland six years ago. I’d never thought about it before, but I think you’re right. San Jose is larger than Portland area-wise, and much larger population-wise, yet its downtown is much smaller and not nearly so bustling as Portland. That’s likely because of the proximity of San Francisco, though. > > I also spend a few months in Seattle, but I didn’t spend enough time really exploring the downtown area to make an accurate comparison. But my impression was the size and activity of downtown Seattle was about the same as Portland. Population-wise, San Jose is a huge city, much larger than San Francisco. Culturally, though, it is basically a bedroom community for the South Bay, and they appear to roll up the streets after 9:00 pm. Seattle is substantially larger than Portland, but in many ways Portland is just kind of a toy version of Seattle, with many of the amenities and fewer of the headaches. It is actually one of my favorite cities, and I’d credit the vibrant downtown to a dedicated and sensible plan of urban renewal, an actually useful public transit system with a free zone that encourages use and reduces congestion, and a disproportionately cultural and restaurant scene. It is also a phenomenally walkable city. It has its bad points as well, including some significant gang and drug activity, but on the whole, one of my favorite cities. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/6 "2011-02-23T00:58:20Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It didn’t seem to have the forced density through zoning restrictions Maybe it didn’t seem so, but Portland does have an urban growth boundary. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/7 "2011-02-23T01:34:31Z")
Downtown Seattle sucks at night. It’s barely bearable in the daytime. At the outskirts of downtown, there’s a little nightlife, but it’s not particularly safe later in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/8 "2011-02-23T01:36:42Z")
I had a wheelchair-bound friend who said Portland was also very accessible, and was where she spent many of her shorter vacations. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/9 "2011-02-23T01:42:36Z")
[The Dream of the '90s is Alive in Portland](http://www.ifc.com/videos/portlandia-portland-dream-of-the-90s.php) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/10 "2011-02-23T02:48:10Z")
We visited Portland a few years ago for a long weekend and enjoyed it very much. A vibrant, clean, upbeat, friendly and very attractive city. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/11 "2011-02-23T09:18:01Z")
Portland has an Urban Growth Boundary which has helped keep the population dense and limits urban sprawl. It’s also made our mass transit system a lot more efficient since everything’s close. By comparison, Beaverton in the next county over (but still considered part of the Portland metro area) has no such law and there is all kinds of sprawl there. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/12 "2011-02-23T16:30:10Z")
Portland is also full of pocket neighborhoods that have their own nightclub and restaurant scenes. I’m always amazed by the numbers of people on the streets on weekends, just enjoying everything PDX has to offer. It’s even more fun in the summer, when there are free concerts in the parks. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/13 "2011-02-23T16:54:57Z")
PDX? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/14 "2011-02-23T17:47:17Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > PDX? That’s Portland’s airport. Yes, Portland is a terrific town. I’d move there in a flash if I got a job offer there. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/15 "2011-02-23T18:02:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s even more fun in the summer, when there are free concerts in the parks. Dude - sssshhhh! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/16 "2011-02-23T18:25:54Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > That’s Portland’s airport. So every night, there are people out on the street enjoying what the airport has to offer? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/17 "2011-02-23T18:55:07Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > So every night, there are people out on the street enjoying what the airport has to offer? It’s local shorthand for the city. People commonly use it in return addresses, etc. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/18 "2011-02-23T18:55:28Z")
So I’d feel at home in Portland, as we both have abnormally large and vibrant downtowns? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-does-portland-or-have-an-abnormally-large-and-vibrant-downtown/572252/19 "2011-02-23T18:59:27Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > So I’d feel at home in Portland, as we both have abnormally large and vibrant downtowns? I love it when you talk dirty.