Portland History - cityproperties.re

Portland and Oregon's history is colorfully painted with vivid images of covered wagons, hearty pioneers and fur trappers against a backdrop of rugged mountains, lush forests, wild rivers and the hardships of the Oregon Trail. The Lewis and Clark expedition entered this wild country in 1806. Twenty years later, the Columbia River had become almost exclusively the shipping lane of the Hudson's Bay Company with the British bringing in shiploads of much needed supplies and leaving laden with lush furs. As a result, very few furs adorn Portlanders today.

Portland was founded in 1851 and was part of a 640-acre land claim owned by Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove. Lovejoy, a native of Massachusetts, wanted to name the settlement Boston. However, Pettygrove was from Maine and wanted to name the hamlet Portland. The dispute was settled with a coin toss. Pettygrove won. Lovejoy went on to have a fountain named after him in the downtown area.

Those early settlers were determined to build a community where businesses could grow and prosper and where people and natural resources were nurtured. That spirit is alive and well in Oregon today. Oregon was the first state in the country to pass a "bottle bill" requiring a 5¢ deposit on beverage cans and bottles. Thanks to far-sighted legislators in the early 1970s, private landowners can't restrict access to Oregon's beaches – those beaches belong to the people.

The Portland metropolitan area leads the country in light-rail development and has boasted the best transit system in the U.S.. Volunteer groups work to keep our highways and beaches clean. Recycling is a way of life. Government agencies, business and citizens work together to ensure wise use of lands.

The spirit of those early pioneers laid the foundation for what Oregon and Portland is today: a great place to live and raise a family.

When people need to change residences, their first call is to The City Properties Group.

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