Information

Population

Portland is Oregon’s most populous city, with roughly 560,000 people living in Portland proper and 2,330,000 living in the greater Portland Metro area.

Visas

Citizens of most foreign countries need to obtain a visa to enter the United States. If you live in one of the following countries, however, you can visit for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes without a visa as part of the Visa Waiver Program: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. If you do not carry a U.S. passport, you may be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the country.

Land Area

The city covers about 145 square miles, with about 11 square miles of that being taken up by water.

Currency

U.S. Dollar ($)

Time Zone

Portland is in the Pacific time zone, the same as Los Angeles and Seattle are in. Daylight savings is observed from the beginning of April through the end of October.

Languages

English is critical in Portland, though there are pockets where other languages like Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese are frequently heard.

Nicknames

Some of the more common nicknames for Portland are – “City of Roses,” “Rose City,” “Stumptown,” “P-Town,” “Rip City” (specifically referring to the local NBA team the Trailblazers) and “PDX” (the airport’s code).

Prices

Oregon has no sales tax, so the price you see on the tag is the price you’ll pay at the register.

Electricity and Plugs

The U.S. is on the 110V 60Hz system, and the plugs are of two varieties – one with two parallel flat pieces with a circular grounding pin beneath them, and another with just the two flat pieces and no grounding pin.

Using the Telephone

Portland has two area codes – 503 and 971 – though the 503 area code is older and therefore predominant. To make a call within Portland or the greater Metro area, you’ll need to dial the area code before the seven-digit number – even if you’re just calling your neighbor. There is no additional charge for these calls, they just won’t work without the area code. To call most places in the state outside the Metro area and a few select nearby areas, you’ll need to dial a 1 before the area code (which is different for the rest of Oregon) and then the number.

Useful Telephone Numbers

Emergency – 911
Portland Oregon Visitor’s Association – 503.275.9750 or 800.962.3700 (toll-free)