Relocating business professionals will be excited by the well educated and stable work force and an economy that is diverse and growing. The region's high quality of life makes it easy to attract workers to the area and keep them there. The metropolitan area is strategically located, with easy access to West Coast markets and beyond.

Bicycling Magazine’s Number 1 Bicycling City. Many have relocated based on Money Magazine’s December 2000 issue which boasted that Portland is “the country’s best place to live.” Years of careful urban management have made Portland a city planner's dream. Built on a European model, the city is a walker's and bicyclers paradise. Statues, fountains, half-size city blocks, and expansive biking trails are abundant. Biking is only one of the many exercise forms preferred by locals. Joggers and rollerblades adorn the paths of Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park year-round, causing Fit magazine to vote Portland "Fit Town, U.S.A." If snow sports are more your style, nearby Mount Hood has all the answers. With four ski resorts and North America’s longest ski season (including 90 summer days), this 11,235-foot peak is a mecca for skiers, ice climbers, snowboarders and hikers. Golf Digest has rated two of Portland’s courses – East Moreland Golf Course and Heron Lakes Golf Course – among the nation’s top 75 public courses. Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club was chosen to host the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open, while Heron Lakes recently hosted the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Relocaters who desire a fit and healthy lifestyle will be thrilled with all Portland has to offer.

Relocaters will be impressed with Portland’s metropolitan area which has more than 37,000 acres of parks. Recreational opportunities are limitless. Playing fields are available for soccer, volley ball, baseball and football. Tennis courts, swimming pools, gardens, picnic grounds, jogging paths, golf courses and river beaches offer endless opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast. Many of the city and state park facilities offer tours, field trips and other activities. There’s also camping, hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, sail boarding, water and snow skiing, hiking, rock climbing, white water rafting and bicycle touring. Wherever you go in Portland, you’re never far from an art house cinema, performance space or gallery. You're never more than five minutes from a brewpub or gourmet coffee shop, and always just a puddle’s jump away from a farmers' market, park or garden. It’s easy to find your way around Portland's vibrant arts and cultural scene. All the mainstays of a major city are here – the symphony, ballet, opera, visiting Broadway shows – plus a thriving scene that makes room for the imaginations of Portland's resident playwrights, choreographers and composers.

The Portland area’s geography provides shelter from most severe weather. The average rainfall is 37 inches a year (less than Atlanta or Baltimore). Summers are mild, with temperatures averaging in the mid-70s and very little precipitation. Short periods of hot, dry weather (mid to upper 90s) occur during the summer. People considering relocating to a more temperate climate will find Portland highly desirable.