Portland, OR

Known from afar by its 150-foot high clock tower, Portland Union Station was constructed in 1896 and jointly financed and owned by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Romanesque and Queen Anne style landmark today anchors one end of the downtown Portland Transit Mall. 

Between 1927 and 1930, the station's interior received a major redesign. The main waiting hall was completely opened up through the elimination of cast iron columns and a mezzanine. Walls and floors were embellished with Italian marble and dormers were added to permit more natural light to enter the station. In 1948, the now-beloved blue and gold neon 'Go by Train' and 'Union Station' signs were installed at the top of the tower. 

The Portland Development Commission purchased the station and 31 acres of former rail yards in 1987. Rehabilitation of the structure followed, including restoration of the painted flower patterns on the waiting room's ornate ceilings and repair of the red metal tile roof. The most recent change in 2003 was the addition of a central plaza at the entryway that contains a garden of local and native plants. The nearby rail yard has become a popular residential and commercial district. 

Portland began as a spot simply known as “the clearing,” half-way between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. William Overton, together with his partner, Asa Lovejoy of Boston, filed a claim in 1843 for 640 acres on the banks of the Willamette River. Overton later sold his half to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. The two partners flipped a coin to see which home-town their new city would be named for, and Pettygrove won two out of three tries. The coin used for this decision, the Portland Penny, is on display at the Oregon Historical Society. With its access to the Pacific Ocean and the agricultural Tualatin Valley, the city quickly grew as a trade nexus. 

Portland is one of three metropolises in the contiguous United States that includes an extinct volcano, Mount Tabor, within its limits. The city is also known as the “Rose City” due to its International Rose Test Garden. Founded in 1917, it is the country’s oldest official and continuously operated testing ground for new and colorful rose varieties.