Timeline of Portland, Oregon facts for kids

Portland, Oregon, is a vibrant city with a rich history! This timeline will take you on a journey through the most important events, people, and places that shaped Portland, from its early days as a small settlement to the bustling city it is today. Get ready to explore how Portland grew, what major buildings were built, and how its community changed over the years.

Portland's Early Days: The 19th Century

• 1845 – Portland was founded! It was named after Portland, Maine, by two men from New England who were involved in real estate.
• 1850 – The Oregonian newspaper, which is still around today, was started.
• 1851
  • Portland officially became a city.
  • Hugh O'Bryant became the city's first mayor.
  • The first general store opened, which later became a big department store called Olds & King.
  • Portland Public Schools began, setting up education for the city's children.
• 1855 – Lone Fir Cemetery, a historic burial ground, was established.
• 1857 – Aaron Meier started his store, which grew into the famous Meier & Frank department store.
• 1860 – The Portland Gas Light Company started providing gas for lights.
• 1864 – The Library Association of Portland was founded, bringing books to the community.
• 1868 – The city's population reached 6,717 people.
• 1869 – Lincoln High School opened, originally called Portland High School.
• 1871 – City Park was created, offering green space for residents.
• 1872 – Horse-drawn streetcars began operating, making it easier to get around.
• 1873 – A big fire happened in the city.
• 1875 – Good Samaritan Hospital was founded, providing healthcare.
• 1876 – The University of Oregon was established.
• 1880 – The Willamette University College of Medicine moved to Portland.
  • The Portland Chamber of Commerce was founded to help local businesses.
• 1882 – River View Cemetery was established.
• 1883
  • The Northern Pacific Railway began operating, connecting Portland to other parts of the country.
  • The population grew to about 20,000 people.
• 1887 – The first Morrison Bridge opened. It was the very first bridge to cross the Willamette River in Portland.
• 1888 – The Portland Zoo was established, bringing animals to the city.
• 1890
  • The grand Portland Hotel opened its doors.
  • The population reached 46,385.
• 1891
  • The first Madison Street Bridge opened.
  • The nearby towns of Albina and East Portland became part of the city.
  • The Multnomah Athletic Club was founded.

Portland City Hall, built in 1895.

• 1892 – The Portland Art Museum was established, bringing art to the public.
• 1893 – A sad event occurred when a streetcar fell into the Willamette River from the Madison Street Bridge.
• 1895 – City Hall, where the city government works, was built.
• 1896 – Union Station, a major train station, opened.
• 1898 – The Oregon Historical Society was established to preserve Oregon's history.
• 1900
  • The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society began publication.
  • The population grew to 90,426.

Portland in the 20th Century

Early 1900s to 1940s

• 1901 – Columbia University and Hill Military Academy were established.
• 1903 – The Olmsted Portland park plan was created, planning out the city's parks.
• 1905 – The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a big fair celebrating the famous explorers, opened.
• 1907 – The first Portland Rose Festival was held, a tradition that continues today!
• 1908 – Reed College, a well-known university, was founded.

The main entrance to Washington Park.

• 1909
  • The Audubon Society was founded to protect birds.
  • The Museum Art School was founded.
  • Washington Park was officially created.
• 1910
  • The Hawthorne Bridge opened.
  • The population reached 207,214.
• 1912 – The Steel Bridge and Globe Theatre opened.
• 1913 – The Broadway Bridge and the Central Library building opened.
• 1915 – The areas of Linnton and St. Johns became part of Portland.
• 1917
  • The Interstate Bridge opened, connecting Oregon and Washington.
  • The Rose Test Garden was established, a beautiful place to see many types of roses.
  • The Portland Public Auditorium opened.
• 1918 – Portland was put under a quarantine for a month because of the Spanish Flu epidemic.
• 1920 – The population reached 258,288.
• 1922
  • Hoyt Arboretum was founded, a place for trees and plants.
  • KGW radio began broadcasting.
• 1924
  • The Portland Junior Symphony was established, giving young musicians a place to play.
  • The Grotto, a beautiful sanctuary, was founded.
• 1925 – The Sellwood Bridge opened.
• 1926
  • The second (and current) Burnside Bridge opened.
  • The Ross Island Bridge opened.
  • The Hollywood Theatre was built.
• 1932 – The Portland Art Museum building opened.
• 1936 – Portland International Airport opened, connecting Portland to the world by air.
• 1938 – Lewis & Clark College became active.
• 1944 – The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) was established, a fun place for kids to learn about science.
• 1946 – The Vanport Extension Center (a college) and Portland Children's Museum were established.
• 1948
  • May 30: A flood destroyed the community of Vanport.
  • Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the United States, was established.

Mid to Late 20th Century (1950s–1990s)

• 1950 – The last city streetcar lines stopped operating for a while.
• 1951 – The historic Portland Hotel closed and was torn down.
• 1952 – KPTV began television broadcasting in Portland.
• 1953 – KOIN-TV, the city's first VHF television station, began broadcasting.
• 1955 – Portland State College was established, which later became Portland State University.
• 1957 – The Metropolitan Service District (Metro), a regional government agency, was established.
• 1958
  • The Portland Development Commission was formed to help develop the city.
  • The Portland Zoo Railway began operating.
  • The third (and current) Morrison Bridge opened.
• 1959
  • The Oregon Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair was held, celebrating Oregon's 100th birthday.
  • Portland became a "sister city" with Sapporo, Japan, starting a friendship between the two cities.
  • The Portland Zoo moved to its current location in Washington Park.
• 1960
  • Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Lloyd Center (a large shopping mall) opened.
  • The city's population was 372,676.
• 1961 – Portland Community College was established.
• 1962
  • March 15: KATU television began broadcasting.
  • April 14: Packy, a famous elephant, was born at the Portland Zoo. He was the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years!
  • October 12: A very strong windstorm, known as the Columbus Day Storm, hit Portland.
• 1964 – A major Christmas flood of 1964 occurred.
• 1965 – Pittock Mansion, a beautiful historic house, opened as a museum.
• 1967 – The Portland Japanese Garden opened, a peaceful and beautiful place.
• 1969 – Tri-Met, the public transportation system for the Portland area, was established.
• 1971
  • Powell's Books, a very famous bookstore, opened.
  • The World Forestry Center opened, teaching people about forests.
• 1972
  • April 15: A tornado hit the Portland-Vancouver area.
  • The First National Bank Tower was built.
• 1973
  • January 2: Neil Goldschmidt became mayor.
  • November 15: The Fremont Bridge opened.
• 1974 – Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) was established.
• 1977 – The Portland Transit Mall, a special area for buses and streetcars, and the Adventist Medical Center building opened.
• 1978 – Waterfront Park opened along the Willamette River.
• 1979 – Save the Refugees Fund (now Mercy Corps), a global humanitarian organization, started in Portland.
• 1980 – Frank Ivancie became mayor.
• 1982
  • The Oregon Food Bank became active, helping people in need.
  • The Portland Building, a famous example of postmodern architecture, was constructed.
• 1983
  • The U.S. Bancorp Tower was built.
  • Portland established a sister city relationship with Guadalajara, Mexico.
• 1984
  • Pioneer Courthouse Square, often called "Portland's Living Room," opened.
  • The KOIN Center was built.
• 1985 – Bud Clark became mayor.
• 1986 – MAX Light Rail, Portland's light rail system, began operating, making public transit even easier.
• 1987
  • The Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial opened.
  • Sister city relationships were established with Ashkelon, Israel, and Ulsan, South Korea.
• 1988
  • The Oregon Brewers Festival and Waterfront Blues Festival began, two popular annual events.
  • Sister city relationships were established with Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Khabarovsk, USSR; and Suzhou, China.
• 1989 – Oregon Ballet Theatre was formed.
• 1990
  • The Bicycle Transportation Alliance was organized to promote cycling.
  • The city's population was 437,319.
• 1991 – A sister city relationship was established with Mutare, Zimbabwe.
• 1992 – The first Portland Farmers Market opened, selling local produce.
• 1993 – Vera Katz became mayor.
• 1995 – The Rose Garden Arena (now Moda Center) opened, home to the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team.
• 1996
  • January–February: The Willamette Valley Flood of 1996 affected the area.
  • Earl Blumenauer became Oregon's 3rd congressional district representative.
• 1998 – The Street Roots newspaper began publication.
• 2000
  • The Portland Classical Chinese Garden opened, a beautiful and peaceful garden.
  • The Portland Mercury newspaper began publication.
  • Dignity Village was founded.

Portland in the 21st Century

• 2001
  • The Portland Streetcar began operating, bringing streetcars back to the city.
  • The Portland International Airport terminal was built.
  • The Portland Tribune newspaper began publication.
  • The Eastbank Esplanade, a walking and biking path along the river, was dedicated.
• 2002 – The current Flag of Portland, Oregon design was adopted.
• 2003 – A sister city relationship was established with Bologna, Italy.
• 2005 – Tom Potter became mayor.
• 2006
  • The Portland Aerial Tram began operating, connecting the waterfront to OHSU on the hill.
  • The Meier & Frank department store chain became Macy's.
• 2008 – December: A snowstorm brought Portland's heaviest snowfall in 40 years.
• 2009
  • Sam Adams became mayor.
  • July: A heat wave affected the Pacific Northwest.
• 2010 – The city's population reached 583,776.
• 2011
  • October 6: Occupy Portland began.
  • The fictional TV series Portlandia began national broadcast, showing a humorous side of Portland.
• 2012 – Portland became a "friendship city" with Utrecht, Netherlands.
• 2013 – Charlie Hales became mayor.
• 2015
  • September 12: Tilikum Crossing, Portland's first new Willamette River bridge since 1973, opened to the public. It's special because it's only for bikes, pedestrians, and public transit, not cars!
  • December: A heavy rain storm occurred.
• 2016
  • February 29: The new Sellwood Bridge opened, replacing the old one from 1925.
  • July 19: The Biketown bicycle-sharing program was established, making it easy to rent bikes around the city.
• 2017 – Ted Wheeler became mayor.
• 2020
  • Beginning in March: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland area counties asked residents to shelter-in-place.
  • May 29: Protests began in Portland.
  • September–December: The Red House eviction defense took place.