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Timeline of Portland, Oregon facts for kids

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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Portland, Oregon, United States.

19th century

  • 1850 – The Oregonian newspaper begins publication.
  • 1851
    • Portland incorporated.
    • Hugh O'Bryant becomes mayor.
    • City's first general merchandise store opens, becoming Olds & King in 1878.
    • Portland Public Schools is founded.
  • 1855 – Lone Fir Cemetery established.
  • 1857 – Aaron Meier's mercantile store, predecessor of Meier & Frank, in business.
  • 1860 – Portland Gas Light Company in operation.
  • 1864 – Library Association of Portland founded.
  • 1866 – Oregon Herald newspaper begins publication.
  • 1868 – Population: 6,717.
  • 1871 – City Park established.
  • 1872 – Portland Street Railway horsecars begin operating.
  • 1875 – Good Samaritan Hospital founded.
  • 1880 – Willamette University College of Medicine relocates to Portland.
  • 1881 – Unsightly beggar ordinance effected.
  • 1882 – River View Cemetery established.
  • 1883 – Northern Pacific Railway begins operating.
  • 1885 – Web-Foot Cook Book published.[1]
  • 1886 – Oregon Staats Zeitung newspaper begins publication.
  • 1887 – First Morrison Bridge, the first bridge across the Willamette River in Portland (and predecessor of the current Morrison Bridge), opens.
  • 1888 – Portland Zoo established.
  • 1890
    • Portland Hotel in business.
    • Population: 46,385.
  • 1891
  • 1892 – Portland Art Association established.
  • 1893 – Nov. 1: A streetcar plunges into the Willamette River from the Madison Street Bridge, the worst streetcar accident in the city's history
  • 1895 – City Hall built.
  • 1896 – Union Station opens.
  • 1898 – Oregon Historical Society established.

20th century

1900s–1940s

1950s–1990s

  • 1950 – Last city streetcar lines (of the pre-MAX and Portland Streetcar era) cease operation.
  • 1951 – The Portland Hotel closes and is torn down.
  • 1952 – KPTV, a UHF station initially, inaugurates television broadcasting in Portland (and Oregon).
  • 1953 – KOIN-TV, city's first VHF television station, begins broadcasting.
  • 1955 – Portland State College established.
  • 1956
    • Rose City Transit established, taking over mass transit service in Portland.
    • KGW begins its television broadcasting.
    • National College of Naturopathic Medicine established.
  • 1957 – Metropolitan Service District (regional governmental agency) established.
  • 1958
    • Portland Development Commission formed.
    • Last interurban streetcar lines (until MAX), to Oregon City and Bellrose, cease operating.
    • Portland Zoo Railway begins operating.
    • Third (and current) Morrison Bridge opens.
  • 1959
  • 1960
  • 1961 – Portland Community College established.
  • 1962
    • March 15: KATU television begins broadcasting.
    • April 14: Packy is born at the Portland Zoo, the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years.
    • October 12: Windstorm, widely known as the Columbus Day Storm.
    • Cinema 21 in business.
  • 1964 – Christmas flood of 1964
  • 1965 – Pittock Mansion (house museum) opens.
  • 1967 – Portland Japanese Garden opens.
  • 1968 – KJIB and KBOO radio begin broadcasting.
  • 1969 – Tri-Met (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon) established, replacing Rose City Transit.
  • 1970 – People's Food Co-op founded.
  • 1971
  • 1972
  • 1973
  • 1974
    • Oregon Health & Science University established.
    • Willamette Week newspaper begins publication.
  • 1975 – Blue Sky Gallery founded.
  • 1977 – Portland Transit Mall and Adventist Medical Center building open.
  • 1978 – Waterfront Park opens.
  • 1979 – Save the Refugees Fund (now Mercy Corps) headquartered in city.
  • 1980 – Frank Ivancie becomes mayor.
  • 1982
  • 1983
  • 1984
  • 1985 – Bud Clark becomes mayor.
  • 1986 – MAX Light Rail begins operating.
  • 1987
  • 1988
    • Oregon Brewers Festival and Waterfront Blues Festival begin.
    • Sister city relationships established with Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Khabarovsk, USSR; and Suzhou, China.
  • 1989 – Oregon Ballet Theatre formed.
  • 1990
    • Bicycle Transportation Alliance organized.
    • Population: city 437,319; metro 1,523,741.
  • 1991 – Sister city relationship established with Mutare, Zimbabwe.
  • 1992 – First Portland Farmers Market
  • 1993 – Vera Katz becomes mayor.
  • 1994 – Reading Frenzy and Higgins Restaurant in business.
  • 1995 – Rose Garden arena opens.
  • 1996
  • 1998
    • The 60-year-old Rodgers variety store chain closes its last three stores.
    • Street Roots begins publication.
  • 1999

21st century

  • 2000
    • Portland Classical Chinese Garden opens.
    • The Portland Mercury newspaper begins publication.
    • Red and Black Cafe founded.
    • Hip Mama relocates from Oakland, California to Portland.
  • 2001
    • Portland Streetcar begins operating.
    • Portland International Airport terminal built.
    • Portland Tribune newspaper begins publication.
    • Eastbank Esplanade dedicated.
    • Portland Indymedia active (approximate date).
  • 2002
    • Flag of Portland, Oregon design adopted.
    • Willamette Industries taken over by Weyerhaeuser.
    • Pear homeless youth nonprofit founded.
  • 2003
    • Time-Based Art Festival begins.
    • Voodoo Doughnut and Park Kitchen in business.
    • Sister city relationship established with Bologna, Italy.
  • 2004 – Rose Garden arena bankruptcy.
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
    • WatershedPDX founded.
    • Ace Hotel in business.
  • 2008
    • December: Snowstorm brings Portland's heaviest snowfall in 40 years.
    • Bunk Sandwiches in business.
  • 2009
    • Sam Adams becomes mayor.
    • July: 2009 Pacific Northwest heat wave.
    • Beast restaurant in business.
    • BrainSilo founded.
  • 2010 – Population: city 583,776; metro 2,226,009.
  • 2011
    • October 6: Occupy Portland begins.
    • Street Books begins operating.
    • Fictional Portlandia (TV series) begins national broadcast.
  • 2012
  • 2013 – Charlie Hales becomes mayor.
  • 2015
    • September 12: Tilikum Crossing, Portland's first new Willamette River bridge since 1973, opens to the public.
    • December: Rain storm.
  • 2016
    • February 29: New Sellwood Bridge opens, replacing 1925 bridge

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Timeline of Portland, Oregon Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.