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Portland Accolades

A sampling of recent accolades and feature articles

2012

2011

2010

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2009

  • 10 to Watch: "One of the Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2010" — Budget Travel (December 2009)
  • "Best Running City in America" — Runner's World (December 2009)
  • Portland was ranked No. 1 for Environmental friendliness, Public parks and access to the outdoors, Public transportation and pedestrian-friendliness, Safety, Summer Vacation and Airport transportation (to/from & within); and No. 2 for Farmers' markets and Cleanliness – Travel + Leisure America's Favorite Cities survey (November 2009)
  • No. 3, "Top Five Beer Towns in the U.S." – Men's Journal (October 2009)
  • No. 6, "World's Top 10 Bike-Friendly Cities" – AskMen.com (September 2009)
  • Portland ranked No. 3 large city for environmental stewardship and sustainability – Smarter Cities, a project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (July 2009)
  • "Skateboarding Capital of the World" – The Wall Street Journal (July 2009)
  • World's Top 10 Biking Cities – Travel + Leisure (July 2009)
  • No. 1, "5 of the Greenest Cities in the World to Visit" – TreeHugger.com (June 2009)
  • No. 1, "Nation's Most Courteous Drivers" – AutoVantage (June 2009)
  • No. 3, "Least Wasteful Cities in America" – Nalgene Outdoor (June 2009)
  • No. 11, "Top 25 Arts Destinations in America" – AmericanStyle (June 2009)
  • One of the "Top 10 Cat-friendly Cities in America" – CATalyst Council (April 2009)
  • No. 6, "Fittest Cities in America" – Men's Fitness (February 2009)
  • No. 2, "America's Best Airports 2008" – MSN.com (January 2009)

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2008

  • "Gold Service Award" for CVB excellence / induction into M&C's Gold Awards Hall of Fame - Meetings & Conventions magazine (November 2008)
  • "20 Best Places to Retire" - Black Enterprise Magazine (October 2008)
  • Portland International Airport named "Nation's Best Airport" for the third year in a row - Condé Nast Traveler magazine (September 2008)
  • No. 1, "Most eco-friendly big cities in America" - SustainLane.com (September 2008)
  • No. 5, "Top 10 Cities for Design in America" - BusinessWeek / RMJM Hillier (July 2008)
  • No. 1, "Best Gay Cities in America" - Gay and Lesbian International News Network (July 2008)
  • Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation (one of only two cities in the United States to currently hold this rating) - League of American Bicyclists (May 2008)
  • No. 5, "Top Cities for Architecture and Design" - Independent survey conducted by New York-based RMJM Hillier, the North American division of the worldwide architecture firm RMJM, ranking the top 10 American cities leading the way in design policy and practice
  • No. 25 "World's Most Livable Cities" (one of only two U.S. cities listed) - Monocle (UK-based magazine)
  • No. 2 "Top 25 Green Cities in America" - Country Home (March 2008)
  • No. 5 "America's 10 Cleanest Cities" - Forbes.com (March 2008)
  • No. 1 "Greenest City in America" — Popular Science (February 2008)
  • No. 1 "Best Cities in America in which to Have a Baby" — Fit Pregnancy magazine (February/March 2008)
  • No. 5, "Fittest Cities in America" - Men's Fitness (February 2008)
  • 2008 Distinctive Destination (one of 12 cities chosen in the United States) — National Trust for Historic Preservation (February 2008)
  • "Top 10 Cities for Independent Moviemakers" — MovieMaker Magazine (Winter 2008)
  • Top 10 Cities to Beat / "Portland: Leader of the New Urbanism" — BusinessWeek (January 2008)

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2007

  • No. 1, Cityscape / No. 1, "Environmental Awareness" - CNN/Travel + Leisure (October 2007)
  • No. 2, "10 Greenest Cities in America" - MSN.com City Guides
  • Portland ranks first in nation for biking to work: The U.S. Census Bureau finds that more people bike to work in Portland than any other city in the United States. More info.
  • America's "Best Eating Destination" — The Food Network (April 2007)
  • No. 9, "Top 25 Fittest Cities in the United States " — Men's Fitness (February 2007)
  • No. 2, Cooking Light's 20 Best Cities Awards — Cooking Light (January-February 2007)
  • One of the World's Top Travel Destinations for 2007 — Frommer's Guidebooks/Frommer's.com (January)

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2006

  • Portland was No. 1 on SustainLane.com's 2006 list of America's most sustainable big cities. No. 1, "Most sustainable big cities in America" - SustainLane.com (June 2006)
  • "Top 10 Cities for Independent Moviemakers" — MovieMaker Magazine (Winter 2006)
  • Oregon named "Top Dog in the USA " for mountain biking — Annual International Mountain Biking Association's "Report Card" (Winter 2006)
  • Visiting Asia Without Crossing the Pacific in Portland, Ore. — New York Times (December)
  • Frommer's Top Travel Destinations for 2007 — (November)
  • No. 10 Best Arts City in America — AmericanStyle (June)
  • Best Place to Live in the U.S. — Men's Journal (April)
  • "Welcome to the playland for adults." — Men's Journal (April)
  • Best Walking Town in America — Prevention (April)
  • Best Cycling City in the U.S. — Bicycling (March)
  • No. 3, "Top 10 Cities for Independent Moviemakers" — MovieMaker Magazine (Winter)
  • "Rare Gay Destinations, First Stop: Portland" — Cybersocket (August)

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2005

  • "In Oregon's metropolis, the arts, night life and fashion are thriving." — The New York Times (November)
  • "Newsflash: When we weren't looking, Portland got hip." — San Francisco Chronicle (October)
  • "For a place its size, there might be no better eating city in the world than food-obsessed Portland." — Sky (October)
  • "The sweet smell of meetings success" — Meetings West (October)
  • "The offerings of Portland provide a crash course in cool..." — Cottage Living (September)
  • "One of 18 Perfect Towns that have it all: Hip, smart and packed with adventure." — Outside (August)
  • Portland is "...so green you could serve it as a side dish." — Outside (August)
  • "Three Perfect Days in Portland" — Hemispheres (August)
  • "Can a Place Be Too Perfect?" — Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel (July/August)
  • "America's Cleanest City" — Reader's Digest (July)
  • No. 2 in U.S. for Sustainable Cities — SustainLane.com (June)
  • No. 15 on the list of America's "Top 25 Arts Destinations" — AmericanStyle magazine (Spring)
  • "Top 10 Best Walking Cities for 2005" — American Podiatric Medical Association (March)
  • "America's 10 Best Places to Live and Work for Those Under 40" — Monster.com (January)

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2004

  • "One of America's Hottest Historic Destinations" — Family Tree Magazine (December)
  • "Gold Service Award" for CVB excellence — Meetings & Conventions magazine (November)
  • "...it's the city's love affair with warm open kitchens and wholesome ingredients that led me to explore its booming restaurant scene." — New York Daily News (September)
  • "These days Portland is a wine and food town, and a serious one." — Wine Spectator (September)
  • No. 2 "Best big city" in the United States — Men's Journal (June)
  • "The city ... seamlessly combines the commercial and the artistic, the historic and bohemian, the symphonic and multicolored-hair-much-pierced-appendages rock, and the urban and outdoorsy life. — The Hartford Courant (June)
  • Top 5 "Impressive City" award for "communities where citizens are making a difference in their environment." — Delicious Living (April)

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2003

  • "Inviting gardens, museums and restaurants — and a friendly atmosphere — make this Oregon city worth a second glance." — Country Discoveries (Nov./Dec.)
  • On shopping in Portland: ". . . there are plenty of shops that are well worth the trip." — Seattle Post-Intelligencer (December)
  • "This gateway to Oregon's wine country is a wine destination in its own right." —FOOD & WINE (August)
  • Portland ranks No. 4 on PeTA's list of top 10 vegetarian-friendly cities in the U.S. — PeTA.com (May)
  • "Best running town" and home of the "Best urban running trail: the Leif Erickson." — Runner's World (May)
  • No. 3 urban destination for summer travel in the U.S. according to T+L readers; plus No. 1 for general safety; No. 1 for ease of getting around; No. 5 for fall travel. — Travel + Leisure (April)
  • "Carefree, car-free: The train is key to easy weekend getaways..." — Sunset (February)
  • "Portland is a downright wonderful city to visit." — Travel America (February)
  • One of "five cities of the future" — The Guardian newspaper, London (January)
  • "The City of Roses is serving up some of the best (cuisine) in the Northwest." — Reno Gazette-Journal (January)

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2002

  • "Portland: lively, family friendly and walkable to boot." "Portland packs plenty to entertain kids." — Seattle Times (October)
  • "… a wonderfully walkable city." — Los Angeles Times (October)
  • "The city's neighborhoods have distinctive, lively personalities." "Portland is the kind of city that reminds you what the best cities are all about — people." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch (October)
  • One of "25 Hot Downtown Destinations" — Expo magazine (October)
  • Of the Eastbank Esplanade: "… its views of the Portland skyline are unparalleled." — Sunset (August)
  • "It's the coolest city you've yet to fall in love with." — Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine (June)
  • "Shop yourself silly" in this "green city's vast array of vintage stores and eclectic boutiques." — Lucky, The Magazine About Shopping (May)
  • One of "10 perfect places in North America to spend your summer holiday." — Money magazine (April)
  • "America's best undiscovered food and wine destination." "The next Napa." "It's the Burgundy of America, rich in produce, laden with seafood, and blessed with fabulous wines." — Gourmet magazine (January)
  • "Oregonians have long known the pleasures of their favorite city. But as word spreads of Portland's innovative restaurants and flourishing arts scene, the rest of the world is moving in." — Travel & Leisure magazine (January)
  • One of America's top "Hip Cities" (No. 6 of top 15) — Next Generation Consulting of Jackson, Wisc. (January)

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2001

  • "Portland is a vibrant, thriving and friendly urban destination." — The New York Times (April)
  • "North America's No. 1 Cycling City" -Bicycling magazine (November)
  • No. 5, "Top 100 Fantastic Places (and Things) for 2001" - Travel & Leisure magazine (January)
  • Portland's Forest Park named "Best Urban Park" in the United States — Outside magazine (October)
  • "One of America's Top 10 Fittest Cities" - Men's Fitness magazine
  • One of America's "Top 25 Arts Destinations" - AmericanStyle magazine (No. 13)
  • "One of America's Top 10 Cities With the Best Summer Climates" - CustomWeather
  • "Top Recycler Among the Nation's 30 Largest Cities" - Waste News magazine (Portland recycled more than 50 percent of its waste in 2000.)
  • "Easy going, green and filled with art." — San Francisco Chronicle (June)
  • "Top Destination Award" - Facilities & Destinations magazine
  • "Gold Service Award" for CVB excellence - Meetings & Conventions magazine

 

Archives: Portland Accolades

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