Portland, Oregon | City Of Bridges

Mercer's Quality of City Ranking for the city of Portland came in at #48. It was founded in 1845, as a relatively new outpost on the confluence of Willamette and Columbia River. The pioneering spirit and the establishment of fur and logging trade can be traced back to two famous Captains -- Meriwether Lewis & William Clark, of whom were good friends of President Jefferson. The two then established and handpicked from the U.S. Army and civilians to formed the Corps of Discovery where they set up camp at Camp Dubois in Illinois in 1804. This was the starting point of the famous Lewis & Clark Trail. The expeditionary team circumnavigate the Columbia River, crossed the Continental Divide, and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean. Today, there is a National Monument at Fort Clatsop in Astoria that visitors can visit to view the expeditioner's campsite. What a journey it must have been and amazingly, only one of the team member ( out of 40) died along the way. There are also numerous statues erected to honor Sacajawea, the lone Shoshone woman who accompanied and interpreted for the team during the expedition.