Oregon: A List of Rankings

Some interesting factoids on Oregon and Portland courtesy of Sunun Setboonsarng, an International Trade Officer with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD).

1. Portland is America’s greenest city (2008 Popular Science)
2. Portland is ranked #1 in SustainLane’s 2008 US City rankings of sustainability
3. Portland has the highest per-capita concentration of hybrid vehicles
4. Portland has highest per-capita concentration of LEED-certified projects and third most overall (2008 Business Facilities)
5. Car sharing (as in Zipcar) started in Portland
6. Portland is #1 US city for number of people who bike to work (2007 US Census Bureau)
7. Portland is only major city to receive a platinum rating in the League of American Bicyclists 2008 ratings of bike friendly communities
8. Portland is #6 best US city to live and launch (2008 Money Magazine)
9. Portland is #4 hottest spot for knowledge workers (2007 CNN Money)
10. Portland has #4 most educated workforce (2008 Business Facilities)
11. Portland is best city to have a baby (2008 Fit Pregnancy)
12. Portland is #2 city to “eat smart, be fit and live well” (2008 Cooking Light)
13. Breweries in the greater Portland area claimed nine medals at the 2008 World Beer Cup – more than any other city in the world
14. Forbes ranked Oregon #2 on its list of greenest states (Oct. 07)
15. Oregon ranked #1 Greenest State by Business Facilities (2008)
16. Oregon ranked #2 by Business Facilities (2008) in manufacturing momentum, which recognizes how well states are succeeding at building business climates conducive to manufacturing
17. Oregon is ranked #2 in terms of promoting energy efficiency (2008 ACEEE – American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
18. The 2nd and 3rd ranked utility green power programs (based on renewable energy sales) operate in Oregon – PGE & PacificCorp (Dec. 2007, National Renewable Energy Laboratory / US DOE)
19. Oregon has more LEED buildings per capita than any other state (same may be true of Portland vs. other cities)
20. University of Oregon listed on Princeton Review’s 2008 Green Rating Honor Roll
21. Oregon State University received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award from EPA for its commitment to green power