Portland’s famed DIY ingenuity powers local stalwarts—from Nike to the newly opened Flock food hall inside the Ritz‑Carlton (the luxury company’s first flag in the Pacific Northwest), currently anchoring a culinary revival downtown. The $2.15‑billion main terminal expansion at #34-ranked PDX debuted last year, doubling capacity under a soaring mass‑timber canopy and adding 20 new concession spaces packed with local icons like Powell’s and Blue Star Donuts. Investors note Intel’s ongoing $36‑billion R&D build‑out in suburban Hillsboro and Daimler’s quiet electric truck ramp‑up, fortifying a tech-manufacturing cluster that helps push metro weekly wages to almost $1,500, well above the U.S. average. Housing is stabilizing: the median sale price hit $518,000 in early 2025, up 6% year over year, while the city logged its first post‑pandemic population uptick in 2024. Big projects have also returned, with ground breaking on a 14‑story, 230‑unit affordable anchor for the 34‑acre Broadway Corridor, and a $1‑billion remake turning the aging Lloyd Center into a vibrant mixed‑use neighborhood. America’s #1 biking city is also big on transit: TriMet’s $1.75‑billion plan wants to connect 50,000 more residents to 15‑minute bus service and expand park‑and‑rides. No wonder the city is #8 in our overall Livability index.