Portland, whose larger metropolitan area boasts two million residents, enjoys an architecturally rich downtown center, filled with lively street fairs, an intrepid performing arts scene, a diversity of high-concept and low-brow eateries, an extensive urban parks system, and the largest independent bookstore in North America.

OCOM students are also uniquely positioned to enjoy the region's bountiful mix of recreational opportunities and natural beauty – ocean beaches, snow-covered alpine peaks, dense old-growth forest, rushing rivers, high desert – all within a 100-mile radius of Portland.

The magnificent Columbia Gorge provides some of the best hiking, swimming, fishing, canoeing and windsurfing in the country. Mt. Hood, whose white peak is visible from our campus, provides year-round downhill skiing and an abundance of cross-country trails. Eighty miles to the west of Portland is the rugged Oregon coastline, a favorite weekend retreat for city dwellers.

Fans of cycling, thriving arts communities, sustainable development, organic foods, crafted microbrews and local wines will find a home here. Portland is consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the country.

#1 - Greenest City in America, Popular Science (February 2008)

#1 - Number of people who bike to work, U.S. Census Bureau

#5 - America's 10 Cleanest Cities, Forbes.com (March 2008)

#1 - Cityscape and #1 Environmental Awareness, CNN/Travel + Leisure (October 2007)

#9 - Top 25 Fittest Cities in the United States, Men's Fitness (February 2007)

Natural and traditional healing are also integral parts of life in Portland, one of the few cities in the nation home to a chiropractic college, a naturopathic college and several massage schools, as well as Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.