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Portland vs Gresham

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (13.2× in Portland) and work in town (+42.4 pts in Portland).

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Portland, ORA history townOregon · 641,165 people
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Gresham, ORAn outdoors townOregon · 112,378 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

PortlandA history town
History598 historic places598 places on the National Register College town14 collegesPortland State University Outdoors#25 most conserved land in OR246 miles of trails across 268 parks and preserves All about Portland →
GreshamAn outdoors town
Outdoors#19 most conserved land in OR19 miles of trails across 47 parks and preserves Health53% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates College town1 collegeMt Hood Community College All about Gresham →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails13.2×
Portland has more miles of trail
Portland 245.6 miGresham 18.6 mi
Work in town+42.4 pts
More of Portland’s workers stay in town
Portland 58.8%Gresham 16.4%
Size5.7×
Portland is the bigger place
Portland 641,165Gresham 112,378
Work from home+15.5 pts
More people work from home in Portland
Portland 28.5%Gresham 13%
Bachelor’s degree++30.5 pts
More adults in Portland have a degree
Portland 53.8%Gresham 23.3%
Property tax bill+38%
Tax bills are bigger in Portland
Portland $5,743Gresham $4,174
★ What stands out · Report cards

Portland places higher on 17 of 23 OR lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Oregon ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
D−PortlandSafer than 2% of U.S. towns C−GreshamSafer than 16% of U.S. towns
Schools
BPortlandBetter than 63% of districts in the state B−GreshamBetter than 45% of districts in the state
Health
A−PortlandHealthier than 81% of U.S. towns B−GreshamHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns
17Portland
5Gresham

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fewest uninsuredHealth · 147 towns #26#119 Most activeHealth · 147 towns #20#96 Most educatedPeople · 147 towns #16#88 Most remote workersWork · 141 towns #8#75 HealthiestHealth · 147 towns #26#91 Most trailsOutdoors · 108 towns #28#73 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #30#57 Fewest smokersHealth · 147 towns #48#109

Left end = #1 in Oregon. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Portland’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Portland

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Portland$3,200/mo
Typical home $527K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,655/mo · Housing →
Gresham$2,790/mo
Typical home $465K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Portland and Gresham.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Portland and Gresham share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

PortlandGreshamPortlandGresham
Portland ↔ Gresham10 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
19,557 Gresham residents work in Portland (40.6% of its workers)
8,496 Portland residents work in Gresham (2.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Gresham →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
PortlandGresham
Snow a year4″3″
January low37°F37°F
July high80°F82°F
Growing season (days)280d251d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)63rd57th
Outdoors & history
PortlandGresham
Trails246 mi19 mi
Conserved land13.8%15.8%
Settled—1905
National Register places59810
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here29—
Community
PortlandGresham
Library hours a week54 hrs57 hrs
Colleges in town141
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

PortlandGresham
People
Population 641,165Highest 112,378Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.8%Highest OR: +10.6% +8.2%Lowest OR: +10.6%
Median age 38.8±0.2Highest 4% below OR 37±1Lowest 8% below OR
Kids under 18 16.3%±0.3Lowest OR: 19.9% 22.7%±1.3Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 14.5%±0.3Lowest OR: 19.1% 15.1%±0.9Highest OR: 19.1%
Gresham and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 53.8%Highest OR: 36.8% 23.3%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±0.3Highest OR: 5.7% 5.3%±1.1Lowest OR: 5.7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,919±$2kHighest 10% above OR $77,795±$4kLowest 6% below OR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $581,500±$6kHighest 22% above OR $458,700±$5kLowest 4% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,655±$18Highest 9% above OR $1,586±$37Lowest 4% above OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,743Highest 48% above OR $4,174Lowest 8% above OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.5%±1.3Lowest OR: 52.5% 59%±4.3Highest OR: 52.5%
Below poverty line 12.7%Lowest OR: 11.9% 13%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 52%Lowest OR: 63.3% 55.8%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 15 yrs older than OR 1981Highest same as OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 5% above OR 26 minHighest 13% above OR
Work from home 28.5%±0.7Highest OR: 19% 13%±1.5Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 58.8%Highest 16.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.45Highest 0.75Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Beaverton (4%)Portland (41%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Gresham41% work in Portland
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.8%Lowest 15.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 245.6 miHighest 18.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 268Highest 47Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 107Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #94 of 121 in OR#96 of 121 in OR
School district Oregon Department of Education · Centennial SD 28JCentennial SD 28J · Gresham-Barlow SD 10J
High school in town David Douglas High SchoolCentennial High School
Students per teacherat that high school 19.9Lowest 26.7Highest
Oregon average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Portland neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Portland’s Town Square.

Gresham neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Living in Gresham

1 neighbor in Gresham can answer.

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Bordering Portland

+ Compare
Dunthorpe1,875 people · $1.46M homes
+ Compare
Beaverton97,812 people · $570K homes
+ Compare
West Haven-Sylvan7,674 people · $782K homes
+ Compare
Garden Home-Whitford6,979 people · $625K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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