At 1, 800 acres, Pinot Gris covers almost twice as much vineyard land there as Chardonnay, much of the best in the Willamette Valley south of Portland.

FORBES: White Wine From a Black Sheep

Commenter Sabrina Messenger, who lives 80 miles south of Portland, enjoys visiting the Oregon History Museum and attending operas at the Keller Auditorium.

CNN: Passion for Portland triumphs

However, a new route opening in 2015 will expand the MAX to Milwaukie, a small city just seven miles south of Portland, connecting the inner Southeast neighbourhoods to the downtown core at the same time.

BBC: Living in: Great cities for public transport

Portland stone, mined in the south western county of Dorset, was used by Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild St Paul's Cathedral between 1675 and 1710.

BBC: Stone exhibit on a roll

The Paralympics run from 29 August until 9 September and will be staged largely in the Olympic Park, with sailing events at Weymouth and Portland, rowing at Eton Dorney and road cycling events at Brands Hatch, south of London.

BBC: London 2012: Paralympic ticket sellout goal