Gresham

Gresham is the fourth largest city within the state of Oregon, with a population of 114,000 in 2020. It's the home of an annual jazz festival. It is a part of the Portland Metropolitan Area and is generally considered a Portland suburb.

The downtown area of Gresham can be easily missed by those driving along W Powell Blvd, but has a handful of restaurants and shops to offer, as well as Main City Park.

By plane
Portland International Airport  is about 13 miles from Gresham. PDX is the largest airport located in the state of Oregon. Rental cars are available, and the MAX light rail connects to Gresham with a single transfer from the airport's Red Line to the eastbound Blue Line trains at Gateway Transit Center.

By transit
The MAX Light Rail's Blue Line serves Gresham, with most of the city reasonably able to access it, since it cuts diagonally across. The Blue Line runs directly from its eastern terminus near downtown Gresham to downtown Portland, and then onward to Beaverton and Hillsboro.

Numerous TriMet bus lines also connect Gresham to Portland and Troutdale.

By car
The best way to get into the city from Portland, and elsewhere to the north, south, or west, probably depends on your final destination. Interstate 84 is at the far north of the city, but US-26 (Powell Blvd.) also provides a route from Interstate 205 if approaching from the South.

Travellers approaching from the east will use Interstate 84, or US-26 if coming from Central Oregon.

Mt. Hood Jazz Festival
The Mt. Hood Jazz Festival is a jazz festival held each August in Downtown Gresham at 200 NE Hood Avenue. The festival is produced by the Gresham/Mt. Hood Jazz Association (GMHJA) which is a non-profit, public benefit corporation whose goal is to "promote the appreciation of jazz as a unique American art form." The Mt. Hood Jazz Festival is the signature production of the association, which produces other jazz performances and workshops year round.

The first festival was held in 1982. The festival has featured guests such as: Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Tito Puente and B. B. King.

Eat
Restaurants are all over the city, but it is difficult to find restaurants with great food to offer.