Portland Renaissance: When Creativity Redefined a City

by Barry Locke

From the mid-1980s through the 1990s, the elements that would define Portland as a magical city were coming together. Known for its local restaurants and craft beer as well as its national prominence in advertising and athletic wear, Portland invited and embraced creativity in all its forms. In Portland Renaissance, you can revisit a time when Portland became Sneakertown, Beervana, a foodie city, an urban living exemplar, a creative oasis, and a place where anything seemed possible.

294 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2023

Reviews

[Dee]

As a Portlander, who has lived here since 1988, I found much of this book very interesting, although I was hoping for more. There seemed to be a heavy focus on W&K, Nike and the Pearl, much of what was repeated, at a cost of ignoring or skimming over many other things that happened during this era (what comes immediately to mind is Waterfront Park, East Side Esplanade, the accomplishments of Vera Katz (and, indeed, all of the mayors who served during this time). I'd have liked the book better if it had included more.

[Duane M]

WOW, WOW, and WOW

This book was an amazing look at an amazing time in Portlands history. I have learned more about how portland came up reading this book than I have learned living here for 9 years.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who lives here or is thinking about moving here!

[Jenny]

Fun to be reminded of a lot of things I lived through.

[Caleb Tobin]

Incredible deep-dive on a variety of aspects of the evolution (or revolution) in Portland; nuance discussion of what made Portland a great place to live and work.