The city that I live in is called Gresham, Oregon. It is a suburb of the largest city in the state, Portland. The city was named after a Civil War hero, Walter Quintin Gresham. The population size is fairly decent, projected as of 2006 at about 97,000.

I resided in the capital of Oregon (Salem) for my entire life, until I decided to follow my boyfriend up north and landed here a little over 3 years ago. Since moving to this place, I have learned a few things about it. The library is tiny compared to the one in Salem. The one I was familiar with was several stories high and nestled right next to City Hall. So not only was the library filled with books and information, but was surrounded by an interesting element as well. Gresham's is tiny. I'm an avid reader. I love research. Consequently, this was a little disheartening.

The downtown area is quaint, with little cafés and shops scattered everywhere. I do not like the presence of the light rail, though. This brings a lot of trouble to otherwise quiet areas. One of Portland/Gresham's worst neighborhoods is Rockwood, and the light rail runs right in the middle of this area. Riding the "MAX" can be a bit unnerving.

Another thing that I miss about Salem is the greenery. Gresham is highly urbanized. The city has great views of hills and mountains in the distance, but buildings are usually in the way. Oregon is obsessed with being even more "green," which is great, but in Gresham, it seems like apartments are more common than trees. The traffic is outrageous in certain areas, and the skies are typically hazy due to the pollution.

Despite all of that, the closeness of Mount Hood allows for great winter sports opportunities. There are beautiful waterfalls not very far away, like the Multnomah Falls. The hike is vigorous, but the view is spectacular. The Columbia Gorge is very close by, and this makes any water sport as accessible as winter. If anyone is not too keen on nature, they have an exciting (and not so intimidating) metropolitan to wander around. Another plus is the hour's drive to the coast. Really, this area is very ideal for it's natural elements.