The Roanoke Times Send This Story To A Friend. They toured Portland's vibrant arts and cultural district and talked to entrepreneurs from its growing high-tech sector. And, perhaps most of all, they learned the importance of a strong brand. With a population of about 240,000, the Portland metro area is just slightly larger than the Roanoke region. Like Roanoke, Portland is the service and shopping center for its region.
Health care is a major employer, and Portland offers an array of social services.
Also like Roanoke, Portland has lost much of its traditional job base as manufacturing and insurance jobs have left the area. But Portland's population grew more than 10 percent over the last decade, compared to just 2.5 percent in the Roanoke area. Jobs have grown at a rate of more than 4.5 percent over the past 12 months, while Roanoke's growth rate has been just over 2 percent. In recent years, Portland has built a reputation as a cool little city, a place that's close enough to the big city to be accessible but far enough away to leave big-city problems behind. It has a thriving tourism industry.