Culture Cheat Sheet: Essay

Portland’s Cultural Exports Might Never Take Over the World. Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing.

Almost famous is just fine by us.

11/14/2016 By Shawn Levy

Skull Games

How One Portland Special Agent Went Undercover to Stop Poaching and Smuggling

Make no mistake: we’re part of the world’s poaching and smuggling epidemic. Meet the Portland investigator battling it.

11/14/2016 By Ramona DeNies

News

The Militia Verdict: 'Not Guilty' Was Just Another Chapter in an Ongoing Oregon Saga

A radical vision of the Constitution and who really owns public lands will be with us for a long time.

11/02/2016 By Leah Sottile

Politics

The Battle of ‘86: How Oregon’s Last Great Election Came Down to One Fatal Mistake

Thirty years ago, Neil Goldschmidt took on Norma Paulus for governor—and the race became a turning point for politics in Oregon.

10/10/2016 By Brent Walth

Gridiron Report

Portland State May Finally Have a Great Football Team

With a brilliant new coach, a wild style of play, and long odds, the Vikings set sail on a new era. But does anyone, like, care?

08/15/2016 By Jason Cohen

PREHISTORY

Does Oregon's Vanished Coastline Hold the Secrets of the First Americans?

Archaeologist Loren Davis has a radical theory about when (and where) humans first arrived on our continent.

06/13/2016 By Benjamin Tepler

PROFILE

Meet the Man Who Reinvented Nike, Seduced Adidas, and Helped Make Portland the Sports Gear Capital of the World

In the 1980s glory days of audacious deals and bold schemes, Rob Strasser was the big man on campus.

06/13/2016 By David Wolman

HIDDEN DEPTHS

How One Man Found an Uncharted Gem in the Oregon Wilderness

Mike Malone came across a hidden gorge near Mount Jefferson. But can you really “discover” a place anymore?

05/19/2016 By Leah Sottile Illustrations by Michael Byers

HISTORY

One History Sleuth’s Radical Theory: Everything We Know About How Portland Began Is Wrong

The pursuit of a shadowy founding father winds deep into Portland’s Deadwood days.

05/19/2016 By Leah Sottile

PROFILE

American Mouth: The Loud Life and Meaty Legacy of Josh Ozersky

A look at the greatest, wildest food writer of his generation.

04/22/2016 By Nigel Duara

POLITICS

Why Portland’s Elected Leaders Keep Failing Despite the City’s Success

Portland is about to elect a new mayor. Again. Maybe this time, it will stick.

03/25/2016 By Zach Dundas

MARIJUANA

Is This the Future of Weed?

Jeremy Plumb hopes to use science, medicine, and marketing to redefine marijuana.

03/25/2016 By Winston Ross

SPRING ARTS

Can Portland Artists Survive the City’s New Gilded Age?

A property boom means mass evictions and escalating rents. What does that mean for our creative scene?

03/01/2016 By Fiona McCann

INSIDE THE SCHOOL BOARD

Gentrification, Testing, and Social Justice: School Boards Sit at the Center of the Storm

How Portland’s volunteer education leaders cope with an impossible job.

01/15/2016 By Fiona McCann

FEATURES

Our Best Long Reads of 2015

A legendary writer. An iconoclastic artist. The myth of sustainable chicken. The truth about Portland and Californians. Dive deep into Portland Monthly's in-depth coverage of 2015.

12/29/2015 By Zach Dundas

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Will One Doctor’s Radical New Vaccine End the AIDS Epidemic?

Portland researcher Louis Picker could be on the brink of a cure, and this year will be crucial to his quest.

12/21/2015 By Jennifer Abbasi

THE PROFESSIONAL

The Ballad of Pete Krebs: One Legendary Musician Unites Decades of Portland Music

Close to fame, close to death, or just playing close to home, the songwriter’s saga ties local music together.

11/23/2015 By Ryan White

GIVE US YOUR CALIFORNIANS

Why Portland Needs As Many Californians As We Can Get

Forget the "No Californians" bumper stickers. For Portland's white-hot tech scene, "outsiders" can't come soon enough.

10/19/2015 By Marty Patail

CHICKEN V. EGG

The Truth About ‘Sustainable’ Chicken Is that It Doesn’t Really Exist

Diners want it. Chefs want it. Farmers want it. So why is organic, pasture-raised chicken so hard to find?

08/24/2015 By Hannah Wallace

THE OLYMPIANS

A First Look at the New Olympia Provisions Cookbook

Portland's own meat makers bring a rare cosmopolitan food experience to the table with an eye-popping collection of recipes, stories, and photographs.

08/24/2015 By Benjamin Tepler