“Portland is the jewel of the Northwest!”, says Jomo Greenidge, the founder of GAME IT UP NORTHWEST.
Journalists, analysts, and regular people seem to agree.
As the “misty evergreen Shangri-La for the young, the creative, and the progressive,” (according to Alyssa Walker of GOOD), Portland is a town with a burgeoning reputation for people with tech savvy, offbeat attitude and community spirit – all values and attributes that tend to resonate with gamers across many demographics.
Home to increasing numbers of educated, entrepreneurial professionals across a variety of fields and disciplines, Portland is consistently rated high in national surveys in metrics of livability, friendliness, and progressive activism. Over the last decade, Portland has developed a reputation, a sense of critical mass, and a vibe that attracts more people every year to join its abundant class of young creative types.
It just so happens that many of these folks love playing video games.
“I was born in New York, but I was raised in the Pacific Northwest,” says Greenidge, who spent his formative years in Portland. “We don’t get as much rain as Seattle, and we don’t get the extreme climate of Spokane either. I’ve had 7-plus-year stints in both Seattle & Spokane so I know what I am talking about. In fact, I’ve been to over 185 different cities across the continental U.S. in the last 20 years, not to mention abroad. There is no place like Portland. It doesn’t hurt either that I’m a huge fan of the Trail Blazers.”
“Portland is also home to the ROSE FESTIVAL. That’s also why this event is a no-brainer. There’s already two million people annually that come to Portland this time of year. And now, for the first time, we will actually have a large competitive video game tournament to go along with all of the rest of the fun of Rose Festival.”
“Did I mention we have ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS FRANCHISES IN THE COUNTRY?”
Yes, Jomo, we get it.
We could go on and on, but the bottom line is that Portland is a great place to live.
And don’t just take our word for it. Read for yourself:
