We’re liking our biking
No surprise to anyone crossing the Hawthorne Bridge on a weekday, the Portland region (aka, the fifth-fittest city in the US*) is tops in the nation for commuters bicycling to work.
Nearly 17,000 area commuters (about 2% of all) pedal to the office, according to the 2006 US Census. And the two-wheeling trend continues to gain traction. The number of bicycle commuters here more than doubled from 2000 to 2006.
If you add to that our walkers, the greater Portland area’s non-motorized commuters place us fourth nationally for highest percentage of people walking or biking to work. Top three are New York, San Francisco and Boston.
As we huff and puff to work, it’s good to know we’re breathing relatively clean air. According to Bizjournal’s Stress Index, which ranks 50 major metros on several quality-of-life metrics, the air in Multnomah County is considered “unhealthy†a mere half-day a year.
Portland’s overall Stress Index ranking puts us in the middle of the pack of 50, with unemployment and cost of housing, in particular, ratcheting up our stress. Detroit rates as the nation’s most stressful city.
More metrofacts:
Nearly 6% of greater Portlanders telecommute to work — the second-highest rate (next to San Diego’s) in the country.
Since 2000, telecommuting in the greater Portland area has increased by 45%.
Tags: portland biking
