One million people are expected to head towards Portland, Oregon to witness an astronomical event that hasn’t taken place in the US since 1979 – but this city is familiar with population booms

On the morning of 21 August, several hours after daybreak, a solar eclipse will plunge the city of Portland, Oregon into a twilight-like state. The temperature will drop; birds and other wildlife will start making noises, tricked into thinking they should prepare for bed. At 10.19am, the moon’s shadow will pass over the sun in the state’s most populous city, blocking 99.44% of the glowing orb at its peak. For mere minutes, viewers will have a chance to experience a rare astronomical event that hasn’t been visible in the US since 1979.

The Great American Eclipse, as it’s been dubbed, will first make landfall in a small town on the Pacific coast and within about 90 minutes streak across the country until it disappears in Charleston, South Carolina. One million people are expected to head toward the path of totality, an approximate 70-mile wide band where the entire sun is blocked by the moon’s shadow.

The population influx is something Oregonians are not unfamiliar with. For the past couple of years, Portland’s reputation as having an affordable yet high quality of life has resulted in sudden population growth – which, in turn, has spiked property values and led to rapid gentrification.

US solar eclipse map Portland is a prime place to witness the eclipse first

Path of totality

The city and state has been abuzz with talk of the eclipse for months. Campsites were booked within minutes. Hotels have been reserved for years. Only in the path of totality will the sun’s corona – the faint outer atmosphere of the sun – be fully viewed. Some avid eclipse-goers note that even with only a sliver of the sun still visible, the experience is not the same.

Several smaller towns within driving distance of Portland, are considered some of the best spots in the nation to watch the celestial treat. Noah Petro, a scientist with Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, will be flying into Portland and making the 40-minute drive south to the small town of Keizer, Oregon, to ensure he’s in the path of totality for the best possible show.

The stars are expected to be spectacular, and other planets, possibly Jupiter and Mars could also be visible.

“You’ll see these beautiful streamers coming out of the sun, the super heated solar atmosphere,” Petro says. “You’ll see a part of the sun you don’t normally get to see. I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes.”

Even though it will be dark, it’s crucial to wear protective eyewear, he warns.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Portland has experienced rapid gentrification as rent prices have skyrocketed. Photograph: Ian Patrick / Alamy/Alamy

Portland in numbers …

14% – the chance of rain on 21 August based on climatological data from the previous 141 years in downtown Portland, according to the National Weather Service.

2 – The time in minutes it took for 1,000 of the state’s campsites to be reserved for the weekend of the eclipse.

200 – The number of people expected to float in a canoe, kayak or other watercraft on the Willamette River, starting south of Portland to view the eclipse.

… and pictures

History in 100 words

The city’s two white founders, one from Massachusetts and the other from Maine – both arrived long after Native Americans made the region their home – flipped a coin to determine whether the city would be named Portland or Boston, after each of their respective east coast hometowns.

Portland, a long-thriving port city located on the Willamette River, also later earned the moniker “Stumptown”, a nod to the city’s rich timber bounty and the logged trees that marked the hillsides. One of the city’s most influential governors, Tom McCall, worked towards creating stricter environmental regulations and cleaning up the city’s polluted rivers in the 1960s and 1970s. He helped lead the state to adopting a more progressive environmental agenda and now has a landmark park named after him in the heart of the city.

Portland in sound and vision

Comics Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen created the sketch comedy show Portlandia in 2011 satirising the city’s liberal, hipster bubble. The show’s catchphrase casts the city as a place “where young people go to retire” and coins it as a place “where the dream of the 90s is alive”.

For a more gritty look at how Portland used to be, watch Portland native Gus Van Sant’s movie Drugstore Cowboy depicting scenes of the city before the development boom of the 1990s and 2000s, when the now-fancy Pearl District was still rail yards and industrial warehouses.

Although the indie rock band The Shins formed in New Mexico, they made their home in Portland and many residents consider them a local band.

What everybody’s talking about?

Earlier this year, Jeremy Joseph Christian, a white supremacist, stabbed three men on a train after they intervened while he screamed anti-Muslim hate speech at two young women. Two of the men, aged 53 and 23, died; a third survived his injuries. The Memorial Day stabbings rocked the city and sparked a wider conversation about how the whitest city in America should tackle racism. After the attacks, many minorities in the region spoke of feeling unsafe in the city on a daily basis.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A memorial in Portland for two men who were killed in a racially charged attack. Photograph: Terray Sylvester/Reuters

What’s next for the city?

Long considered one of the most affordable big cities on the west coast, Portland attracted artists, innovators and entrepreneurs – but that’s no longer the case. Real estate prices have skyrocketed and are now considered among the fastest growing in the nation. A limited supply of homes and more people flocking to the city have pushed longtime residents further out from the city’s limits and contributed to gentrification. City and state officials recently attempted to pass legislation to prohibit no-cause evictions and lift a ban on rent control, but neither succeeded this legislative session. The city of Portland, however, did pass a policy which makes landlords pay tenants they evict without cause to help cover their moving fees.

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The city has carved out national attention for its food scene. Check out food critic Karen Brooks for insight into the city’s eclectic foodie culture. For local news, visit the city’s alternative weekly, Willamette Week, which offers a calendar of the events happening in the city and also has a reputation for producing some of the state’s best watchdog reporting.

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