Region 2 in Oregon's northwest corner includes Portland, the state's largest city and its two most populous counties, Multnomah and Washington. Together, these two counties account for one-third of the state's population.
The region has a diverse economy that includes manufacturing, trade and services. A major force behind the area's robust growth over the last decade is its high-tech industry, which grew by close to 70 percent. Population swelled during this time, as the region became home to almost 250,000 new residents. Its growth rate nearly doubled that of the nation.
Until July 2004, Tillamook County was part of Region 2. But county commissioners and the Oregon Workforce Investment Board agreed to transfer the county back to Region 1 (Clatsop and Columbia counties). The county's economy and workforce issues are more closely aligned with the rural, coastal, natural-resource, and tourism-based economy of the North Coast than with the largely urban Multnomah and Washington counties.
Region 2 in Oregon's northwest corner includes Portland, the state's largest city and its two most populous counties, Multnomah and Washington. Together, these two counties account for one-third of the state's population.