Aerial photo of Vanport

Home to a multiracial and multicultural community of over 40,000 residents, Vanport was built to house migrant workers and their families who relocated to the Portland region during WWII. At its peak, Vanport became the nation's largest wartime federal housing project and the second-largest city in Oregon. On May 30, 1948, a devastating flood destroyed the entire city, killing at least 17 and leaving thousands houseless. Vanport was never rebuilt, but its legacy lives on.