Nicknames of Portland, Oregon facts for kids
Portland, Oregon, is a city known by many different names, or "nicknames." These names often tell us something special about the city's history, its people, or what it's famous for. Let's explore some of the most popular nicknames for Portland.
Nicknames for Portland
Why is Portland called the City of Roses?
The most famous and official nickname for Portland is The City of Roses or Rose City. People first started calling Portland this in 1888 during a church meeting.
In 1889, the Portland Rose Society began. This group encouraged planting roses along 20 miles (32 km) of Portland's streets. This was done before a big event in 1905 called the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. After this event, the nickname became even more popular. The mayor at the time, Harry Lane, even suggested the city should have a "festival of roses."
The nickname is also linked to a man named Leo Samuel. He moved to Portland in 1871 and loved growing roses outside his home. He even put scissors out so people could pick a rose to take with them! This encouraged others to plant roses too. Today, roses still grow outside the building of his old company, Standard Insurance Company.
The first Portland Rose Festival happened in 1907. It's still a major yearly event in the city, more than 100 years later. In 1917, the International Rose Test Garden was created. It has over 7,000 rose plants of 550 different kinds. It's the oldest public rose test garden in the United States that has been open continuously.
The "City of Roses" nickname even inspired the name of an Asian elephant! Her name was Rosy, and she arrived in 1953. She was the first elephant to live in Oregon. Rosy was the leader of the Oregon Zoo's elephant family and had six babies. Her granddaughter, Rose-Tu, was the first third-generation elephant born in the U.S.
On June 18, 2003, the city council officially made "City of Roses" Portland's nickname.
What does Stumptown mean?
Stumptown is a nickname that came about when Portland was growing very quickly after 1847. The city was expanding so fast that workers left tree stumps behind. They didn't have enough people to remove them right away. In some areas, the stumps stayed for so long that people painted them white. This made them easier to see. People even used the stumps to cross muddy streets! In the early 1850s, Captain John C. Ainsworth said Portland had "more stumps than trees."
Why is Portland called Rip City?
The nickname Rip City is mostly used when talking about Portland's professional basketball team, the Portland Trail Blazers. The team's announcer, Bill Schonely, first said "Rip City Baby!" during a game in 1971. This was the Blazers' very first season. A player named Jim Barnett took a long shot that went into the basket. This gave the new team hope against the strong Los Angeles Lakers. Schonely doesn't know how he came up with the phrase, but it quickly became linked to the team and the city.
What is Beervana?
Beervana is a fun nickname that shows how many different kinds of craft beer are made in Portland and all over Oregon. Portland is famous for its many breweries.
Why is Portland called PDX?
Portland is often called PDX because of the airport code for the Portland International Airport. The airport is located within the city. For example, Portland State University uses pdx.edu for its website address. Many businesses in Portland also use "pdx" in their website names to show they are in Portland.
Other Nicknames for Portland
Bridge City or Bridgetown
The Willamette River flows right through Portland. Twelve bridges cross the Willamette River in the city. Because of all these bridges, Portland has earned the nickname Bridge City.
Soccer City USA
Portland is a big soccer city! It is home to two very successful professional soccer teams: the Portland Timbers (men's team) and the Portland Thorns (women's team). The Portland Timbers hosted the championship game, the 2021 MLS Cup. The Portland Thorns have won three championships, most recently in 2022.
Little Beirut
Some people who worked for former U.S. President George H. W. Bush used to call Portland Little Beirut. This was because of the many protesters he met during his visits to the city.
Forbidden City of the West
Portland has also been called the Forbidden City of the West. This name refers to Beijing's Forbidden City. Portland got this nickname because of its history of Shanghaiing. This was a terrible practice where sailors were kidnapped and forced to work on ships. Legends say these kidnappings happened in the city's Shanghai tunnels.
P-Town
Sometimes, people who live in Portland simply call it P-Town.
Images for kids
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An old newspaper from 1899 that called Portland a "city of churches."
See also
- Roses in Portland, Oregon
- International Rose Test Garden
- List of city nicknames in the United States
