Portland's nicknames

Like many cities, Portland has acquired a variety of nicknames over its history. Here is a list of some of the more common ones:

Stumptown -- "Stumptown" is a common nickname for the city of Portland. It is the city's oldest nickname, with its use being started in the 1840s, before Portland had even received a city charter. When Portland was first platted, the trees where streets were being created were simply being chopped down, and their stumps left in the ground. Development of the young city was happening so fast that buildings were being built on streets, while no one had bothered to remove the tree stumps. This led citizens and proprietors of other nearby townships (such as Oregon City and Milwaukie) to derogatorily dismiss Portland as a "stumptown". After the city was incorporated in 1851, the streets were quickly improved, but the nickname stuck. Today, many businesses invoke the Stumptown nickname, such as Stumptown Printers and Stumptown Coffee.

Navigation menu