Fun facts

Portland is well-known for its great neighborhoods, civic initiatives, transportation options, food choices and more. We thought we'd list other interesting facts that have helped make Portland a fun place to live!

• Portland is the birth place of Wiki.
• The rum and fruit juice drink mai tai was created in 1944 by Vic Bergeron, owner of Portland tiki bar and restaurant, TraderVic's.
• One of many Portland nicknames is Stumptown, named after the the City's quick and early growth when trees were cut but their stumps were often left in the middle of new streets. Local residents often jumped from stump to stump to make their way along muddy, unpaved streets.
• "Portland is one of the few destinations outside of France where you can take your dog into pubs."
• Tom McCall (former Portland resident, Oregonian journalist and Governor,) signed the Oregon Bottle Bill (1971), the first legislation of its kind in the U.S. It requires cans, bottles, and other carbonated beverages -- plus water since 2009 -- sold in Oregon to be returnable and refundable.
• You can quench your thirst downtown with public drinking fountains called Benson Bubblers. They were originally donated to Portland by a lumberman who hoped to provide a drinking alternative to taverns.
• The city of Portland won its name from a coin toss between Francis Pettygrove, from Portland, ME; and Asa Lovejoy, from Boston, MA. Our fair town could've been named Boston, Oregon. It doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?
• Portland is a favorite movie and television back drop for several films and series. Oregon film history includes Untraceable (2008), Twilight (2008), Wendy & Lucy (2007), Paranoid Park (2006); and television shows Portlandia, Leverage, and Grimm.
• Portland was named the second best foodie town in the U.S. in a 2010 study. This Northwest city also boasts a high amount of community supported agriculture and has "the largest number of vegetarian and vegan options for diners."
• The explosion of local mobile kitchens -- or food carts as they're commonly known -- has branded Portland with a national reputation for being "food-truck crazed."
• Portland still has the remnants of its Wild West past -- Horse Rings are all over the city...yes, the ones you tie a horse to!
• There is a long and vibrant underground hip-hop, techno and house music scene in Portland.
• "In 2001, Portland introduced the first modern streetcar in North America, becoming a model for cities all over the country...In the 1920s, Portland had the third largest narrow gauge electric rail system in the [U.S.]. The streetcar lines formed many streets and neighborhoods that still exist today."