Two Portlands enter. One Portland leaves.

In My Humble Opinion
1

When someone mentions “Portland” to me, I immediately think of Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine. It’s my default Portland.

That’s not surprising, though. I live in the Pacific Northwest. I have relatives in Portland, OR.

I’d guess that people in the Northeast have Portland, Maine, as their default Portland. Perhaps I guess wrong.

And I have no idea which Portland people in other parts of the country think of when the state remains unstated.

So: Portland, Maine vs. Portland, Oregon. Which one is your default Portland? Which Portland do you think is the national default Portland?

2

Oregon, but I’m on the west coast as well.

Home of Powells Books!

3

I’m from New England, but I still think Oregon unless I have reason to believe otherwise. I guess just because it’s definitely the larger city.

It could have been worse. Portland, Ore. was named when two founders, Francis Pettygrove and A.J. Lovejoy, flipped a coin to see what moniker the new burg would take. Pettygrove’s hometown was Portland, Maine, and he won the flip. Lovejoy’s hometown was Boston, Mass… Now, imagine the confusion if we had two large cities called Boston, one East, one West.

4

I normally think of Oregon. I’m from Utah, but have travelled to both Portlands.

5

Oregon.

Haj

6

Oregon

7

Oregon. If for no other reason because even as a kid, I heard about them more, what with their having a pro basketball team and all.

8

Oregon. Though I live in the Northeast and my sister actually lived in the Maine Portland for a year and a half.

9

Feh. I should have said “even growing up as a kid in Hawaii, where U.S. geography is divided into ‘Hawaii’ and ‘everything else’ I heard…”

10

Growing up in the heart of the midwest (Omaha), and then in the ass of the US (Arizona), I have always associated Portland with Oregon.
Hot, dry, skanky, dusty ass.

11

I’m starting to think that only 64,249 people in the country would say “Maine.” And I’m not too sure about them . . .

12

As someone who grew up there, the default Portland is naturally the one in Oregon.

13

There’s a Portland in Maine?

14

Well, I’ll write in for Maine. In fact, it takes me a while to even remember that there is another one at all. Much less where it is.

(from Bmore here)

15

I think of Oregon, but then I live about an hour away from that Portland. Heck, I only know there is a Portland, Maine because my favorite band was playing there, and I was all excited before I realized it said Maine.

16

Portland, Maine.
Only 'cos I live there.

17

Oregon. I grew up near LA.

18

Oregon… I’ve been there at least a few times. (and I’m on the West Coast, as well)

F_X

19

Concerning my two step-sons.

When little, they both lived in Portland.
As young men, the both lived in Portland.
Now they both live in Portland.

OR (mainly) for the one.
OR->ME->OR (with a few stops in between) for the other.

People I know who have been to both would pick Oregon’s. And it’s not just because it has an NBA team.

20

Don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

My default Portland is the one in Maine because it’s closer, and the brother in-law-bought a summer place near there last year (have to be nice to him now).

Occasionally on the SDMB I’ll see threads related to a Portland Dopefest. The first couple of times I saw it I thought “There are that many Dopers in Portland Maine?”.