# Two Portlands enter. One Portland leaves.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 4, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691 "2003-06-04T21:01:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/21 "2003-06-05T01:37:22Z")
I used to live in (the smaller) of two Portlands in Australia. The locals still tell of the hapless truck driver who pulled over to ask street directions, and was told he should be a thousand miles away. š
Then again, as a postal worker, I have lots of these horror stories. For a country with such a small population (so fewer towns), I still canāt work out how we wound up with SEVEN Mt Pleasants.
---
### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/22 "2003-06-05T01:43:43Z")
These days, Maine. I have a really good friend who lives there.
---
### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/23 "2003-06-05T02:01:55Z")
Tennesseeā¦
No, actually my first thought goes to Maine, because I was in college a little north of Portland. Then it goes to Tennessee. Most of the time I donāt even consider the one in Oregon to be an option.
---
### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/24 "2003-06-05T02:46:27Z")
If you just said to me, "Portland, " and expected me to do free association, then Maine, since my family vacations a little over an hour North of there every summer. Itās a very pleasant town, although living in New York I have trouble calling it a city.
If I saw something on the news, or someone mentioned something happening in Portland, Iād assume Oregon, since obviously most people assume Oregon when they hear Portland, and thatād probably be what somebody meant when referring it statelessly.
---
### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/25 "2003-06-05T02:53:43Z")
It would be Oregon for me, and for a majority, I suspect. But in parts of the U.S. Iām sure there are quite a few people who donāt roll to the majority default when they think of Houston, Paris or Las Vegas.
---
### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/26 "2003-06-05T02:56:41Z")
Maine. I go there, the radio stations I listen to are located thereā¦ Iām always disappointed that people on the SD mean Oregon when they mention Portland.
---
### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/27 "2003-06-05T04:19:02Z")
Maine, definately.
[Bahstin Accent]Does this road go to Portland? [/BA]
[Maine Accent]Nope, stays right here.[/MA]
---
### Author:  [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/28 "2003-06-05T04:25:55Z")
Oregon, but my father is from Eugene. I associate Portland with very frail, sweet old ladies, since as a kid weād fly into Portland to visit my great-grandmother.
I hear they have some young folk now.
And by the way, **Interrobang!?** is a really great username.
---
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/29 "2003-06-05T04:34:33Z")
Cement.
š
---
### Author:  [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/30 "2003-06-05T04:35:13Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Peg \*
> \*\*Oregon, but Iām on the west coast as well.
>
> Home of Powells Books! \*\*
Donāt get me started on f\*\*\*ing Powellās. (Iāve got a rant brewing in the back of my headācoming someday to a BBQ Pit near you!)
Anyway, since I live there, Oregon for me.
---
### Author:  [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/31 "2003-06-05T07:15:58Z")
Powells. Home of the most arrogant snitty rude unhelpful my-god-I-amāmuch-too-good-for-this-pannyanny-retail-job employees anywhere in the universe. Iāll join yer rant, **Ferrous** old buddy old pal. Any time.
Portland, Oregon, being my home now, is my default Portland. Oddly, I grew up on the east coast and never heard of the one in ME until I moved to Oregon.
**jackelope** I think I havenāt seen anyone over 50 since moving here. I swear to the sky this has to be the youngest-average-age city Iāve ever seen (I live right in the city, though.)
---
### Author:  [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/32 "2003-06-05T08:04:46Z")
Oregon. Mostly because I live in Tigard. š
---
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/33 "2003-06-05T10:38:20Z")
[Portland](http://www.weymouth.gov.uk/home.asp?svid=1), Dorset (UK) is the only true Portland, naturally. š
---
### Author:  [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/34 "2003-06-05T12:00:23Z")
Even though I was born in Maine, the only appreciable amounts of time Iāve ever spent in that Portland have been getting to and leaving the airport (in relation to family reunions, which are always spent near Moosehead Lake when we do have reunions in Maine.)
So, to answer the OP, Iāll have to say Oregon, mainly because I have relatives who live near it.
Whereas there are no relatives living in Maine; the extended family is originally from there (thus the occasional reunions), but everyone moved away many years ago.
---
### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/35 "2003-06-05T13:46:21Z")
Oregon.
Not surprising, as the first place that i lived in North America was Vancouver, B.C., and iāve travelled quite a bit in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
---
### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/36 "2003-06-05T13:49:18Z")
I think **Portland Trailblazers** first. š
---
### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/37 "2003-06-05T13:52:58Z")
I live in PA. I always think Oregon.
---
### Author:  [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/38 "2003-06-05T13:54:37Z")
Oregon. Mostly because of āNight of the Living Rednecksā on the Dead Kennedyās _Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death_. And Jim Goad.
Though Iāve learned to be careful about it. In junior high, I wrote a paper on the murder of an Ethiopian immigrant by some Portland, Maine boneheads, but referred to Oregon the whole time. Luckily, my teacher wasnāt the wiser.
I live in Cincinnati.
---
### Author:  [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/39 "2003-06-05T14:19:27Z")
Maine, because I grew up there (in the state, not in Portland).
---
### Author:  [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691/40 "2003-06-05T14:39:52Z")
Oregon. Itās the only one Iāve been to, and the one that Iād heard of _before_ I moved to New England.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-portlands-enter-one-portland-leaves/179691.md?page=3)