Confused by all the talk of no’po and the tron? Well don’t worry, here’s a few words that will get you up the basics of Portland lingo.
P-town — This is a given: Portland.
Puddletown — We have an average 36+ inches of rain each year, hence a lot of puddles.
Stumptown — Portland used to be a huge logging town, therefore a lot of visible stumps around town.
Rose City — Rose Garden Arena, Rose festival, Rose parade, Japanese garden … you could say we like roses.
No’Po — A reference to all of North Portland.
Po’ or 5-O — Refers to the Portland Police.
Mountain’s out — This saying means that the skies are clear enough to see Mt. Hood, or possibly Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams or St. Helens, depending on your vantage point.
The Gorge — General term for the Columbia Gorge, a common travel destination for Portlanders.
The Willy — This is a reference to the city’s river that runs from Eugene all the way through Portland. Pronounced “wil LAM’ ette.”
Freddies — Refers to the classy Oregon-born version of a Walmart, Fred Meyer’s.
Nordies — Often used as a short version for Nordstrom.
The MAX — This is referring to TriMet’s light-rail train. MAX was derived from Metropolitan Area Express.
Pill Hill — Refers to the Oregon Health & Science University on the south hill of downtown Portland.
OMSI — Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Spendy — This stuff must cost a lot.
Granola — You have that Portland kind of clothing, belief and attitude. Borderline hippy/hipster.
Full on/rad — You are describing something that is cool, and likely awesome.
The Beav/Beaver-Tron/Tron — Beaverton suburbs.
Lake O — Lake Oswego is a well-to-do city just to the south.
Happy Rock —Another name for Gladstone, located southeast of Portland.