"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan or a political, commercial, religious, or other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group ...

that appears on bumper stickers, signs, and public buildings throughout

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

and its surrounding metro area. It originated from the " Keep Austin Weird" slogan and was originally intended to promote local businesses, though it has since evolved into an all-encompassing slogan that secondarily promotes individuality, expressionism, local art, as well as atypical lifestyle choices and leisure activities. The slogan frequently inspires articles and debate that attempt to quantify the exact level to which Portland is considered weird, unusual or eccentric. It has been called the unofficial motto of Portland, as well as the informal

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

of the city's residents. The slogan has also been used for a number of years in the

Isle of Portland The Isle of Portland is a tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies south of the resort of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier ...

in Dorset, England. Here a landscape heavily changed through extensive quarrying combined with the social and architectural legacy of a long military presence has created a unique environment which has led to the adoption of the "Weird" tag and "Keep Portland Weird" bumper stickers are frequently seen on local vehicles.

History

The slogan was created with the intention of supporting local businesses and small business owners. It was based on the Keep Austin Weird organization and slogan in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, and was brought to Portland in 2003 by Music Millennium owner Terry Currier after he learned of the movement in Austin. Currier, whom ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' called "the father of Portland's weird movement", trademarked the phrase "Keep Portland Weird" in 2007 and printed the first bumper stickers, selling more than 10,000 by the end of the year. As of 2011, more than 18,000 bumper stickers with the slogan were said to exist, according to accounts from local media, as well as a painting on the side of a building across from Voodoo Doughnut in a high foot-traffic area of Old Town.

Weirdness

In 2014 an Austin blog put together an infographic that compared Austin and Portland in a series of categories to try to decide which city was "weirder". Twelve different categories were used, including "Most Tattooed US Cities" and "America's Craziest Cities". From this comparison, Portland was the clear winner taking first in nine of the twelve categories. ''

'' newspaper developed a weirdness scale in response to the slogan and Portland ranked 11th, with high rates of hiking, hunting, and hybrid car ownership. The most "normal" cities in the U.S. were in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, and

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

were among the weirdest. In comparing Portland to New York City and San Francisco,

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writer Becky Ohlsen said "Something about how cheap and isolated Portland is, allows oddballs to explore odd behavior without being squished by economics or the harsh judgment of fashion people." Items mentioned as illustrating the residents' eccentricities include the Voodoo Doughnut shop, the World Naked Bike Ride, the Zoobomb cycling events, artist Adam Kuby's (now removed) Portland Acupuncture Project, the popularity of yarn bombing, the Portland Urban Iditarod, and the now-defunct Velveteria Museum of Velvet Paintings and 24 Hour Church of Elvis. Another is the "Horse Project". The first "Keep Portland Weird festival" was held in October 2007 at the Central Library, and among the participants were the Portland

Ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

Association, Free Geek, and the Portland Area Robotics Society. Another took place in November 2009. Portland's

city commission government City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commission ...

—a type of municipal governance now rare in the U.S.—has been described as another aspect of its weirdness, compounded by the various peculiarities of its implementation. Portland is the largest city in the U.S. which does not fluoridate its water. Residents have declined attempts to institute municipal fluoridation four times: First in 1956, then in 1962, 1980, and 2013. At the September 2012 Portland City Council meeting after a year of pro-fluoridation lobbying efforts, the council unanimously approved implementation despite strong opposition by attendees. The matter was quickly deferred to the next election where fluoridation lost by 40% supporting to 60% opposing largely on concerns of adding ''fluoridation chemicals'' to one of the nation's purest water supplies. File:The Peculiarium.jpg, The Peculiarium File:24 Hour Church of Elvis.jpg, 24 Hour Church of Elvis File:The TARDIS Room.jpg, The

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

Room

Controversies

The slogan "Keep Portland Weird" has created controversy and been imitated with slogans such as "Keep Portland Beered" and others. Also suggested is that Portland might not have been originally weird, but the campaign leads to a new weirdness among some Portlanders. Not all citizens view the campaign in a positive light. Some have advanced the idea that Portland's weirdness is an excuse for the younger generation to be underachievers. Also some citizens claim that the intended effect of the campaign—economic stimulation for local businesses—has not achieved the desired results. In early 2011, the "Keep Portland Weird" slogan was used in a debate about Portland's refusal to join the federal government's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Portland originally opted out of the task force in 2005 over concerns for civil liberties. Recent potential threats have prompted local officials to reconsider joining the task force. Those opposed to joining the task force adopted the "Keep Portland Weird" slogan to point out that Portland was different from other cities and should continue to opt out of the task force and not join with other government forces. Opposing citizens felt joining the task force could have potentially affected Portland's traditionally progressive stance on civil liberties.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.keepportlandweird.com/ 2003 establishments in Oregon Culture of Portland, Oregon Organizations based in Portland, Oregon Slogans Stickers

History

Weirdness

Controversies

See also

References

Further reading

External links