Portland, Oregon was named in 1845 after a coin toss between Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove, who had their hometowns of Boston and Portland, Maine in mind. Pettygrove won the toss, and the city became known as Portland.
The name of Portland, Oregon was determined by a coin toss.
Portland is the largest city in Oregon with a population of approximately 600,000 as of 2013. The city was named in 1845. Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove had to make the decision as they both owned the area. They had their hometowns in mind for potential names. Lovejoy was from Boston, Massachusetts while Pettygrove was from Portland, Maine.
Ultimately, a coin toss decided whether Oregon’s largest city would be called Portland or Boston. Lovejoy and Pettygrove tossed a coin three times and Pettygrove won two out of three. The Oregon Historical Society Museum displays the coin believed to have been used.
Learn more about Portland:
The first post office in Portland opened in 1849.
The Rose Festival is an annual festival held in Portland every year. The first Rose Festival was in 1907.
Before becoming famous, Clark Gable worked at Meier & Frank, a popular Portland store. Meier & Frank was founded in 1857 and Macy’s bought Meier & Frank in 2006.
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