“Keep Portland Weird” became a local mantra to encompass the city’s eccentricity (even though the phrase originated in Austin, Texas). The television comedy “Portlandia,” starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, affectionately parodied the city’s idiosyncrasies and ran for eight seasons. It was where young people went to retire, or so a joke went.
Nothing such as this would be applied to Cincinnati or Charlotte, N.C.
At the same time, the Rose City or PDX, take your pick, was also a beautiful urbanist’s dream. It offered a real downtown, walkable neighborhoods including the Alphabet and Pearl districts, and abundant rail transit, along with Amtrak service at the stately Portland Union Station. The depot was opened in 1896 and restored a century later.
