PORTLAND, OREGON WAS NAMED “PORTLAND” BECAUSE OF THE OUTCOME OF A COIN TOSS.

Portland, Oregon is named after Portland, Maine. The settlement that eventually became Portland, Oregon was originally referred to as “Stumptown” and “The Clearing” because of the many trees cut down to allow for its growth. In 1845, the land came to be owned jointly by Asa Lovejoy of Boston and Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Both Pettygrove and Lovejoy wished to rename “The Clearing” after their respective hometowns. The controversy was settled with a coin toss which Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses, thereby providing Portland with its namesake. The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society.