How 5 of the Most Famous U.S. Cities Got Their Confusing Nicknames

3) Stumptown

Oregon didn’t become a state until 1859, but by that point the logging industry had already become a huge source of revenue for the workers and companies that had set up shop in what was to become known as the Beaver State. In a race to populate the area, fledgling communities in Oregon strived to become real cities in what was a competition of sorts.

A critic of Portland in its early days claimed there were more stumps than trees in Portland and the city of stumps soon became affectionately known as Stumptown by the locals – a vast improvement upon its previous moniker of the The Clearing.

Click “Next Page” to see the next city!