Almost Bostlandia

Probably every schoolchild in Oregon knows this story, but for the rest of us ... Portland, it seems, has a coin to thank for its name, because it was almost the second Boston. Portland, Maine, for which is was named, on the other hand, was known as Machigonne, then as Falmouth before it became Portland and the inspiration for the other Portland. from wisegeek.com:

Portland, Oregon's name was determined by a coin flip.
   Portland is the largest city in Oregon, with a population of about 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.
   Finally, a coin toss decided whether Oregon's largest city would be named Portland or Boston. Lovejoy and Pettygrove tossed a coin three times and Pettygrove won two times out of three. The Oregon Historical Society Museum displays the coin believed to have been used.


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 he became famous, Clark Gable worked at Meier & Frank, a famous store in Portland. Meier & Frank was founded in 1857, and Macy's purchased Meier & Frank in 2006.