“Keep Portland Weird”

“Keep Portland Weird” is a popular bumper sticker and an unofficial slogan of the city of Portland. The idea was borrowed from “Keep Austin Weird,” an Austin, Texas, initiative in the early 2000s to promote that city’s local businesses and “weirdness” (as opposed to generic blandness).
 
A “Keep Portland Weird” trademark was filed on January 13, 2003.
 
     
Wikipedia: Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the U.S. state of Oregon, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States. Portland is Oregon’s most populous city, and the third most populous city in the Pacific Northwest region, after Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Approximately 2,260,000 people live in the Portland metropolitan area (MSA), the 23rd most populous in the United States.
 
Wikipedia: Keep Portland Weird
“Keep Portland Weird” is a slogan that appears on bumper stickers in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is based on the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan, and is intended to promote local businesses. The slogan has inspired articles that attempt to quantify whether or not Portland is “weird”, or unusual. Aspects of the city and its residents singled out as weird include leisure activities and the local government.
 
Slogan
More than 18,000 bumper stickers with the slogan are said to exist, according to accounts from local media. It was created with the intention of supporting local businesses in Portland, Oregon. Businesses that participate in the Keep Portland Weird organization include Cinema 21 and Music Millennium. The slogan is similar to and is predated by the Keep Austin Weird slogan and organization used in Austin, Texas. The slogan has been called the unofficial motto of Portland, as well as the informal mantra of the city’s residents.
   
Keep Portland weird!
What does the word weird mean?
Webster states “of strange or extraordinary character”.
Weird in this case means unique.
Keep Portland Weird is about supporting local business in the Portland Oregon area. We want to support local business because they make Portland stand out from other cites and make it a more unique place to live. They do this by providing consumers a wide range of products that represent the different cultures that make up Portland. Local business also have pride in our city and are driven to make Portland a better place to live and enjoy.
   
Google Groups: alt.support.menopause
Frankenmel
Feb 5 2004
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Weird is good!
Have you seen those bumper stickers that say stuff like Keep Portland Weird? Or Keep Santa Cruz Weird?
   
Google Groups: rec.music.phish
Nigel Tufnel 
Mar 20 2004
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yeah..they have ‘Keep Portland Weird’ bumper stickers up this way..good stuff
     
Soocer City USA Message Board
Hermes
Re: Need Female
Reply #4 - Apr 7th, 2004 at 9:53am
(...)
That’s an awesome bumper sticker, I’m sure you could sell 3 or 4 of them as part of the “Keep Portland Weird” campaign!
 
The Jame Carney diary 2004
Alpenrose Challenge - NE, Alpenrose Dairy, Portland, OR, USA, July 16-18, 2004
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Portland also has an unbelievable amount of coffee shops. This is a very good thing, because if you can recall, my diet is a very strict candy, coffee and cake only diet. One more thing to admire in the Portlandnese environment is the “Keep Portland Weird” bumper stickers. Portland is full of crazy artsy sculptures and monuments. Virtually every block has a random piece of chaos to ponder at. Portland rules, but I hate the rain.
   
Portland (OR) Mercury
August 15, 2005
Racing with The Devil
The 2005 Portland Adult Soapbox Derby Burns Rubber!
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For as the bumper stickers say, they are helping keep Portland weird.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
More than mayor or manager : campaigns to change form of government in America’s large cities
Author: James H Svara; Douglas J Watson
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : Georgetown University Press, ©2010.
Edition/Format:  Book : English
Contents:
(...)
15. Portland : “Keep Portland weird,” retaining the commission form of government / Doug Morgan, Masami Nishishiba, and Dan Vizzini—
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: T-SHIRTS
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 78202703
Filing Date January 13, 2003
Current Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Music Millennium CORPORATION OREGON 3158 E. Burnside St Portland OREGON 97214
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date July 27, 2004
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD!
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: T-SHIRTS
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 26.11.21 - Rectangles that are completely or partially shaded
Serial Number 78681075
Filing Date July 28, 2005
Current Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Millennium Enterprises, Inc. CORPORATION OREGON 3158 E Burnside Portland OREGON 97214
Description of Mark The color(s) YELLOW, BLACK is/are claimed as a feature of the mark. The mark consists of the words KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD! in yellow letters over a black background”.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date March 15, 2007