Portland, Oregon is the largest city in the state and the 26th most populous city in the United States. It is known for its diverse culture, thriving arts scene, and scenic beauty, with easy access to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains. Portland is also known for its progressive and environmentally conscious culture, with many bike lanes, an extensive public transportation system, and a focus on sustainability. The city is home to many parks, gardens, and green spaces, including the renowned International Rose Test Garden and the Japanese Garden.
Portland is also known for its food scene, with a wide variety of cuisines and a strong emphasis on locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients. The city is home to many food carts, farmers' markets, and microbreweries, and is often referred to as "Beervana" for its large number of craft breweries. Portland is also home to a thriving music scene, with many venues and festivals showcasing both local and national acts.
Portland is also home to many historic sites, including the historic Chinatown and the Pittock Mansion, a French Renaissance-style chateau that offers a glimpse into the city's history and the life of its early settlers. The city also has a strong literary tradition, with many independent bookstores and a thriving community of writers and poets. Portland is known for its relaxed and laid-back atmosphere, making it a popular destination for travelers looking for a unique and authentic experience.
103 Portland Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Matt Groening grew up in Portland and named the Simpson’s God-fearing neighborino Ned after a street in the Northeast part of the city. What’s Ned’s last name?
Answer: Flanders
- According to its creator Matt Groening, what character on “The Simpsons” is named after Burnside Street and Montgomery Street in Portland, Oregon?
Answer: Mr. Burns
- 800 NW Sixth Avenue is the address of what building that serves as an intermediate stop on the Cascades and Coast Starlight routes?
Answer: Union Station
- A Southern style restaurant on Portland’s E Burnside St is ______ Door Eastside. Fill in the one word “S” blank, a partition often used for shelter or privacy.
Answer: Screen
- Prior to renaming the arena the Moda Center as part of a sponsorship deal, the home of the Portland Trail Blazers was known by what name?
Answer: Rose Garden Arena
- Awarded a medallion in 1999 from the American Society of Landscape Architects, what is the name of the city park in downtown Portland that was previously known as Forecourt Fountain or Auditorium Forecourt and is known primarily for its concrete water fountain? The park is named after the head of the Portland Development Commission from 1958-72.
Answer: Keller Fountain Park
- Canyon Rd in Portland is home to what public urban park that includes a zoo, a forestry museum, and a children’s museum, among other activities? With its name, you might think it is located in a state directly to the north.
Answer: Washington Park
- Portland singer-songwriter M. Ward makes up the "Him" part of the band She & Him, while the "She" is what oh-so-kooky "New Girl" star?
Answer: Zooey Deschanel
- The two men who settled in Portland both wanted to name it after their hometowns. Unable to reach a compromise, they flipped a coin to decide who would get the honor. Francis Pettygrove won the toss and named the city after his Portland. Which state was Pettygrove from?
Answer: Maine
- What feature of Portland International Airport is so popular that Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard released a sneaker featuring its iconic design in 2015?
Answer: Carpet
- There's an expression in English often referring to hangovers that originally comes from a Scottish belief that placing a few follicles from a canine on a rabid bite can be a treatment. What is this expression which shares its name with a brewery in Portland?
Answer: Hair of the Dog
- The main ballroom of what Portland building famously features a "floating" dance floor that absorbs shocks from physical activity and was long-considered the only one of these floorings remaining on the West Coast?
Answer: Crystal Ballroom
- In the prehistoric area, the land that would later become Portland was flooded after glacial dams collapsed in what gigantic lake that is now the name of what second-largest Montanan city?
Answer: Lake Missoula
- 6th Avenue in Portland is home a 40,000 square foot public space, sometimes called Portland’s Living Room, known as Pioneer ______ Square. Fill in the one-word blank, a place that people usually go when they need to resolve legal matters.
Answer: Courthouse
- It's the name of a volcanic cinder cone, a city park, and a neighborhood in Southeast Portland. The name references a mountain in Israel. What is this two-word name?
Answer: Mount Tabor
- An outreach program started by Megan Diana McGeorge (who must have been in the mood for a melody) rescues what type of musical instrument and places them on the streets of Portland for anyone to play. Eventually, those instruments make their way to schools or community centers.
Answer: Piano
- Built in 1914 for a publisher and his wife, what “P” mansion is a Renaissance style chateau in Portland’s West Hills?
Answer: Pittock Mansion
- The Portland Trail Blazers were almost the "Pioneers," but that got nixed since it was already a team name of what apty named nearby liberal arts school?
Answer: Lewis & Clark College
- The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother, an outdoor Catholic shrine in Madison South, Portland is popularly known by what “G” name? Its’ one word is used to refer to a cave used by humans.
Answer: The Grotto
- The Crystal Springs Garden, located between Reed College and Eastmoreland Golf Course in Portland has a collection of what “R” flowers, colorful members of the family Ericaceae?
Answer: Rhododendron
- What “T” Creek and State Natural Area exists entirely in Portland and is the only Oregon state park in a metropolitan area?
Answer: Tryon Creek State Natural Area
- Cornell Road is where you’ll find Portland’s branch of what “A” wildlife conservancy organization, often associated with its namesake’s drawings of birds?
Answer: Portland Audubon
- Paul Allen, an American billionaire who passed away in 2018, was the owner of the Portland Trailblazers (NBA), Seattle Seahawks (NFL), and a part owner of the Seattle Sounders (MLS). Before entering the world of sports ownership, Allen was best known for co-founding what company?
Answer: Microsoft
- In sculptor Keith Jellum's "Transcendence," a Portland building appears to be penetrated by a bronze version of what kind of fish that comes in Coho and Chinook varieties?
Answer: Salmon
- Beatrice Morrow Cannady was a civil rights advocate born in 1889 and became a longtime editor of "The Advocate" which was the largest African American newspaper in Portland, Oregon. She was also the first Black female to practice law in Oregon, and was a founding member of the city's chapter of what 1909-founded organization?
Answer: NAACP
- Portland native Esperanza Spalding is a jazz virtuoso of the upright and electric versions of what stringed instrument also played by Flea and Stanley Clarke?
Answer: Bass
- True story: Anastasia, Averey, Jessica, Johnny, Joi, Jordan, Marlon, and Nia were the cast for the Portland-based 28th season of what MTV series?
Answer: The Real World
- Portland athlete Ashton Eaton was the second person to break the 9,000-point barrier in what Olympic sport that includes shot put, pole vault, a 100-meter race, and, like, several other things?
Answer: Decathlon
- The city of Portland was named based upon the result of what activity of chance often used to resolve disputes?
Answer: Coin Toss
- What arboretum in Portland is a public park that is part of the Washington Park system, located atop a ridge in the Tualatin Mountains?
Answer: Hoyt Arboretum
- After his first book "Invisible Monsters" was rejected, University of Oregon alum Chuck Palahniuk worked as a diesel mechanic while finishing up what 1996 novel narrated by an unnamed insomniac with a new soap-making, pugilist best buddy?
Answer: Fight Club
- In 1887, Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to make it an official public holiday. Seven years later, there were 29 additional states with official celebrations. What is it?
Answer: Labor Day
- Likenesses of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins splash in puddles in a Portland sculpture garden dedicated to what beloved children's lit author?
Answer: Beverly Cleary
- Cobie Smulders played private eye Dex Parios in a Portland-set crime drama that shares what name with a prominent Rose City coffee roaster?
Answer: Stumptown
- Unsurprisingly, when the first Nike retail store opened in 1990, it was in the nearby city of Portland. This store was located at the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue and what fishy street name?
Answer: Salmon Street
- Bear with us, we know this is a bit of a wild question. But we suspect it is fun. Portland, Oregon has a city population of around 650,000 making it the most populous city in Oregon. If Portland, Maine was in Oregon, it would be the 9th most populous city, with around 66,000 residents. Name either the 8th or 9th most populous city in Oregon today (i.e. the ones that Portland, Maine would be neighboring on the rankings if it moved across the country.)
Answer: Medford or Springfield
- Located 75 miles northwest of Portland, what Oregon city is the setting for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring 1990 film "Kindergarten Cop"?
Answer: Astoria
- What Portland building was deemed a "symbol of condo craze" when it opened in the mid 2000s with 31 elliptical-shaped floors and 303 total units?
Answer: John Ross Tower
- We'll give you a margin of three years on either side of the correct answer, but in what year did the Portland Streetcar System begin operations?
Answer: 2001 (1998 - 2004 accepted)
- There's an Erik Satie-themed bathroom in a Portland coffeehouse punnily named for what Russian composer of "Scherezade?"
Answer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
- What is the generic-sounding name for the grass-lawn area that slopes down the southern end of the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland and serves as an informal amphitheater for concerts?
Answer: The Bowl
- Opened in 1922, what is the name of Portland's oldest Chinese restaurant that is still serving patrons today?
Answer: Republic Cafe
- Who was the mid-20th century crime boss that operated out of Portland and had audio recordings that led to the indictment of a Portland mayor?
Answer: Jim Elkins
- In what decade did the city of Portland's population cross the half-million mark for the first time?
Answer: 1990s
- Serving in the state assembly for more than 20 years, who was the first Black woman elected to Oregon's state legislature? Earlier in her career, she had worked at Portland Community College as a counselor.
Answer: Margaret Carter
- What is the name of Portland, Oregon's Major League Soccer team, whose mascot is a grizzled lumberjack named Jim?
Answer: Portland Timbers
- Portland sits on what largest river in the Pacific Northwest of North America? It rises in the Rocky Mountains of BC, Canada, and it shares its name with the third largest major film studio in the world.
Answer: Columbia River
- With a population of less than 1,000 residents, what is the name of the small Portland neighborhood made up of detached houses, rowhouses, apartment complexes, and houseboats in the north and northeast sections of Portland? The neighborhood shares its name with a nearby slough.
Answer: Bridgeton
- A major tributary of the Columbia River, what “W” River lies 187 miles across northwestern Oregon? This major landmark of the Portland area got its name from a village of the Clackamas Native Americans.
Answer: Willamette River
- The Oregon Museum of Science and ______, located on Water Avenue in Portland offers a planetarium and many hands-on science exhibits. Fill in the “I” blank, often used to describe a branch of an economy that produces similar goods or services.
Answer: Industry
- What small amusement park, located south of downtown Portland, shares its name with the plural of an acorn bearing tree?
Answer: Oaks Amusement Park
- The opposite of minuscule Mill Ends Park, what not-so-creatively named park is Portland's largest?
Answer: Forest Park
- Portland, Oregon holds a strange record likely to go without contest. In 2000, researchers in the city earned the title for creating what first-of-its-kind bioluminescent animal? Although they inserted jellyfish glow genes into a whole barrel of them, only one came out with the unique ability.
Answer: Monkey
- A chain of new and used bookstores in Portland that claims to be the largest such chain in the world is “______’s City Of Books”. Fill in the one-word blank, also the last name of the actor who starred in “The Thin Man” and “My Man Godfrey.”
Answer: Powell
- Appearing on bumper stickers, signs, and buildings throughout the city, an unofficial slogan of Portland, Oregon is "Keep Portland _____." What adjective goes in the blank?
Answer: Weird
- A park on SW Naito Pkwy in Portland, downtown along the Willamette River, named for a former Oregon governor, is ______ McCall Waterfront Park. Fill in the one-word blank, also the first name of the actor who played “Forrest Gump.”
Answer: Tom McCall Waterfront Park
- A steel suspension bridge on Bridge Ave in Portland connects Cathedral Park to Linnton, and is named after what Biblical saint? The saint is believed to be the youngest of the Apostles and was the brother of St. James.
Answer: St. Johns Bridge
- The Old Portland Underground, a series of passages underneath Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, is known to Portland, OR locals as tunnels named after what “S” Chinese city?
Answer: Shanghai Tunnels
- The Portland Aerial Tram provides service for the district known as South ______, connecting it to Oregon Health & Science University. Fill in the one word “W” blank, also a word from a 1954 Marlon Brando movie directed by Elia Kazan.
Answer: South Waterfront
- Located near the Oregon Zoo in Portland’s Washington Park, the World ______ Center is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to what science of planting land dominated by trees?
Answer: Forestry
- What “P” Butte in Portland is an extinct cinder cone that is part of the Boring Lava Field? Its name is the same as the last name of the secretary of state who served under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005.
Answer: Powell Butte
- A two-story structure in Portland’s Macleay Park, also known as the Stone House, is referred to as ______’s Castle. Fill in the one-word blank, a woman thought to have magic powers, often with a black hat and broomstick.
Answer: Witch's Castle
- Located at Portland's Pier 307, PT658 is a 78-foot-long historical vessel that was used during World War II by which branch of the U.S. Armed Forces?
Answer: Navy
- Originally constructed to house the operations of the former Oregon Journal, what 12-story terra-cotta building stands on Broadway across from Yamhill Street? Hint: We're looking for TWO words here.
Answer: Jackson Tower
- What "Hole" frontwoman met her husband, Kurt Cobain, at the Satyricon nightclub in Portland, OR?
Answer: Courtney Love
- Although many respond to the unofficial motto "Keep Portland Weird", the actual city motto as of 1995 is "the city that" does what?
Answer: Works
- Portland can only expand to a certain size because of Oregon's UGB laws. That stands for Urban Growth WHAT?
Answer: Boundary
- A city park that sits along the Willamette River in Portland, OR, that's known to attract a variety of birds is the Oaks ______ Wildlife Refuge. Fill in the one-word blank, which is theopposite of “top.”
Answer: Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
- The Blue Sky Gallery, located on 8th Avenue in Portland, Oregon, is an art gallery specifically dedicated to presenting what visual medium?
Answer: Photography
- A museum of rocks and minerals, in the Portland metro area in Hillsboro, Oregon, is the ______ Northwest Museum. Fill in the one word “R” blank, also a swamp grass widely cultivated as food source, especially in Asian cuisine.
Answer: Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
- A historical museum near Portland in Vancouver, WA is the ______ County Historical Museum. Fill in the one word “C” blank, the last name of the explorer who traversed the Louisiana Purchase with Lewis, and the first name of Superman’s secret identity.
Answer: Clark County Historical Museum
- A public greenspace in the Piedmont neighborhood of Portland, Oregon is ______ Park. Fill in the one word “P” blank, also a word for a piece of land almost surrounded by water that projects out into a body of water.
Answer: Peninsula Park
- A bar with vintage video games and pinball machines located on 5th Avenue in Portland, OR, is ______ Kontrol Classic Arcade and Bar. Fill in the one word “G” blank, which completes the two-word NASA operation from the Earth side.
Answer: Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade and Bar
- A five-mile trail, located near Portland in Vancouver, Washington, is the Waterfront ______ Trail. Fill in the one word “R” blank, also the name of a period of increased modernity in 15th and 16th century Italy?
Answer: Waterfront Renaissance Trail
- Don’t want a three-tiered cake to celebrate your nuptials? No problem! Which baked good can you get at the “Voodoo” wedding chapel on 3rd Avenue?
Answer: Doughnuts
- Portland's two founders tossed a coin to decide whose home city to name the fledgling site after. Francis Pettygrove of Portland, Maine won the toss, but which New England capital would have been used as the name if Asa Lovejoy had won?
Answer: Boston
- What’s the name of the Northwest League baseball team that plays at Ron Tonkin Field and has barley (in honor of beer brewing) as a mascot?
Answer: Hillsboro Hops
- Portland’s been home to a Western Hockey League team since 1970. Managed and coached by Mike Johnston and playing at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum or Moda Center, what’s the team’s name?
Answer: Winterhawks
- Thanks to a Mediterranean climate that makes it easy to grow them, Portland is known as “The City Of” which type of lovey-dovey perennial flower?
Answer: Roses
- His last name might make you think he’s from the other coast, but which American NFL player-turned-coach got his start playing football at Lincoln High School when he was just a youngin’?
Answer: Ron East
- Which part of the city, also called the Fifth Quadrant, is home to the Cathedral Park neighborhood and the Portland International Raceway?
Answer: North Portland
- In which northeast Portland neighborhood will you find a cafe named after a character in the “The Princess Bride” and Fernhill Park? (Hint: Its name starts with A and comes from the Spanish term for "a street lined with trees")
Answer: Alameda
- Portland's Tilikum Crossing Bridge, which opened in 2015, gets its name from the word "people" in what indigenous language? This language's namesake people also give their name to a species of salmon.
Answer: Chinook
- Where in Portland can you visit the International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden?
Answer: Washington Park
- Portland's historic Bagdad Theatre was the site of the gala premiere of what Best Picture winner, itself set in the state of Oregon, in 1975?
Answer: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- The name of what Portland-based team in the National Women's Soccer League pays homage to its "City of Roses" nickname?
Answer: Portland Thorns FC
- The Strolling Pond Garden, the Flat Garden, and the Sand and Stone Garden are three of the eight official garden spaces in what Portland landmark that has been operating since 1967?
Answer: Portland Japanese Garden
- Portland native Linus Pauling is renowned for being one of two people (the other being Marie Curie) to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields. Pauling's first was a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with chemical bonds; his second Nobel was in what field?
Answer: Peace
- Portland-born double Olympic champion Ryan Crouser is the only man in the last 30 years to record a score over 23 meters in what sport?
Answer: Shot put
- What famous donut shop in Portland, Oregon once served NyQuil- and Pepto Bismol-coated doughnuts before the FDA shut down the medicinal pastry operation?
Answer: Voodoo Doughnuts
- Although Portland (and Oregon more broadly) is often associated with Nike, in fact, Adidas also has its North American headquarters located in Portland. In which neighborhood will you find its HQ?
Answer: Overlook
- Bearing the names of two 19th-century businessmen (one of whom also gave his name to the most populous city in a different state), which building in Portland is the tallest in Oregon?
Answer: Wells Fargo Center
- W+K, headquartered in Portland, is one of the world's largest independent ad agencies. Its location makes sense, as the company's flagship client has been Nike, including the first "Just Do It." campaign from the 1980s. What does either the W or the K in the name stand for?
Answer: Wieden & Kennedy
- Portland is well-known for its many bridges. The oldest bridge over the Willamette River is the St. Johns Railway Bridge which has carried trains since 1908. What is the next-oldest bridge over the Willamette? This Parker truss with a vertical-lift span is on the National Register of Historic Places and is listed as a city historic landmark.
Answer: Hawthorne Bridge
- What is the name of the overnight, long-distance relay held annually in Oregon in August that is considered the largest running and walking relay in the world? The course runs approximately 200 miles and welcomes more than10,000 participants who start and end at important geographical landmarks.
Answer: Hood to Coast Relay
- What Portland-born cartoonist is known for illustrating his own weekly comic strip series, “Life in Hell,” from 1977 to 2012 and regularly created animated shorts for the “The Tracey Ullman Show?"
Answer: Matt Groening
- First coined by staff of President George H.W. Bush, one of Portland's many nicknames is "Little ______." What world capital fills in the blank?
Answer: Beirut
- The Trail Blazers had the longest streak of consecutive sold-out home games within the "Big 4" American sports leagues until what East Coast MLB team surpassed them in 2013?
Answer: Boston Red Sox
- What is the name of the city park in Portland that is also the northernmost point in the city? The park forms the tip of a peninsula where the Willamette and Columbia rivers intersect and is named after a New Englander who promoted interest in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest during the 1800s.
Answer: Kelley Point Park
- What Portland neighborhood has approximately 3,000 residents and shares a name with a U.S. state capital? Interstate 5 and N Skidmore St. both serve as boundaries for the neighborhood.
Answer: Boise
- What is the name of the 24-inch ring of plants in Portland, the location of a former unused lamppost deemed the world's smallest city park in 1971?
Answer: Mill Ends Park
- How many total episodes of Portlandia aired over the show's eight seasons? We'll accept responses within 5 of the correct answer.
Answer: 77 (72 - 82 accepted)
- Who is the Portland-raised actress and producer that is arguably most well-known for her seven-season run on Mad Men but has also had various feature films including as Gabby Gabby in Toy Story 4?
Answer: Christina Hendricks
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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