Drum roll please!
The day that will determine Portland's fate the rest of the century has arrived. It's time to give Portland a new city slogan.
We've gone through this process for four other Oregon cities, helping find them slogans that make them stand out from the crowd they run with (see more below, way below):
For Bend, that is Aspen, a pretender for Colorado outdoor recreation supremacy. That sound you hear is Aspen cowering in the Rockies, knowing Bend is coming its way!
For Eugene, that's Madison, coolest of the university cities. As the Badgers always say, "Bring on the Ducks!" Yeah, basketball sucked this year for UO, but that 2012 Rose Bowl was one to remember.
For Salem, that's Pierre, the kind of capital every state should have. Can you handle that competition, Salem? If South Dakota gives you a black eye, there's always Bismarck to tangle with next door.
And for Corvallis, that's Starkville and Jonesboro, the hipster centers of state university culture. It takes two of them southern towns to mess with Oregon's Heart of the Valley, though.
For Portland, the city needs a nice, catchy slogan to lure travelers to Oregon and away from the other great Portlands of the world.
That would be Portland, Ark.; Portland, Colo.; Portland, Ind.; Portland, N.D.; Portland, Tenn.; Portland, Texas; Portland, Eng.; Portland, N.Z.; Portland, NSW; and Portland, Vic.
I can't believe there isn't a Portland, Bot. What's wrong with them Botswanas, anyway?
So cast your vote and I'll get out of the way. It's all in your hands now.
You readers overwhelmed me with your many creative slogans, though I am surprised not a single reader tried to slip this slogan past me:
Portland: Festivals, arts, rivers, trees!
Here is what happened previously in this city slogan campaign, when we came up with slogans for Bend, Eugene, Salem and Corvallis:
For Bend we came up with
For Eugene it was
For Salem it was
For Corvallis it was
And blame my fellow Oregonian reporter, Katy Muldoon, for getting this ball rolling with her attempt to bestow
.
And here are links
to the set up pieces for Portland:
Portland needs better city slogan than, 'Portland: Our drinking water is pee free;' send suggestions
Portland poised to get new city slogan, poll coming Wednesday, suggestion file still open
-- Terry Richard