“California Grunge Flag”byNicolas Raymondis licensed underCC BY 2.0
What it means everywhere else: People from the Golden State.
What it means in Oregon: The bane of your existence.
“Canada Flag”byBarney Mossis licensed underCC BY 2.0
What it means everywhere else: In the United States… usually it has something to do with a stereotypical joke about niceness.
What it means in Oregon: True neighbors to the North. You’d take them over Californians any day.
“13th November 2012 - Important NYC souvenir, Bobblehead Ron Swanson”byvagueonthehowis licensed underCC BY 2.0
What it means everywhere else: A fictional character on the television comedy “Parks & Recreation.”
What it means in Oregon: At least five people that you actually know in real life.
What it means everywhere else: Something that you carry over your head and that protects you from the rain.
What it means in Oregon: A giant flashing “Wimpy McWimperson” sign over your head.
What it means everywhere else: Something that is in or comes from very nearby.
What it means in Oregon: Literally everything you’ve eaten in the last six years.
What it means everywhere else: A super popular coffee chain that serves sugary almost-coffee drinks.
What it means in Oregon: You would rather pour a burning hot (but amazingly delicious) Dutch Bros. coffee over your head than drink Starbucks.
What it means everywhere else: A delicious food derived from the curds of milk that comes in many varieties.
What it means in Oregon: Did you mean Tillamook?
What it means everywhere else: Someone that’s dishonest or unreliable.
What it means in Oregon: One of the tastiest beers in the state (and there are many), brewed in Ashland, Oregon.
What it means everywhere else: The extra tax that’s added to the sticker price of anything you buy.
What it means in Oregon: That thing you will always and forever brag about not having to pay.
What it means everywhere else: A sketch comedy show about Portland’s weird subcultures.
What it means in Oregon: If you’re from Portland, you love-hate watch it. If you’re from anywhere else in the state, it’s totally spot-on.
What it means everywhere else: A very traditional, less progressive political stance.
What it means in Oregon: Basically the equivalent of moderate everywhere else.
What it means everywhere else: A breakfast food that consists of rolled oats, fruit, and nuts.
What it means in Oregon: A totally laid back, liberal lifestyle that probably involves eating a lot of granola, or even making your own.
What it means everywhere else: People on bikes who usually get run off the road by people in SUVs.
What it means in Oregon: Kings and queens of the road! Who’s streets? Bikers’ streets!
What it means everywhere else: The place you go to fill up your car’s gas tank.
What it means in Oregon: That place you go to sit in your car while someone else fills up your tank for you. Also, the most confusing place in the world when you’re on out of state vacations.
What it means everywhere else: When you kind of sort of make an effort to put your glass bottles in a different bin but usually forget.
What it means in Oregon: A militant dedication to recycling every possible material, and if it can’t be recycled you reuse it somehow.
What it means everywhere else: That gross cake your great aunt still gives you every Christmas and sits in your freezer until it’s so solid and heavy that you can’t make it budge.
What it means in Oregon: Actually your all time favorite dessert.
What it means everywhere else: What you yell when a tree is falling down
What it means in Oregon: The best soccer team ever, the Portland Timbers.
What it means everywhere else: Helpful, pleasant, kind, and willing to wave hello when they run into you as you’re getting your mail.
What it means in Oregon: So amazing and super nice… like, maybe a little too super nice. As in: you will never get your mail. You’ll just talk to your neighbor for forty-five minutes and forget what you came outside for.
What it means everywhere else: The place you go to lay out in your swimsuit or catch a few waves.
What it means in Oregon: The place you walk along in a sweatshirt and jeans because it would be freezing otherwise.
What it means everywhere else: The least intimidating bird in the world since the extinction of the Dodo.
What it means in Oregon: The only football team anyone in Oregon will ever root for.
What it means everywhere else: Usually a smaller, less expensive option if you can’t afford the lobster.
What it means in Oregon: Dungeness crabs that are the size of your head and are the most fresh, delicious seafood ever.
What it means everywhere else: Marijuana… or those pesky plants in your garden.
What it means in Oregon: The only reason you ever used to go to Washington state… and now you can’t think of a single good reason.
What it means everywhere else: The town in colonial Massachusetts, home of the Salem Witch Trials..
What it means in Oregon: Oregon’s capital city… where very little ever happens. What other words means something different in Oregon? Tell us in the comments below!
