Is There a Portland in Every State? No—Only a Few

Portland: A Name, Not a Universal

No, there is not a Portland in every U.S. state. The name exists in ~20–25 states (counting towns, townships, unincorporated places), but most states have no Portland.

The Two Famous Portlands

1. Portland, Oregon (pop. 635K, metro 2.5M) – Largest, "Rose City," "PDX."
2. Portland, Maine (pop. 68K, metro 550K) – Original (1786), "Forest City," working waterfront.

Other Notable Portlands

• Portland, Texas (Coastal Bend, ~20K).
• Portland, Indiana (Jay Co., ~6K).
• Portland, Tennessee (Sumner Co., ~13K).
• Portland, Connecticut (Middlesex Co., ~9K).
• Portland, Michigan (Ionia Co., ~4K).
• Portland, North Dakota (Traill Co., ~500).
• Portland, Arkansas (Ashley Co., ~300).

States WITHOUT a Portland (Examples)

• California, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, etc. (Most large/populous states lack one).

Why the Name?

• Isle of Portland, Dorset, UK → namesake for Maine (1630s settlers) → Oregon (1845, coin toss vs. Boston).
• Means "land surrounding a harbor" – fitting for coastal Maines/Oregons, ironic for inland ones.

Fun Fact

There's also a Portland, New Zealand (South Island), Portland, NSW Australia (cement town), and Portland, Jamaica (parish).