10 Words And Phrases You’ll Only Understand If You’re From Oregon

Oregon is unique in countless ways, so it's perfectly sensible that we'd have a number of unusual (and re-defined) terms uniquely tailored to our home state. From Elephant Ears to the Timbers Army, here are 10 words and phrases you're unlikely to come across in other states:

10. Marionberries

When I first realized that most people outside of Oregon don't know what marionberries are, I was flabbergasted. This unique, sweet and slightly tangy berry is a hybrid that was developed right here in Oregon. To this day we grow almost all of the marionberries in the world. I'm just going to put this out there: if you've never tried a slice of Oregon marionberry pie, you're missing out.

9. Civil War

Not the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s— I'm talking about the annual showdown between Oregon's two biggest college football teams: the Beavers and the Ducks.

8. Timbers Army

We're pretty crazy about soccer, too. In fact, Portland's incredible soccer team, The Timbers, have a fanbase so devoted they're often referred to as the "Timbers Army".

7. The Coast

When we're going to the ocean, we don't call it "the beach" like most states; the Oregon Coast is "The Coast" through and through. (And you won't catch many of us sunbathing in our swimsuits, either.)

6. Filberts

Oregon has a deep connection to filberts (AKA hazelnuts), given that we grow 99% of the filberts in the country.

5. Hood

More formally known as Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain is lovingly referred to in many ways. "Hood" is the most common, as in: "are you skiing Hood today?"

4. Microbrew

Here in Oregon, we have an incredible amount of amazing small-batch beer to choose from—and man do we love our microbreweries.

3. Elephant Ears

Mmmmm.... This delicious country fair staple goes by many names in different states: fried bread, doughboys, fry dough... but for us, they will always be Elephant Ears.

2. MAX

Those who haven't spent much time in Portland may not be familiar with the term, but the Portland Metro Area's popular light rail train is called MAX.

1. Wine Country

Chances are, when an Oregonian mentions Wine Country, they're probably not talking about Napa Valley—often, they're referring to Oregon's very own Willamette Valley, which is home to more than 500 wineries.

Read about the "Ten things all Oregonians know to be true" here.