5 Towns Near Portland With The Strangest Names You’ll Ever See

A name says so much. It gives the first impression of a town, and in these cases, may leave you feeling like laughing, perplexed, or otherwise confused. These are the strangest named cities, towns, an unincorporated communities around the Portland area, and they are all waiting for you to explore.

1. Zigzag

Zigzag is a small town located between Rhododendron and Welches that any Mt. Hood lover will know well, as US 26 passes through it on the way to the mountain. Named after the Zig Zag River, early pioneer Joel Palmer described the area as having to zig zag back and forth to descend the Zigzag Canyon

2. Boring

This name always gets added to crazy name lists in Oregon and beyond. Named after William Harrison Boring, a Union soldier and early settler to the area in 1856, the unincorporated community takes its name in stride. In 2012, the community even became paired with Dull, Scotland and Bland Shire in West Wyalong, New South Wales, Australia to form a "league of extraordinary cities" to promote tourism to the otherwise Boring, Dull, and Bland cities.

3. Orient

Located in Multnomah County, Orient is an unincorporated community located around SE Orient Drive near Gresham. Once home to the Orient Mill, a steam-driven sawmill, the community took the same name. Sawmill owner, Andrew McKinnon, was married to the first Japanese citizen to settle in Oregon, Miyo Iwakoshi.

4. Bull Run

If you are not familiar with the topography and history of the area, you may be wondering where the bulls are when you hear this name. Lore does indicate that the name comes from wild cattle being along the river during the pioneer era, thereby the name Bull Run being bestowed on the river. The community of Bull Run and the river of the same name are located about 5 miles from Sandy, OR.

5. Wankers Corner

This unincorporated area in Clackamas County is small and not considered a city, but still ranks high on an unusual names list. City or not, if you pass through, you might want to get a picture in front of Wankers Country Store.

What did we miss? Do you have any other strange names to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.