Essential English phrases

The river that splits the city east from west. It is not 'WILL-uh-met' and locals will correct you — the standard mnemonic is 'Willamette, dammit'.

Every Portland address carries a directional prefix — N, NE, NW, SE, SW and S. Burnside splits north from south, the river splits east from west. NE 12th and SE 12th are two miles apart.

A gap in the cloud during the eight grey months, used unironically in weather forecasts. People genuinely reorganise an afternoon around one.

The Columbia River Gorge, thirty minutes east — waterfalls, wind, and the single most-used escape valve in the city.

Oregon's constitutional surplus refund — when revenue beats forecast by 2%, the excess comes back as a credit on your next state return. You have to file to get it.

A flat $35 owed each year by most Portland adults with income, entirely separate from every other return. Nobody tells newcomers and the city sends collection letters.

A cluster of food carts on a surface lot or purpose-built court. Portland's carts are permanent businesses with power and plumbing, not trucks that drive away.

Expensive. A Pacific Northwest regionalism you will hear within a week and start using within a month.

The light rail network, five colour-coded lines run by TriMet. The Red Line reaches the airport in about 38 minutes for the price of an ordinary fare.

Three nicknames in rotation — from the stumps left by nineteenth-century logging, the twelve bridges, and a 1971 basketball commentator's improvisation.

911 for emergencies; 311 for Portland city services — potholes, garbage, code complaints, parking permits.