Portland

Wikipedia: Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon is the largest and most populous city in Oregon, and the main setting within Little Beirut. It is a major hub, shipping port, and economic center for the Pacific Northwest. The city is known for its counter culture, music, craft beer, roses, and progressive political views and policy.

A popular location for filming, Portland has been the shooting location for cinema and television. In the context of Little Beirut, Portland is becoming a new location for live and syndicated national television, following a pilot program headed by Walter Jung. His show, Friday Night with Walter Jung is the first in the program to permanently set up location within the city, following Walter's refusal to move to LA.

Differences and inconsistencies
Walter's home in the West Hills is described in a way that does not quite fit in with the area. The house itself sits back from the road, and is described as having a pool, neither of which are common in the area, owing to the terrain. No such home matching the description of Walter's house exists in the neighbourhood he is said to live in. The neighbourhood itself is a blend of several areas, incorporating aspects that best fit the series' original drafts, when it was set in a fictional version of Los Angeles.

At the beginning of Volume 1, Walter works in the KARP building, in place of the KATU building on Sandy Blvd. In early drafts released on Patreon, the building remained the KATU building, but was changed in the final drafts.

Many of the locations visited are approximated, avoiding calling out any specific company or brand within the city.

Represented Areas
The series spans much of the metro area, including areas within Washington State, and beyond. With a total population of 2,753,168, Portland Metro is the 25th largest metropolitan area in the country.

The following areas have been mentioned or represented in the series:


 * West Hills
 * Slabtown
 * Kerns
 * Mt Tabor
 * North Tabor
 * Montavilla
 * Columbia Gorge (mentioned)
 * Highway 26 (mentioned)

Little Beirut
The name Little Beirut comes from one of the many nicknames for the area. During a visit from President George HW Bush, protests erupted across the city. Staffers later referred to the area as Little Beirut, in comparison to bombings of Beirut during the Lebanon War. What was intended to be taken as pejorative was embraced by residents, as the monicker encapsulated the area’s willingness to throw down against the government.

Though not as popular as other nicknames for the area, such as Stumptown or Bridgetown, Little Beirut is still used by businesses across the area as a symbol of Portland pride.

When the series’ location was moved to Portland, the decision was made to carry on tradition of naming the series after the city, in the same vein as Portlandia and Stumptown. Little Beirut was ultimately chosen because it emboided Walter’s “fuck you” energy.