These Are The 10 Trashiest Cities In Oregon

Do you know anyone whom you’d refer to as Trashy? Most likely. Either there’s someone at your job, in your neighborhood, or in your family that you’d throw that label on.

Essentially, Trashy is everywhere.

While calling someone Trashy might be a mean-spirited way of ridiculing or poking fun at a particular demographic, it can also serve as a way to express disdain about the way someone lives their life. It isn’t as derogatory as using other racial slurs, and in fact, the term has a bit of humor associated with it, making it the focus of pop culture.

Take for instance Jerry Springer, Honey Boo Boo, Kid Rock, Eminem, Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite and even Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon movies.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, trashy is defined as:

“A term used broadly to define a person or group of persons whom embody the concepts of ignorance, racism, violence, alcoholism, poverty, and anglo-saxon ancestry. Similarly used with the term ‘cracker,’ ‘hillbilly’ or ‘redneck’.”

So, using some data crunching, we should be able to measure where the most Trashy communities in the state of Oregon are actually located.

After pouring over data, watching too many fist fights and perusing illiterate Facebook comments, we’ve determined these are the most Trashy cities in Oregon:

1. Portland (Photos)
2. Medford (Photos)
3. Pendleton (Photos)
4. Gresham (Photos)
5. Mcminnville (Photos)
6. Springfield (Photos)
7. Grants Pass (Photos)
8. Ontario (Photos)
9. Coos Bay (Photos)
10. Klamath Falls (Photos)

Time to take some meth and stay up all night with us as we go through the cities one by one. And before you say we’re some kind of reverse racist, you can also check out the most Ghetto city in Oregon.

And by the way, Oregon Trashy likes to play online sweepstakes games where you can win real money. Click here to see an example where you can sign up and play for free.

For more reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Oregon
• 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Oregon
• 10 Worst Places To Live In Oregon

How we determined the most trashy cities in Oregon?

Using publicly available government data, as well as Google Maps, we were able to collect the data on the following trashy metrics:

• Cities where there are lots of white people
• Cities where residents are poorer than average
• Cities where a high number of residents are high school dropouts
• High drug use
• Higher than average Payday Loan Outlets and bargain stores
• Violent cities (measured in aggravated assaults)
• Cities with a high number of residents on welfare

We used the government Census for most of the data. For drug use and violence, we used FBI data, and for Cash Advance Outlets, we used Google Maps.

Simple, right?
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.
Then, we ranked each place from 1 to 44 for each of the trashy criteria.

Why do certain places in Oregon suffer?

The decay of rural Oregon (socially, economically) is due to a combination of factors:

1. Most specifically, the collapse of local industries (timber, mining, agriculture) over the past fifty years, which has transformed the economy to a service economy and ensures that there will be no strong source of local wealth or economic opportunities for young persons.

2. A massive drug problem, partially because of Factor 1, partially because of disillusioned, economically depressed youth with nothing better to do and no good life prospects.

3. A generations-long influx of retirees, who are politically disconnected from planning for the future of these communities and who vote against local levees to fund social programs, state institutions, and much-needed tax measures – in my lifetime Grants Pass has had to do without a library or, for a time, local police services!

3b. A combination of redneck conservatism and paranoid liberalism (often in the same person) which distrusts government and tends to, on a large scale, vote against statewide or federal services which might increase the standard of living. Minimum wage increases fall under this category; if advances are made in these fields, it’s the economic center of the state, Portland, which will vote them in.

1. Portland

Population: 627,632
Estimated Trashy: 57,439
Assaults: 8th

Well have another trashy IPA, Portland, cause you’re the most trashy place in Oregon. Portland is an interesting place. While the homeless, drug problem wouldn’t necessarily qualify as being trashy (it’s more of a homeless, ‘hippie’ thing), no one can argue that there are a TON of trash residents here.

You’ll see them at the multiple bargain stores, the Super Walmarts and wandering around the streets in their pajamas and wife beaters.

2. Medford

Population: 78,904
Estimated Trashy: 26,204
Welfare population: 17%

This city in Jackson County ranks in the top 10% for several categories, including number of residents on welfare, most amount of high school dropouts, as well as a high number of aggravated assaults.

3. Pendleton

Population: 17,196
Estimated Trashy: 4,674
Assaults: 3rd

Located where the dirt roads meet the concrete at the Umatilla River is Pendleton, Oregon. Here a large number of people live on disability or work at one of the multiple bargain stores in town. Just because you shop at the local dollar stores does not make you ‘country chic,’ Pendleton, it makes you trashy.

A lot of your trash must be getting into fist fights at your local dollar store when it’s 50% off day, because you are 3rd for aggravated assaults.

4. Gresham

Population: 105,517
Estimated Trashy: 23,225
Assaults: 5th

According to online forums, Gresham is known as Oregon’s trailer park. If you’re from this city in Multnomah County, there is a good chance you know someone who did not graduate from high school. And, if you’re a dead-beat dad named Rick who snorts Tylenol (because he can’t afford adderall), and you moved to Madras with your sister’s best friend, you might be from Gresham.

5. McMinnville

Population: 33,203
Estimated Trashy: 7,283
Thefts per capita: 5th

McMinnville, Oregon is situated down in ‘the holler’ just south of Portland. This is one of the ‘most white’ cities on this list; and judging by the numbers, this place is pretty damn trashy. This city in Yamhill County ranks in the top 5 for three separate trashy metrics, including number of aggravated assaults, and for a large percentage of high school dropouts.

6. Springfield

Population: 60,301
Estimated Trashy: 14,999
High school dropouts: 15%

Springfield, Oregon butts up to Eugene just off the 5. Though only two-thirds of the population is white, the number of drug-related crimes and aggravated assaults, combined with the high number of welfare recipients and high school dropouts, makes this trashy central for Lane County.

7. Grants Pass

Population: 34,301
Estimated Trashy: 7,999
Payday Loan Outlets: 6

Chances are, if you and your kids moved in with someone after just two dates, than you might be from Grants Pass. This city in Josephine County ranks fifth in the state for aggravated assaults (meaning drunken fist fights), and is 8th in the state for number of payday loan outlets per capita.

8. Ontario

Population: 12,900
Estimated Trashy: 1,439
Payday Loan Outlets: 6

Statistically, Ontario ranks in the top 20 in a few categories, including number of bargain stores per capita, as well as number of poor, uneducated residents. Malheur County residents who want to move up in the world make the trek to Bend to become assistant managers at a Walmart. Just make sure you have a valid license and a working automobile before exiting– cuz ain’t nobody got time for that!

9. Coos Bay

Population: 17,210
Estimated Trashy: 4,439
Welfare population: 15%

Well, break out the moonshine and rustle up some possum, Coos Bay, because your population is as close to 100% white as you can possibly get. This city in Coos County was in the top 5 for poor, uneducated white residents, and ranks high for payday loan outlets per capita.

With the large number of loan outlets, Coos Bay, you don’t have to travel far to cash your welfare check.

10. Klamath Falls

Population: 21,196
Estimated Trashy: 4,674
High school dropouts: 17%

Sadly, a large percentage of Klamath Fall’s income is based on welfare, workers comp, unemployment benefits, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This city in Klamath County ranks very high for number of check cashing outlets and bargain stores per capita.

The culture here is as if Tonya Harding and Eminem got together and had a baby.

There You Have It

According to the official dictionary definition of Trashy, and based on stereotypes that the internet says are true, using science to determine the most Trashy cities in a state can’t be too far off.

If you’re analyzing cities in Oregon with lots of angry welfare recipients, single mothers and where people have lots of options for payday cash loans, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least trashy places in Oregon:

1. Brookings
2. Silverton
3. Corvallis

For more Oregon reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Oregon
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon
• These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Oregon