Portland's Long Weird History With Strip Clubs

Beneath Portland’s wholesome image lies a city where stripping is close to an art form and an indelible part of urban life. We take a look behind Portland’s historic and thriving strip club scene. Nowhere else is the art of stripping celebrated quite like in Portland, whose strip clubs are as much a part of the city as nature and farmer’s markets. A much-quoted statistic is that Portland is the city in the US with the most strip clubs per capita, with 8.86 per 100,000 residents. For context, Las Vegas only ranks a lowly seventh on the list. But more than the sheer number and dizzying diversity of clubs, the way that the open-minded and kinky in Portland have embraced the strip club scene as an integral part of the city’s identity is unique. In other cities, strip clubs might be tolerated, but are generally not viewed with such fondness and pride. So why is it so different here? Read more >