Boston, Oregon (The More Things Change...)

West Boston is the third largest city in Oregon. Resting south of Vancouver and the Columbia River, West Boston is considered a member of the Columbia tri-cities (Vancouver, West Boston, and Fort Vancouver). West Boston's name was decided in a coin toss between Francis Pettygrove and Asa Lovejoy in 1845, with both wanting to name it after their hometowns, Portland, Maine and Boston, Massacusetts, respectively. Lovejoy won, and the town was named Boston. In 1846, when Oregon became an independent nation, the "West" part was added to the name to differentiate it from the Boston in America.