Whenever you visit a city as a tourist, you have to remember: You’re also visiting a place where people actually live their lives. The point is to soak in the local color, as well as the quirks, so that you feel more at home. Here are a few things about Portland to keep in mind.

1. Diversity is celebrated… but it’s not as common as you might think. Businesses from the hotels to the YWCA proudly display inclusiveness policies based on race, gender, etc., but Oregon is actually one of the whitest states in the union (in became a state just before the Civil War as a whites-only territory). That said, the White Supremacist rally earlier this month, which was horrendous and violent, did not specifically involve many locals; indeed, Portland was targeted by outsiders specifically because of its liberal leanings.

2. Homelessness is a real problem. Every city has homeless people, but in Portland it seems more pronounced than many other cities… as well as pervasive across many neighborhoods. The current mayor of Portland was even elected by running on an “I can fix the homelessness problem” platform.

3. Car culture is not the same. We have lots of wide-open spaces in Texas, but parking is at a premium in downtown Portland… like literally. It costs a fortune to park at hotels, parking spots are more rare than reasonable Trump policies (and fairly pricey) and by law, you can’t pump your own gas. Use your feet, public transportation, bike and scooter rentals and ride share as much as possible.

4. They don’t understand the real meaning of climate change. Many locals complained about the scorching heat while I was here… when it was in the 80s. A lot of places don’t have air conditioning, cuz why would they? You likely to get slightly chilly in the morning, even in August.

5. Matt Groening is from here. When you walk around, especially in the Pearl, you might have this uneasy sense of deja-vu when looking at street signs: Flanders. Lovejoy. Terwiliger. Kearney. Quimby. Montgomery. Burnside. Wolfcastle. (I made that last one up.) Sound familiar? The Simpsons’ creator is a Portlander, and many characters on the show are named for local avenues. There’s even a Couch Street — as in the series’ opening “couch gag” — although it’s pronounced “cooch” … which is even funnier.

— Arnold Wayne Jones