The recurring role of the mayor of Portland is played by actor Kyle MacLachlan, while the role of the mayor's assistant is played by Sam Adams. Adams was the actual mayor of Portland when Portlandia started filming (he served as mayor from January 2009 to December 2012).
According to Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, the Women and Women First Bookstore scenes are actually shot at the very same non-profit bookstore that inspired the characters. The store, called In Other Words, was filmed mostly as-is, without any additional set dressing. In Other Words eventually ended their relationship with Portlandia for two stated reasons: the production's fees to close the store for filming didn't make up for sales lost on a given day, and the characters of Toni and Candace were seen by the staff as transphobic.
Nearly every car prominently featured in the show is a Subaru.
The name for the show is taken from the statue seen in the opening credits. Portlandia is the second largest copper repoussé statue in the US, next to the Statue of Liberty.