PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland showed its passion for community and local restaurants today as Google released the top ten most popular searched terms in Portland. As part of Google's 12^th annual Year-End Zeitgeist, it is an annual "spirit of the times" that showcases the businesses, places, and topics that captured Seattle's attention this year.

The following terms make up Google's Portland top ten searched list:

1. Portland Public Schools
2. Craigslist Portland
3. LA Fitness Portland
4. Costco
5. Olympics 2012
6. Easter 2012
7. OnPoint Community Credit Union
8. iPhone 5
9. Mother's Day 2012
10. Mega Millions

"As a search engine we are always curious as to what the people look for the most when surfing the Web," said Darcy Nothnagle, Google's public affairs director, western region. "Releasing the top ten searched terms in Portland showcases the topics and trends that were the most culturally relevant to Portland residents in 2012."

The following terms make up Google's national top ten searched list:

1. Whitney Houston
2. Hurricane Sandy
3. Election 2012
4. Hunger Games
5. Jeremy Lin
6. Olympics 2012  
7. Amanda Todd
8. Gangnam Style
9. Michael Clarke Duncan
10. Kony 2012

The searched terms come from local IP addresses searched on Google.com which are then ranked in order by volume of searches. Every year Google highlights the top ten most searched terms in most major metropolitan cities across the United States.

For the first time this year Google also looked at the top 10 most searched restaurants on Zagat in Portland, Ore. The list is headed by Pok Pok, Le Pigeon, Castagna, and Portland City Grill.

To learn more about Google's Portland top ten list and the Zagat top ten list for Portland, visit 2012 Zeitgeist site.

SOURCE Google