Oregon i / 'ɔr ɪ ɡ ən / OR-ə-gən) is a state A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is in the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest is a region in western North America, bound by the Pacific Ocean to the west. Always included are the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Southeast Alaska, Idaho, western Montana and northern California are often included region of the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language. It is located on the Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east coast The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Oregon Coast forms the western border of the state, and stretches approximately 363 miles from the Columbia River in the north to the Oregon–California state border in the south. The Oregon Coast is not a specific geological, environmental, or political entity, but instead includes, with Washington Washington (pronounced /ˈwɒʃɪŋtən/ ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the forty-second state in 1889 to the north, California California's geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood–Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most to the south, Nevada Nevada is the seventh-largest state in area, and geographically covers the Mojave Desert in the south to the Great Basin in the north. It is the most arid state in the Union. Approximately 86% of the state's land is owned by the U.S federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military. As of 2008, there were about 2.6 million on the southeast and Idaho Idaho is a mostly mountainous state, with an area larger than all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and the Canadian Province of British Columbia. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland to the east. The Columbia The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean and Snake The Snake is a major river in the greater Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is the largest and longest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Rising in western Wyoming, the river flows westwards through the Snake River Plain, and turns north to empty into the rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern boundaries respectively. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers who formed an autonomous government in Oregon Country The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from the Columbia River frequented by ships from all nations engaged in the in 1843; the Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several nations, the region was divided between the U.S. and Great Britain in 1846 was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859. Salem Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded is the state's capital and third-most-populous city; Portland Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2009, it has an estimated population of 582,130 making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most environmentally friendly or "green" city in is the most populous. Portland is the 30th-largest U.S. city, with a population of 582,130 (2009 estimate) and a metro population of 2,241,841 (2009 estimate), the 23rd-largest U.S. metro area.

The valley of The Willamette Valley is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its emergence from mountains near Eugene to its confluence with the Columbia River at Portland. A small part of the Willamette Valley ecoregion is in southwestern Washington, around the city of Vancouver the Willamette River The Willamette River (pronounced wɨˈlæmɨt ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The name of the river derives from the French pronunciation of the name of a Clackamas Indian village. The river is 187 miles (301 km) long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and in western Oregon is the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region of the state, and is home to eight of the ten most populous cities. Oregon's 2000 population was about 3.5 million, a 20.3% increase over 1990; it is estimated to have reached 3.8 million by 2008.[6] Oregon's largest for-profit private employer is Intel Intel Corporation is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most personal computers. The company is the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. Intel was founded on July 18, 1968, as Integrated Electronics Corporation (though a common misconception is that "Intel" is from the word, located in the Silicon Forest Silicon Forest is a nickname and specifically refers to the cluster of high-tech companies located in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Southwest Washington, and most frequently refers to the industrial corridor between Beaverton and Hillsboro in northwest Oregon area on Portland's west side. The state has 199 public school districts, with Portland Public Schools Portland Public Schools is a public school district located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a Pre K-12 district with an enrollment of approximately 46,000 students. It is the largest school district in Oregon. About 100 schools and 50 special needs sites are maintained within the district as the largest. There are 17 community colleges, and seven publicly financed colleges in the Oregon University System The Oregon University System consists of seven public, four-year universities in the State of Oregon administered by the Chancellor of the OUS, who is appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. The current Chancellor is George Pernsteiner, formerly Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services at the University of California, Santa. Oregon State University Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are over 200 academic degree programs offered through the university. OSU's programs in nuclear engineering, ecology, in Corvallis Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the "Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Benton County. The population was estimated at 51,110 in 2008 by the United States Census Bureau,, though other research and the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public, coeducational research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The second oldest public university in the state, UO was founded in 1876, and graduated its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. The Carnegie Foundation in Eugene Eugene is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles (86 km) east of the Oregon Coast are the two flagship universities of the state, while Portland State University Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in the state that is located in a major metropolitan has the largest enrollment.[7]

Major highways include Interstate 5 In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 5 traverses across the state, passing through the major cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford which runs the entire north-south length of the state, Interstate 84 In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 84 travels east–west, following the Columbia River and the rough path of the old Oregon Trail from Portland east to Idaho. For this reason, it is also known as most of the Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6 . It also follows along or near U.S. Route 30 that runs east-west, U.S. Route 97 In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 97 is a major north–south United States highway which runs through the state of Oregon . In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon-California border, south of Klamath Falls, to the Oregon-Washington border on the Columbia River, between Biggs Junction, Oregon and Maryhill, Washington. Other than the northernmost that crosses the middle of the state, U.S. Route 101 In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 101, a major north–south U.S. Highway, runs through the state along the coastline near the Pacific Ocean. In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon–California border, south of Brookings, to the Oregon–Washington border on the Columbia River, between Astoria, Oregon and Megler, Washington that travels the entire coastline, and U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 in Oregon is a major east–west cross-state highway, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa and U.S. Route 26 In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 26 is a major cross-state state highway, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No. 5 that run east-west, among many other highways. Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located on the south side of the Columbia River within the current city limits of Portland in Multnomah County, six miles by air and twelve miles by highway northeast of is the busiest commercial airport in the state and is operated as part of the Port of Portland The Port of Portland is the port district responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area in the United States, the state's busiest port. Rail service includes Union Pacific Railroad UP's route map covers most of the central and western United States west of Chicago and New Orleans. As of December 31, 2008 UP operates on 32,012 miles of track, of which it owns outright 26,171 miles (42,118 km). Both numbers representing the highest amount of any railroad currently operating in the United States. It has achieved this size as a and BNSF Railway The BNSF Railway , formerly known as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, is an American freight railroad company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas; it is one of four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America. Only the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary competitor for Western freight service, Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station in passenger service, as well as light rail and street car routes in the Portland metro area.

Oregon enjoys a diverse landscape including a scenic and windswept Pacific coastline The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Oregon Coast forms the western border of the state, and stretches approximately 363 miles from the Columbia River in the north to the Oregon–California state border in the south. The Oregon Coast is not a specific geological, environmental, or political entity, but instead includes, the volcanoes of a rugged and glaciated Cascade Mountain Range The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades. The small part of the range in British Columbia is called the, dense evergreen forests Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall, and high desert The Oregon High Desert is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon located in the central and southeastern parts of the state. It covers most of five Oregon counties. The southern region is part of the Great Basin. The somewhat less arid northern region is part of the Columbia Plateau and supports some farming across much of the eastern portion of the state. The towering Douglas firs Douglas-fir is the English name applied in common to evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia. Nineteenth-century botanists had problems in classifying Douglas-firs, due to the species' similarity to various other and redwoods Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, giant redwood and California redwood (it is one of three species of trees known as redwoods, but redwood per se normally refers to this species). It is an evergreen, long- along the rainy Western Oregon History · Geography · People · Governors · Government · Constitution · Congress · Ballot measures · Parks · Fair · Symbols · Oregon Trail · Rivers · Misc coast provide a dramatic contrast with the lower density and fire prone pine tree See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. See list of pines by region for list of species by geographical distribution and juniper Juniperus occidentalis is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 m (rarely down to 100 m) forests covering portions of the Eastern Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes the entire area east of the Cascade Range. Cities half of the state. The eastern portion of the state also includes semi-arid scrublands Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It may be the mature vegetation type in a particular region and remain stable over time, or a transitional community, prairies, deserts, and meadows. These drier areas stretch east from Central Oregon Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south towards Klamath Falls. These three counties have a. Mount Hood Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties is the highest point in the state at 11,249 feet (3,429 m). Crater Lake National Park is the only national park in Oregon.

Contents

History

Main article: History of Oregon
Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 12,093
1860 52,465 333.8%
1870 90,923 73.3%
1880 174,768 92.2%
1890 317,704 81.8%
1900 413,536 30.2%
1910 672,765 62.7%
1920 783,389 16.4%
1930 953,786 21.8%
1940 1,089,684 14.2%
1950 1,521,341 39.6%
1960 1,768,687 16.3%
1970 2,091,533 18.3%
1980 2,633,156 25.9%
1990 2,842,321 7.9%
2000 3,421,399 20.4%
Est. 2009 3,825,657 11.8%
U.S. Census Bureau[2][8]

Humans have inhabited the area that is now Oregon for at least 15,000 years. In recorded history, mentions of the land date to as early as the 16th century. During the 18th and 19th centuries European powers and later the United States quarreled over possession of the region until 1846 when the U.S. and Great Britain finalized the division of the region. Oregon became a state in 1859 and is now home to over 3.5 million residents.

Earliest inhabitation

Human habitation of the Pacific Northwest began at least 15,000 years ago, with the oldest evidence of habitation in Oregon found at Fort Rock Cave and the Paisley Caves in Lake County. Archaeologist Luther Cressman dated material from Fort Rock to 13,200 years ago.[9] By 8000 B.C. there were settlements throughout the state, with populations concentrated along the lower Columbia River, in the western valleys, and around coastal estuaries.

European exploration

This section requires expansion.

By the 16th century Oregon was home to many Native American groups, including the Bannock, Chasta, Chinook, Kalapuya, Klamath, Molalla, Nez Perce, Takelma, and Umpqua.[10][11][12][13]

The first European explorers were Spanish, during the late 17th Century. Further exploration from Alta California took place during the 18th century. British James Cook explored the coast in 1778 in search of the Northwest Passage.

During U.S. westward expansion

See also: History of the United States (1789–1849) and Oregon pioneer history

The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through the region also in search of the Northwest Passage. They built their winter fort at Fort Clatsop, near the mouth of the Columbia River. Overland exploration was also conducted by British explorer David Thompson.

In 1811, David Thompson, of the North West Company, became the first European to navigate the entire length of the Columbia River. Stopping on the way, at the junction of the Snake River, he posted a claim to the region for Great Britain and the North West Company. Upon returning to Montreal, he publicized the abundance of fur-bearing animals in the area.

Also in 1811, New Yorker John Jacob Astor financed the establishment of Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River as a western outpost to his Pacific Fur Company;[14] this was the first permanent European settlement in Oregon.

Map of Oregon Country.

In the War of 1812, the British gained control of all of the Pacific Fur Company posts. The Treaty of 1818 established joint British and American occupancy of the region west of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. By the 1820s and 1830s, the Hudson's Bay Company dominated the Pacific Northwest from its Columbia District headquarters at Fort Vancouver (built in 1825 by the District's Chief Factor John McLoughlin across the Columbia from present-day Portland).

In 1841, the master trapper and entrepreneur Ewing Young died leaving considerable wealth and no apparent heir, and no system to probate his estate. A meeting followed Young's funeral at which a probate government was proposed. Doctor Ira Babcock of Jason Lee's Methodist Mission was elected Supreme Judge. Babcock chaired two meetings in 1842 at Champoeg (half way between Lee's mission and Oregon City) to discuss wolves and other animals of contemporary concern. These meetings were precursors to an all-citizen meeting in 1843, which instituted a provisional government headed by an executive committee made up of David Hill, Alanson Beers, and Joseph Gale. This government was the first acting public government of the Oregon Country before annexation by the government of the United States.

Also in 1841, Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, reversed the Hudson's Bay Company's longstanding policy of discouraging settlement because it interfered with the lucrative fur trade. He directed that some 200 Red River Colony settlers be relocated to HBC farms near Fort Vancouver, (the James Sinclair expedition), in an attempt to hold Columbia District.

Starting in 1842–1843, the Oregon Trail brought many new American settlers to Oregon Country. For some time, it seemed that Britain and the United States would go to war for a third time in 75 years (see Oregon boundary dispute), but the border was defined peacefully in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty. The border between the United States and British North America was set at the 49th parallel. The Oregon Territory was officially organized in 1848.

Settlement increased because of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, in conjunction with the forced relocation of the native population to Indian reservations in Oregon.

After statehood

The state was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859. Founded as a refuge from the disputes over slavery that were tearing apart other places in the United States, such as Kansas, Oregon had a "whites only" clause in its state Constitution at the time of its admission; the only state thus admitted.[15]

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, regular U.S. troops were withdrawn and sent east. Volunteer cavalry were recruited in California and sent north to Oregon to keep peace and protect the populace. The First Oregon Cavalry served until June 1865.

In the 1880s, the proliferation of railroads assisted in marketing of the state's lumber and wheat, as well as the more rapid growth of its cities.

20th and 21st centuries

See also: State of Jefferson, Cascadia (independence movement), and Ecotopia
This section requires expansion.

In 1902, Oregon introduced a system of direct legislation by the state’s citizens by way of initiative and referendum, known as the Oregon System. Oregon state ballots often include politically conservative proposals side-by-side with politically liberal ones, illustrating the wide spectrum of political thought in the state.

Industrial expansion began in earnest following the construction of the Bonneville Dam in 1933–1937 on the Columbia River. Hydroelectric power, food, and lumber provided by Oregon helped fuel the development of the West, although the periodic fluctuations in the U.S. building industry have hurt the state's economy on multiple occasions.

Name

Main article: Oregon (toponym) Oregon welcome sign at Hells Canyon.

The origin of the name "Oregon" is unknown. One theory is that the name comes from the French word "ouragan" (hurricane). French explorers called the Columbia River "Hurricane River" (le fleuve aux ouragans), because of the strong winds of the Columbia Gorge. According to the Oregon Blue Book, the source for the earliest written use of the word was Major Robert Rogers, a British army officer. In his 1765 proposal for a journey, Rogers wrote:[16]

The rout . . . is from the Great Lakes towards the Head of the Mississippi, and from thence to the River called by the Indians Ouragon. . . .

Another account, endorsed as the "most plausible explanation" in the book Oregon Geographic Names, was advanced by George R. Stewart in a 1944 article in American Speech. According to Stewart, the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 1700s, on which the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin) River was spelled "Ouaricon-sint", broken on two lines with the -sint below, so that there appeared to be a river flowing to the west named "Ouaricon".

According to the Oregon Tourism Commission (also known as Travel Oregon), present-day Oregonians / ˌ ɒr ɪ ˈ ɡ oʊ n i ɪ n z /[17] pronounce the state's name as "OR-UH-GUN, never OR-EE-GONE".[18]

After being drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2002, former Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington distributed "ORYGUN" stickers (sold by the University of Oregon Bookstore, which credits the spelling as a joke[19] "meant for Oregonians everywhere who get a kick out of this hilarious mispronunciation of our state.") to members of the media as a reminder of how to pronounce his home state.[20][21]

Geography

See also: List of counties in Oregon, List of cities and unincorporated communities in Oregon, Oregon Geographic Names, List of rivers in Oregon, List of Oregon mountain ranges, List of Oregon state parks, and Oregon census statistical areas
National parks and historic areas in Oregon
Entity Location
Crater Lake National Park Southern Oregon
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Eastern Oregon
Newberry National Volcanic Monument Central Oregon
Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument Southern Oregon
Oregon Caves National Monument Southern Oregon
California Trail Southern Oregon, California
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Western Oregon, Washington
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail IL, MO, KS, IA, NE, SD, ND, MT, ID, OR, WA
Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks Western Oregon, Washington
Nez Perce National Historical Park MT, ID, OR, WA
Oregon Trail MO, KS, NE, WY, ID, OR

Oregon's geography may be split roughly into seven areas:

The mountainous regions of western Oregon, home to four of the most prominent mountain peaks of the United States including Mount Hood, were formed by the volcanic activity of Juan de Fuca Plate, a tectonic plate that poses a continued threat of volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region. The most recent major activity was the 1700 Cascadia earthquake; Washington's Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, an event which was visible from Oregon.

The Columbia River, which constitutes much of the northern border of Oregon, also played a major role in the region's geological evolution, as well as its economic and cultural development. The Columbia is one of North America's largest rivers, and one of two rivers to cut through the Cascades (the Klamath River in Southern Oregon is the other). About 15,000 years ago, the Columbia repeatedly flooded much of Oregon during the Missoula Floods; the modern fertility of the Willamette Valley is largely a result of those floods. Plentiful salmon made parts of the river, such as Celilo Falls, hubs of economic activity for thousands of years. In the 20th century, numerous hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia, with major impacts on salmon, transportation and commerce, electric power, and flood control.

Today, Oregon's landscape varies from rainforest in the Coast Range to barren desert in the southeast, which still meets the technical definition of a frontier.

Oregon is 295 miles (475 km) north to south at longest distance, and 395 miles (636 km) east to west at longest distance. In terms of land and water area, Oregon is the ninth largest state, covering 98,381 square miles (254,810 km2).[22] The highest point in Oregon is the summit of Mount Hood, at 11,239 feet (3,426 m), and its lowest point is sea level of the Pacific Ocean along the Oregon coast.[3] Its mean elevation is 3,300 feet (1,006 m). Crater Lake National Park is the state's only national park and the site of Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,943 feet (592 m).[23] Oregon claims the D River is the shortest river in the world,[24] though the American state of Montana makes the same claim of its Roe River.[25] Oregon is also home to Mill Ends Park (in Portland),[26] the smallest park in the world at 452 square inches (0.29 m2). Oregon's geographical center is farther west than any of the other 48 contiguous states (although the westernmost point of the lower 48 states is in Washington).

Oregon is home to what is considered the largest single organism in the world, an Armillaria ostoyae fungus beneath the Malheur National Forest of eastern Oregon.[27]

Images of Oregon

Mount Hood, with Trillium Lake in the foreground.

An aerial view of Crater Lake in Oregon.

Southern view of the Oregon coast from Ecola State Park, with Haystack Rock in the distance.

Sunset over Malheur Butte, an extinct volcanic cinder cone near Ontario, Oregon.

Portland.

Map of Oregon's population density.

Nearly half of Oregon's land is held by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.[28]

A map of Oregon.[29]

Major cities

City Population (July 1, 2009)[30]
1. Portland 566,141
2. Salem 155,719
3. Eugene 153,231
4. Gresham 102,295
5. Hillsboro 95,316
6. Beaverton 93,219
7. Bend 76,621
8. Medford 73,486
9. Springfield 57,336
10. Corvallis 51,560
11. Tigard 50,390
12. Albany 48,582
Further information: List of cities and unincorporated communities in Oregon

Oregon's population is largely concentrated in the Willamette Valley, which stretches from Eugene in the south (home of the University of Oregon, second largest city in Oregon) through Corvallis (home of Oregon State University) and Salem (the capital, third largest) to Portland (Oregon's largest city).[30]

Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River, was the first permanent English-speaking settlement west of Rockies in what is now the United States. Oregon City, at the end of the Oregon Trail, was the Oregon Territory's first incorporated city, and was its first capital from 1848 until 1852, when the capital was moved to Salem. Bend, near the geographic center of the state, is one of the ten fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States.[31] In the southern part of the state, Medford is a rapidly growing metro area, which is home to The Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, the third-busiest airport in the state. Further to the south, near the California-Oregon border, is the community of Ashland, home of the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Oregon

Oregon's climate—especially in the western part of the state—is heavily influenced by the Pacific Ocean. The climate is generally mild, but periods of extreme hot and cold can affect parts of the state. Precipitation in the state varies widely: the deserts of eastern Oregon, such as the Alvord Desert (in the rain shadow of Steens Mountain), get as little as 200 mm (8 inches) annually, while some western coastal slopes approach 5000 mm (200 inches) annually. Oregon's population centers, which lie mostly in the western part of the state, are generally moist and mild, while the lightly populated high deserts of Central and Eastern Oregon are much drier.

Law and government

The flags of the United States and Flag of Oregon flown side-by-side in downtown Portland.

The Oregon Country functioned as an independent republic[citation needed] with a three-person executive office and a chief executive until August 13, 1848, when Oregon was annexed by the United States, at which time a territorial government was established. Oregon maintained a territorial government until February 14, 1859, when it was granted statehood.[32]

State government

See also: Government of Oregon

Oregon state government has a separation of powers similar to the federal government. It has three branches, called departments by the state's constitution:

Governors in Oregon serve four year terms and are limited to two consecutive terms, but an unlimited number of total terms. Oregon has no lieutenant governor; in the event that the office of governor is vacated, Article V, Section 8a of the Oregon Constitution specifies that the Secretary of State is first in line for succession.[5] The other statewide officers are Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent, and Labor Commissioner. The biennial Oregon Legislative Assembly consists of a thirty-member Senate and a sixty-member House. The state supreme court has seven elected justices, currently including the only two openly gay state supreme court justices in the nation. They choose one of their own to serve a six-year term as Chief Justice. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

The debate over whether to move to annual sessions is a long-standing battle in Oregon politics, but the voters have resisted the move from citizen legislators to professional lawmakers. Because Oregon's state budget is written in two year increments and, having no sales tax, its revenue is based largely on income taxes, it is often significantly over- or under-budget. Recent legislatures have had to be called into special session repeatedly to address revenue shortfalls resulting from economic downturns, bringing to a head the need for more frequent legislative sessions.

Oregon State Capitol Party registration in Oregon, 1950–2006. total Democratic Party Republican Party non-affiliated and minor parties

The state maintains formal relationships with the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon:

Oregonians have voted for the Democratic Presidential candidate in every election since 1988. In 2004 and 2006, Democrats won control of the state Senate and then the House. Since the late 1990s, Oregon has been represented by four Democrats and one Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, and, until 2009, by one U.S. Senator from each party. In 2009, Democrat Jeff Merkley became the second Democratic senator, joining Ron Wyden. Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski defeated Republicans in 2002 and 2006, defeating conservative Kevin Mannix and the more moderate Ron Saxton respectively.

The base of Democratic support is largely concentrated in the urban centers of the Willamette Valley. In both 2000 and 2004, the Democratic Presidential candidate won Oregon, but did so with majorities in only eight of Oregon's 36 counties. The eastern two-thirds of the state beyond the Cascade Mountains often votes Republican; in 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush carried every county east of the Cascades. However, the region's sparse population means that the more populous counties in the Willamette Valley usually carry the day in statewide elections.

Oregon's politics are largely similar to those of neighboring Washington, for instance in the contrast between urban and rural issues.

In the 2004 general election, Oregon voters passed ballot measures banning same-sex marriage, and restricting land use regulation. In the 2006 general election, voters restricted the use of eminent domain and extended the state's discount prescription drug coverage.[33]

The distribution, sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages are regulated in the state by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Thus, Oregon is an Alcoholic beverage control state. While wine and beer are available in most grocery stores, comparatively few stores sell hard liquor.

Federal government

Like all U.S. states, Oregon is represented by two U.S. Senators. Since the 1980 census Oregon has had five Congressional districts.

After Oregon was admitted to the Union, it began with a single member in the House of Representatives (La Fayette Grover, who served in the 35th United States Congress for less than a month). Congressional apportionment led to the addition of new members following the censuses of 1890, 1910, 1940, and 1980. A detailed list of the past and present Congressional delegations from Oregon is available.

The United States District Court for the District of Oregon hears Federal cases in the state. The court has courthouses in Portland, Eugene, Medford, and Pendleton. Also in Portland is the federal bankruptcy court, with a second branch in Eugene.[34] Oregon (among other western states and territories) is in the 9th Court of Appeals. One of the court's meeting places is at the Pioneer Courthouse in downtown Portland, a National Historic Landmark built in 1869.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Oregon
Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2008 40.40% 738,475 56.75% 1,037,291
2004 47.19% 866,831 51.35% 943,163
2000 46.46% 713,577 47.01% 720,342
1996 39.06% 538,152 47.15% 649,641
1992 32.53% 475,757 42.48% 621,314
1988 46.61% 560,126 51.28% 616,206

The state has been thought of as politically split by the Cascade Range, with western Oregon being liberal and Eastern Oregon being conservative. In a 2008 analysis of the 2004 presidential election, political analyst found that according to the application of a Likert scale, Oregon boasted both the most liberal voters and the most conservative voters, making it the most politically polarized state in the country.[35] The two current U.S senators from Oregon are Ron Wyden (D), and Jeff Merkley (D). The office of governorship is held by Ted Kulongoski (D) who was re-elected to a second term.

During Oregon's history it has adopted many electoral reforms proposed during the Progressive Era, through the efforts of William S. U'Ren and his Direct Legislation League. Under his leadership, the state overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in 1902 that created the initiative and referendum processes for citizens to directly introduce or approve proposed laws or amendments to the state constitution, making Oregon the first state to adopt such a system. Today, roughly half of U.S. states do so.[36]

In following years, the primary election to select party candidates was adopted in 1904, and in 1908 the Oregon Constitution was amended to include recall of public officials. More recent amendments include the nation's first doctor-assisted suicide law,[37] called the Death with Dignity law (which was challenged, unsuccessfully, in 2005 by the Bush administration in a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court), legalization of medical cannabis, and among the nation's strongest anti-urban sprawl and pro-environment laws. More recently, 2004's Measure 37 reflects a backlash against such land use laws. However, a further ballot measure in 2007, Measure 49, curtailed many of the provisions of 37.

Of the measures placed on the ballot since 1902, the people have passed 99 of the 288 initiatives and 25 of the 61 referendums on the ballot, though not all of them survived challenges in courts (see Pierce v. Society of Sisters, for an example). During the same period, the legislature has referred 363 measures to the people, of which 206 have passed.

Oregon pioneered the American use of postal voting, beginning with experimentation authorized by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1981 and culminating with a 1998 ballot measure mandating that all counties conduct elections by mail. It remains the only state where voting by mail is the only method of voting.[38]

In the U.S. Electoral College, Oregon casts seven votes. Oregon has supported Democratic candidates in the last six elections. Democrat Barack Obama won the state in 2008 by a margin of sixteen percentage points, with over 56% of the popular vote.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Oregon A grain elevator in Halsey storing grass seed, one of the state's largest crops.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Oregon in 2008 was $161.6 billion, it is United States's 26th wealthiest state by GDP. The state's per capita personal income in 2008 was $38,801.[39] Land in the Willamette Valley owes its fertility to the Missoula Floods, which deposited lake sediment from Glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana onto the valley floor.[40] This soil is the source of a wealth of agricultural products, including potatoes, peppermint, hops, apples and other fruits.[citation needed]

Oregon is also one of four major world hazelnut growing regions, and produces 95% of the domestic hazelnuts in the United States. While the history of the wine production in Oregon can be traced to before Prohibition, it became a significant industry beginning in the 1970s. In 2005, Oregon ranked third among U.S. states with 303 wineries.[41] Due to regional similarities in climate and soil, the grapes planted in Oregon are often the same varieties found in the French regions of Alsace and Burgundy. In the northeastern region of the state, particularly around Pendleton, both irrigated and dry land wheat is grown. Oregon farmers and ranchers also produce cattle, sheep, dairy products, eggs and poultry.

Vast forests have historically made Oregon one of the nation's major timber production and logging states, but forest fires (such as the Tillamook Burn), over-harvesting, and lawsuits over the proper management of the extensive federal forest holdings have reduced the amount of timber produced. According to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, between 1989 and 2001 the amount of timber harvested from federal lands dropped some 96%, from 4,333 million to 173 million board feet (10,000,000 to 408,000 m3), although harvest levels on private land have remained relatively constant.[42]

Even the shift in recent years towards finished goods such as paper and building materials has not slowed the decline of the timber industry in the state. The effects of this decline have included Weyerhaeuser's acquisition of Portland-based Willamette Industries in January 2002, the relocation of Louisiana-Pacific's corporate headquarters from Portland to Nashville, and the decline of former lumber company towns such as Gilchrist. Despite these changes, Oregon still leads the United States in softwood lumber production; in 2001, 6,056 million board feet (14,000,000 m3) was produced in Oregon, compared to 4,257 million board feet (10,050,000 m3) in Washington, 2,731 million board feet (6,444,000 m3) in California, 2,413 million board feet (5,694,000 m3) in Georgia, and 2,327 million board feet (5,491,000 m3) in Mississippi.[43] The effect of the forest industry crunch is still extensive unemployment in rural Oregon and is a bone of contention between rural and urban Oregon.[citation needed]

Oregon occasionally hosts film shoots. Movies wholly or partially filmed in Oregon include: Rooster Cogburn,The Goonies, National Lampoon's Animal House, Stand By Me, Kindergarten Cop, Overboard, The River Wild, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Paint Your Wagon, The Hunted, Sometimes a Great Notion, Elephant, Bandits, The Ring, The Ring Two, Quarterback Princess, The General, Mr. Brooks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Short Circuit, Come See the Paradise, The Shining, Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, The Postman, Homeward Bound, Free Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, 1941, Swordfish, Twilight, Untraceable, and Wendy and Lucy. Oregon native Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has incorporated many references from his hometown of Portland into the TV series.[44]

In late 2008, Hells Canyon and Oregon's badlands were a set location for an episode of Man vs. Wild.[45]

Largest Public Corporations Headquartered in Oregon[46]
Corporation Headquarters Market cap (million)
1. Nike, Inc. near Beaverton $32,039
2. Precision Castparts Corp. Portland $16,158
3. FLIR Systems Wilsonville $4,250
4. StanCorp Financial Group Portland $2,495
5. Schnitzer Steel Industries Portland $1,974
6. Portland General Electric Portland $1,737
7. Columbia Sportswear near Beaverton $1,593
8. Northwest Natural Gas Portland $1,287
9. Mentor Graphics Wilsonville $976
10. TriQuint Semiconductor Hillsboro $938

High technology industries and services have been a major employer since the 1970s. Tektronix was the largest private employer in Oregon until the late 1980s. Intel's creation and expansion of several facilities in eastern Washington County continued the growth that Tektronix had started. Intel, the state's largest for-profit private employer, operates four large facilities, with Ronler Acres, Jones Farm and Hawthorn Farm all located in Hillsboro.[47]

The spinoffs and startups that were produced by these two companies led to the establishment in that area of the so-called Silicon Forest. The recession and dot-com bust of 2001 hit the region hard; many high technology employers reduced the number of their employees or went out of business. Open Source Development Labs made news in 2004 when they hired Linus Torvalds, developer of the Linux kernel. Recently, biotechnology giant Genentech purchased several acres of land in Hillsboro in an effort to expand its production capabilities.[48]

Oregon is also the home of large corporations in other industries. The world headquarters of Nike, Inc. are located near Beaverton. Medford is home to two of the largest mail order companies in the country: Harry and David Operations Corp. which sells gift items under several brands, and Musician's Friend, an international catalog and Internet retailer of musical instruments and related products. Medford is also home to the national headquarters of the Fortune 1000 company, Lithia Motors. Portland is home to one of the West's largest trade book publishing houses, Graphic Arts Center Publishing.

Oregon has one of the largest salmon-fishing industries in the world, although ocean fisheries have reduced the river fisheries in recent years. Tourism is also strong in the state; Oregon's evergreen mountain forests, waterfalls, pristine lakes (including Crater Lake National Park), and scenic beaches draw visitors year round. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, held in Ashland, is a tourist draw which complements the southern region of the state's scenic beauty and opportunity for outdoor activities.

Oregon ranks 4th nationally in craft breweries per capita.

Oregon is home to many breweries and Portland has the largest number of breweries of any city in the world.[49]

Portland reportedly has more strip clubs per capita than Las Vegas or San Francisco.[50]

Oregon's gross state product is $132.66 billion as of 2006, making it the 27th largest GSP in the nation.[51]

Employment

As of March 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 10.6%. Oregon ranks 14th in the nation for unemployment with construction and manufacturing be hardest hit.[52]

Taxes and budgets

Oregon's biennial state budget, $42.4 billion as of 2007, comprises General Funds, Federal Funds, Lottery Funds, and Other Funds. Personal income taxes account for 88% of the General Fund's projected funds.[53] The Lottery Fund, which has grown steadily since the lottery was approved in 1984, exceeded expectations in the 2007 fiscal years, at $604 million.[54]

Oregon is one of only five states that have no sales tax.[55] Oregon voters have been resolute in their opposition to a sales tax, voting proposals down each of the nine times they have been presented.[56] The last vote, for 1993's Measure 1, was defeated by a 72–24% margin.[57]

The state also has a minimum corporate tax of only $10 per year, amounting to 5.6% of the General Fund in the 2005–2007 biennium; data about which businesses pay the minimum is not available to the public.[58] As a result, the state relies almost entirely on property and income taxes for its revenue. Oregon has the fifth highest personal income tax per person in the nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oregon ranked 41st out of the 50 states in taxes per person in 2005.[59] The average paid of $1,791.45 is higher than only nine other states.[59]

Some local governments levy sales taxes on services: the city of Ashland, for example, collects a 5% sales tax on prepared food.[60]

Oregon is one of six states with a revenue limit.[61] The "kicker law" stipulates that when income tax collections exceed state economists' estimates by 2 percent or more, all of the excess must be returned to taxpayers.[62] Since the inception of the law in 1979, refunds have been issued for seven of the eleven biennia.[63] In 2000, Ballot Measure 86 converted the "kicker" law from statute to the Oregon Constitution, and changed some of its provisions.

Federal payments to county governments, which were granted to replace timber revenue when logging in National Forests was restricted in the 1990s, have been under threat of suspension for several years. This issue dominates the future revenue of rural counties, which have come to rely on the payments in providing essential services.[64]

55% of state revenues are spent on public education, 23% on human services (child protective services, Medicaid, and senior services), 17% on public safety, and 5% on other services.[65]

Demographics

Source: Population Research Center[66] County population cartogram of Oregon.

As of 2005, Oregon has an estimated population of 3,641,056, which is an increase of 49,693, or 1.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 219,620, or 6.4%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 75,196 people (that is 236,557 births minus 161,361 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 150,084 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 72,263 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 77,821 people.

The center of population of Oregon is located in Linn County, in the city of Lyons.[67] More than 42% of the state's population lives in the Portland metropolitan area.

As of 2004, Oregon's population included 309,700 foreign-born residents (accounting for 8.7% of the state population)

Oregon population by decade, 1850–2000 (source: Census data) Population Growth by County, 2000–2007. Green counties grew faster than the national average, while purple counties grew more slowly or, in a few cases, lost population.
Demographics of Oregon (csv)
By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI*
2000 (total population) 93.45% 2.17% 2.54% 3.75% 0.48%
2000 (Hispanic only) 7.63% 0.17% 0.32% 0.10% 0.05%
2005 (total population) 92.95% 2.38% 2.44% 4.25% 0.50%
2005 (Hispanic only) 9.38% 0.24% 0.34% 0.11% 0.05%
Growth 2000–05 (total population) 5.85% 16.64% 2.45% 20.78% 10.87%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 3.63% 13.63% 0.62% 20.75% 10.26%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 30.84% 52.63% 15.25% 21.84% 16.42%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

The largest ancestry groups in the state are:[68]

The largest reported ancestry groups in Oregon are: German (22.5%), English (14.0%), Irish (13.2%), Scandinavian (8.4%) and American (5.0%). Approximately 62 percent of Oregon residents are wholly or partly of English, Welsh, Irish or Scottish ancestry. Most Oregon counties are inhabited principally by residents of Northwestern European ancestry. Concentrations of Mexican Americans are highest in Malheur and Jefferson counties.

The majority of the diversity in Oregon is in the Portland metropolitan area.

Oregon ranks 16th highest for population that is "white alone," with 86.1% in 2006.[69] Over two-thirds of Oregon's African-American population lives in Portland.

6.5% of Oregon's population were reported as less than 5 years old, 24.7% under 18, and 12.8% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.4% of the population.

See also: List of people from Oregon, List of people from Portland, Oregon, and Oregon locations by per capita income

2000–2003 population trends

Estimates released September 2004[update] show double-digit growth in Latino and Asian American populations since the 2000 Census. About 60% of the 138,197 new residents come from ethnic and racial minorities. Asian growth is located mostly in the metropolitan areas of Portland, Salem, Medford and Eugene; Hispanic population growth is across the state.

Religious and secular communities

Major religious affiliations of the people of Oregon are:[70]

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Roman Catholic Church with 348,239; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 104,312 (144,808 year-end 2007); and the Assemblies of God with 49,357.[71]

The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) placed Oregon as tied with Nevada in fifth place of U.S. states having the highest percentage of residents identifying themselves as "non-religious", at 24 percent.[72][73] However, in a Gallup poll, 69% of Oregonians identify themselves as being Christian.[74] Secular organizations include the Center For Inquiry (CFI), the Humanists of Greater Portland (HGP), and the United States Atheists (USA).

During much of the 1990s a group of conservative Christians formed the Oregon Citizens Alliance, and unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation to prevent "gay sensitivity training" in public schools and legal benefits for homosexual couples.[75]

Oregon also contains the largest community of Russian Old Believers to be found in the United States.[76] The Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association, is headquartered in Portland, and the popular New Age film What the Bleep Do We Know!? was filmed and had its premiere in Portland. There are an estimated 6 to 10 thousand Muslims of various ethnic backgrounds in Oregon.[77]

Portland contains a significant Jewish population as well as smaller Jewish populations in Salem, Beaverton and Eugene.[citation needed]

See also: Religion in Oregon, Category:Religious culture of the Pacific Northwest, and Religion in the United States

Education

Primary and secondary

As of 2005, the state had 559,215 students in public primary and secondary schools.[78] There were 199 public school districts at that time, served by 20 education service districts.[78] The five largest school districts as of 2007 were: Portland Public Schools (46,262 students), Salem-Keizer School District (40,106), Beaverton School District (37,821), Hillsboro School District (20,401), and Eugene School District (18,025).[79]

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Oregon, Oregon University System, and List of community colleges in Oregon OSU's Bell Tower.

Public

The Oregon University System supports seven public universities and one affiliate in the state. The University of Oregon in Eugene is Oregon's flagship liberal arts institution,[80] and was the state's only nationally ranked university by U.S. News & World Report.[81] Oregon State University is located in Corvallis and holds the distinction of being the state's flagship in science, engineering and agricultural research and academics. The university is also the state's highest ranking university/college in a world survey of academic merit.[82]

The State's urban Portland State University has Oregon's largest enrollment. The State has three regional universities: Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Southern Oregon University in Ashland, and Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. The Oregon Institute of Technology has its campus in Klamath Falls. The affiliate Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) comprises a medical, dental, and nursing school in Portland and a science and engineering school in Hillsboro.

Oregon has historically struggled to fund higher education. Recently, Oregon has cut its higher education budget over 2002–2006 and now Oregon ranks 46th in the country in state spending per student. However, 2007 legislation forced tuition increases to cap at 3% per year, and funded the OUS far beyond the requested governor's budget.[83]

The state also supports 17 community colleges.

Private

Oregon is home to a wide variety of private colleges. The University of Portland and Marylhurst University are Catholic institutions in the Portland area. Reed College, Concordia University, Lewis & Clark College, Multnomah Bible College, Portland Bible College, Warner Pacific College, Cascade College, the National College of Natural Medicine and Western Seminary, a theological graduate school, are also in Portland. Pacific University is in the Portland suburb of Forest Grove.

There are also private colleges further south in the Willamette Valley. McMinnville has Linfield College, while nearby Newberg is home to George Fox University. Salem is home to two private schools, Willamette University (the state's oldest, established during the provisional period) and Corban University. Also located near Salem is Mount Angel Seminary, one of America's largest Roman Catholic seminaries. Eugene is home to three private colleges: Northwest Christian University, Eugene Bible College, and Gutenberg College.

Sports

See also: Sports in Portland, Oregon The Rose Garden, home of the Portland Trail Blazers

The only major professional sports team in Oregon is the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Blazers were one of the most successful teams in the NBA in terms of both win-loss record and attendance. In the early 2000s, the team's popularity declined due to personnel and financial issues, but revived after the departure of controversial players and the acquisition of new players such as Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden.[84][85]

The Blazers play in the Rose Garden in Portland's Lloyd District, which is also home to the Portland Winterhawks of the junior-league Western Hockey League.[86]

Portland has two minor-league sports teams who play at PGE Park: The Portland Timbers of the USL First Division are a very popular soccer team, and the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.[87] Portland has actively pursued a Major League Baseball team.[88] It was announced in March 2009 that the Portland Timbers will begin MLS play starting in 2011. This will make them the second major professional sports team in the state.[89]

Eugene and Salem also have minor-league baseball teams. The Eugene Emeralds and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes both play in the Single-A Northwest League.[90] Oregon also has four teams in the fledgling International Basketball League: the Portland Chinooks, Central Oregon Hotshots, Salem Stampede, and the Eugene Chargers.[91]

The Oregon State Beavers and the University of Oregon Ducks football teams of the Pacific-10 Conference meet annually in the Civil War, one of the oldest college football rivalries in the United States, dating back to 1894. Both schools have had recent success in other sports as well: Oregon State won back-to-back college baseball championships in 2006 and 2007, and the University of Oregon won back-to-back NCAA men's cross country championships in 2007 and 2008.

State symbols

Main article: List of Oregon state symbols

Sister states

See also

North America portal
United States portal
Oregon portal
Main articles: Outline of Oregon and Index of Oregon-related articles

References

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Preceded by Minnesota List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on February 14, 1859 (33rd) Succeeded by Kansas

Coordinates: 44°00′N 120°30′W / 44°N 120.5°W

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College Gridiron Countdown: No. 33 Oregon St. - Orlando Sentinel
orlandosentinel.com
College Gridiron Countdown: No. 33 Oregon St. - Orlando Sentinel
Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:56:57 GMT+00:00
St. Orlando Sentinel Oregon State had a chance to play for the Pac-10 title going into its regular-season finale against rival Oregon , but the Beavers lost 37-33, falling short ...
Google News Search: oregon,
Thu Jul 29 03:35:47 2010
snow covered oregon trees small jpg
erikniklas.net
snow covered oregon trees small jpg
600px x 800px | 148.10kB

[source page]

bottled water and then get in the truck and drive We hit the road for the Great White North at about 11am Once again we stopped at a truck stop and indulged ourselves with showers Oregon and Washington gave Utah a pretty decent run for its money as scenery goes but Idaho secured itself as Kansas Jr We made Bellingham at about 1am and parked in a Costco parking lot

Yahoo Images Search: oregon,
Wed Jul 28 22:56:47 2010
 Oregon State Parks honors Salem couple for work on trails ...
blog.oregonlive.com
Oregon State Parks honors Salem couple for work on trails ...

Terry Richard, The Oregonian

ue, 20 Jul 2010 16:56:43 GM

Karen and John Poole, devotees to keeping trails in southern . Oregon's. Cascade Mountains open for year-round recreation, are the recipients of the state's 2009 Doug Newman Memorial Award.

Google Blogs Search: oregon,
Sat Jul 24 13:51:15 2010
How does alcohol service work at the bite of Oregon?
Q. I will be attending the bite of Oregon this weekend at waterfront park, and I was wondering how they go about serving alcohol. I read that there is a beer garden, but will I be allowed to take my beer out of there? And how does re-entry work, do I have to pull my ID out every time or do I get like a bracelet or stamp? Thanks!
Asked by fashionista - Mon Aug 3 15:29:32 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. You won't be allowed to bring in any beer, instead you'll have a wristband after showing id, look for beer samples near performance stages.remember ask them to give you a sticker for re-entry, that will allow you to go back and forth. Best is to volunteer at the Bite, free entrance and free t-shirt. Look at their web site for further info
Answered by Robert - Thu Aug 6 15:20:48 2009

Yahoo Answers Search: oregon,
Wed Jul 28 05:14:09 2010