Outline of Oregon
Oregon, a Pacific Coast state of the United States, is known for its vast forests of evergreen trees. Forests cover almost half the state, and many large Oregon cities have factories that make wood products. The state has about a tenth of the nation's timber, and it ranks among the leading states in lumber production.
Oregon is often called the Pacific Wonderland because of its outstanding natural wonders. These include Crater Lake in the Cascade Mountains, the Columbia River Gorge, Hells Canyon on the Snake River, and Oregon Caves National Monument. Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, and other snow-covered peaks rise majestically in the Cascade Range. The Wallowas, in northeastern Oregon, also offer spectacular mountain scenery. Steep cliffs rise along much of Oregon's wave-swept coast. But parts of the coast have sandy beaches and protected harbors.
Today, the Willamette Valley is Oregon's greatest center for trade and industry. It is also important for flower bulbs, fruits, milk, seed crops, and vegetables. Most of Oregon's large cities are in the Willamette Valley. They include Portland, the largest city, and Salem, the state capital. Portland extends along both banks of the Willamette River near the place where the Willamette flows into the Columbia. It is an industrial city and a major seaport.
The mighty Columbia River flows westward to the Pacific Ocean, forming most of the border between Oregon and Washington. The Columbia drains more than half of Oregon. The Columbia and its branch, the Willamette River, form the largest system of navigable waterways in the state. The Snake River forms much of the Oregon-Idaho border. It joins the Columbia in Washington. The Snake and its branches drain the easternmost part of Oregon. The Deschutes River travels northward through central Oregon and empties into the Columbia. The John Day River rises in the Strawberry Mountains in eastern Oregon. It flows west and north to the Columbia and drains much of north-central Oregon.
Oregon is a recreational paradise. Deer, elk, and pronghorns roam the fields and forests. People catch salmon, steelhead, trout, and other major game fish. Grouse, pheasant, quail, and other game birds are plentiful. Slopes in the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Blue mountains offer excellent skiing. Timberline, on Mount Hood, offers year-round skiing. The skiing season in most other areas begins in November and lasts through April.
Most of Oregon's large cities lie in the rich Willamette Valley in the northwestern part of the state. Portland, Oregon's largest city, is the commercial, industrial, and cultural center of the state. Its lovely rose gardens give it the nickname City of Roses. Eugene ranks as the second largest city in Oregon. Eugene is a trading and processing center. The largest cities outside the valley are Ashland and Medford in the southwest, and Bend in central Oregon. Some of Oregon's people trace their ancestry to settlers who came on the Oregon Trail. Oregon's largest population groups include people of German, English, Irish, American Indian, French, Swedish, and Norwegian descent.
Oregon is known for its beautiful mountains and coastal scenery. Majestic snow-covered Mount Hood towers above the Cascade Range about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Portland. U.S. Highway 26 skirts Mount Hood and offers close-up views of its glacier-clad slopes. U.S. Highway 101 follows the Oregon coastline for about 300 miles (480 kilometers). Motorists driving along this route see views of white sand dunes, coastal lakes and bays, and cliffs rising above the shore.
The Columbia River was at one time called the Oregon, or Ouragan, which means hurricane in French. Some authorities think that Oregon's name came from this historic name. Oregon is known as the Beaver State because the region supplied thousands of beaver skins during fur-trading days.
