Oregon

Oregon
Nickname
The Beaver State
Motto(s)
Alis volat propriis
(English: She flies with her own wings)
Anthem: Oregon, My Oregon
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodOregon Territory
Admitted to the UnionFebruary 14, 1859 (1859-02-14) (33rd)
CapitalSalem
Largest cityPortland
Largest county or equivalentMultnomah
Largest metro and urban areasPortland
Government
 • GovernorTina Kotek (D)
 • Secretary of StateLaVonne Griffin-Valade (D)[a]
LegislatureLegislative Assembly
 • Upper houseState Senate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryOregon Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsRon Wyden (D)
Jeff Merkley (D)
U.S. House delegation4 Democrats
2 Republicans (list)
Area
 • Total98,381 sq mi (254,806 km2)
 • Land95,997 sq mi (248,849 km2)
 • Water2,384 sq mi (6,177 km2)  2.4%
 • Rank9th
Dimensions
 • Length360 mi (580 km)
 • Width400 mi (640 km)
Elevation
3,300 ft (1,000 m)
Highest elevation11,249 ft (3,428.8 m)
Lowest elevation
(Pacific Ocean[2])
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total4,233,358[3]
 • Rank27th
 • Density39.9/sq mi (15.0/km2)
  • Rank39th
 • Median household income
$71,562[4]
 • Income rank
18th
DemonymOregonian
Language
 • Official languageDe jure: none[5]
De facto: English
Time zones
most of stateUTC−08:00 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
majority of Malheur CountyUTC−07:00 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation
OR
ISO 3166 codeUS-OR
Traditional abbreviationOre.
Latitude42° N to 46°18′ N
Longitude116°28′ W to 124°38′ W
Websitewww.oregon.gov
ASN
  • 1798
State symbols of Oregon
List of state symbols
MottoShe Flies With Her Own Wings [6]
Living insignia
BirdWestern meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
ButterflyOregon swallowtail (Papilio machaon oregonia)
CrustaceanDungeness crab
(Metacarcinus magister)
FishChinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
FlowerOregon grape
(Mahonia aquifolium)
GrassBluebunch wheatgrass
(Pseudoroegneria spicata)
InsectOregon swallowtail
(Papilio oregonius)
MammalAmerican beaver
(Castor canadensis)
MushroomPacific golden chanterelle
(Cantharellus formosus)
TreeDouglas-fir
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
DanceSquare dance
FoodPear
(Pyrus)
FossilMetasequoia
GemstoneOregon sunstone
RockThunderegg
ShellOregon hairy triton
(Fusitriton oregonensis)
SoilJory soil
OtherNut: Hazelnut
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Oregon quarter dollar coin
Released in 2005
Lists of United States state symbols

Oregon (/ˈɔːrɪɡənˌ ɒr-ˌ -ə-ˌ -ˌɡɑːn/ OR-ih-ghən, ORR-, -⁠ə-, -⁠gahn)[7][8] is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon is a part of the Western United States, with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. As early as 1564, the Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. Oregon became the 33rd state of the U.S. on February 14, 1859.

Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km2), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital, Salem, is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents.[9] Portland, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The Portland metropolitan area, which includes neighboring counties in Washington, is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S.,[10] marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood is the state's highest point. Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of the Malheur National Forest.[11]

Oregon's economy has historically been powered by various forms of agriculture, fishing, logging, and hydroelectric power. Oregon is the top lumber producer of the contiguous United States, with the lumber industry dominating the state's economy during the 20th century.[12] Technology is another one of Oregon's major economic forces, beginning in the 1970s with the establishment of the Silicon Forest and the expansion of Tektronix and Intel. Sportswear company Nike, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, is the state's largest public corporation with an annual revenue of $46.7 billion.[13]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Mount Hood Highest Point". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ^ "2020 Census Apportionment Results, Table 2 Resident Population for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census". United States Census Bureau. April 30, 2021. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation. November 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Hall, Calvin (January 30, 2007). "English as Oregon's official language? It could happen". The Oregon Daily Emerald. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  6. ^ "Oregon State Symbols: Hydropower to Motto". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  7. ^ "Oregon". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  9. ^ United States Census Bureau (July 1, 2022). "Census QuickFacts: Salem, Oregon, United States". U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Salem city, Oregon; United States. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Jewell & McRae 2014, p. 4.
  11. ^ Beale, Bob (April 10, 2003). "Humungous fungus: world's largest organism?". Environment & Nature News. ABC. Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Forest Land Protection Program was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "2022 Shareholder Letter for Nike, Inc" (PDF). Nike, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.