All About Oregon
Oregon is a constituent state of the United States of America. To the north of the state's 97,073 square miles (251,419 square kilometres) of land and inland water lies Washington, from which Oregon receives the waters of the Columbia River; to the east, Idaho, more than half of the border with which is formed by the winding Snake River and its Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge on the North American continent; to the south, Nevada and California, with which Oregon shares its mountain and desert systems; and, to the west, the Pacific Ocean, which produces the moderate climate of Oregon's western lands. The capital is Salem.
Admitted to the Union as the 33rd state on Feb. 14, 1859, Oregon comprises an area of startling physical diversity, from the moist rain forests, mountains, and fertile valleys of its western third to the naturally arid and climatically harsh eastern deserts. Mountains, plateaus, plains, and valleys of different geologic ages and materials are arrayed in countless combinations, including such natural wonders as the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Caves National Monument, Crater Lake National Park, the majestic snow-covered peaks of the Cascade Range, and the ''moon country'' of central Oregon. The name Oregon is thought to be Indian in origin.
The forested mountains of western and northeastern Oregon have supplied the traditional core of the state's economy. Its many forest-product plants produce more than one-fifth of the nation's softwood lumber, much of its soft plywood, and large quantities of hardboard, pulp, and paper. Nationally, Oregon ranks first in the production of wood products. In addition, the multipurpose development of the Columbia River system provides huge quantities of electricity, water for irrigation and industry, shipping channels, and water for recreation. The heartland of Oregon, however, is the Willamette valley, containing the major cities of Portland, Eugene, and Salem and a rich and diversified agriculture.
Oregon has nine major landform regions. Of them the forest-blanketed Coast Range, which borders the Pacific Ocean from the Coquille River northward, is the lowest. Its elevations are usually below 2,000 feet, but Marys Peak, southwest of Corvallis, reaches 4,098 feet (1,249 metres). The Klamath Mountains, which extend from California, lie south of the Coast Range and west of the Cascades. The Willamette valley is essentially an alluvial plain produced by burying stream-modified lowland with enormous quantities of sediments brought down by tributary streams from the bordering mountains. The Cascade Range forms a broad lava plateau. The wider western section is deeply eroded by numerous streams fed by heavy precipitation. The eastern section, less dissected, is crowned with a chain of volcanic peaks. In the north central Oregon plateau, known as the Deschutes–Umatilla Plateau, a portion of the Columbia River basin, streams are entrenched and provide some bold relief.
Traditionally, Oregon has had a resource-oriented economy, strongly dependent upon its forests and farms. Through diversification, however, various new industries have been established and tourism, recreation, and trade and service activities have grown. About one-half the land area of the state is forested, and nearly 40 percent produces commercial timber. Chinook, silver, chum, and pink salmon and shellfish are the most valuable fishery products. Other fish include flounder, tuna, ocean perch, and rockfish. In mining, stone and construction sand and gravel make up the bulk of the value.
Tourism has become a major sector of Oregon's overall economy. Those coming to the state enjoy its scenery and myriad opportunities for recreation, including hiking, skiing, fishing, beachcombing, and windsurfing. Tourism supports the many small businesses that provide food, lodging, fuel, and other supplies and services.
In addition to an extensive network of highways and roads under the jurisdiction of the state, the federal government, and counties and municipalities, Oregon has forest development roads, national park roads, and military and Indian reservation roads that are controlled by federal agencies and various local governments. Railroads provide north–south and east–west routes. The largest airport is Portland International Airport; other significant commercial airfields are at Eugene, Medford, Pendleton, Klamath Falls, and Redmond. Throughout the state's history water transportation has been important. Six of the port districts are located on the Columbia above the head of deep navigation, where barge traffic is composed principally of grain and petroleum downstream and cement and structural steel upstream. Portland, open to oceangoing vessels, is by far the most important port. The other districts stretch along the Oregon coast and up the Columbia on the deep-draft channel. Portland, Astoria, Newport, and Coos Bay have regular shipments to and from foreign countries.
