Portal:Oregon

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Oregon
State of Oregon
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted

Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡən, -ɡɒn/ ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., 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. 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., 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 U.S. 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. (Full article...)

Welcome to Medford entrance sign
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon. As of 2014, the city had a total population of 78,557 and a metro population of more than 208,000. The city was named in the 1880s by David Loring, a civil engineer working for the Oregon and California Railroad for his home town of Medford, Massachusetts and in recognition of its position on the middle fork of Bear Creek. Medford was incorporated in 1885, and became the county seat of Jackson County in 1927. The Mail Tribune is the primary newspaper, and Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport the main airport. Education is provided by the Medford School District and Rogue Community College. Notable Medford residents include Kirstie Alley, Bill Bowerman, David B. Frohnmayer, Ginger Rogers, and Vic Snyder. Medford uses a council-manager style of government. The governing body of Medford consists of a mayor and eight city council members. Medford is located approximately 27 miles (43 km) north of the northern California border, at 42.3°N. Interstate 5 runs north-south through the center of the city with Oregon Routes 99, 238, and 62 also serving the city. Medford sits in a "weather shadow" between the Cascade Range and Siskiyou Mountains called the Rogue Valley. As such, most of the rain associated with the Pacific Northwest and Oregon in particular skips Medford, making it drier and sunnier than the Willamette Valley. Medford's economy is driven primarily by agriculture (pears, peaches, viticulture grapes) and timber products.

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The Cherry Poppin' Daddies in 2007
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry (vocals) and Dan Schmid (bass guitar), the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman (trumpet) currently remaining from the original line-up. Initially conceived as an iconoclastic response to the grunge movement of the Pacific Northwest, the Daddies' music is a mix of swing, rock and ska. While the band's early work was heavily rooted in funk rock and punk, their eclectic studio albums have since incorporated influences from many genres of popular music and Americana into their sound, most prominently rockabilly, glam rock, psychedelia, rhythm and blues, country, worldbeat, jazz and soul. After years of extensive touring within the third wave ska scene, the Daddies ultimately broke into the musical mainstream with their swing-based compilation Zoot Suit Riot (1997). Released at the onset of the late 1990s swing revival, Zoot Suit Riot went on to sell over two million copies in the United States while its eponymous single became a radio success, launching the Daddies to the forefront of the retro-swing genre, a perceived pigeonholing the band openly denounced in favor of their ska and punk influences. By the end of the decade, however, the Daddies' mainstream popularity declined with that of the swing revival's, and the resulting commercial failure of their ska-flavored follow-up Soul Caddy led to an abrupt hiatus in 2000. The Daddies officially regrouped in 2002 to resume touring, independently recording and releasing their fifth studio album Susquehanna in 2008 before signing to indie label Rock Ridge Music the following year. Their most recent album, Skaboy JFK, was released in September 2009.

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Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse

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The following are images from various Oregon-related articles on Wikipedia.

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The former Galleria and Olds, Wortman and King Department Store
The former Galleria and Olds, Wortman and King Department Store
Credit: Ipoellet

The Galleria shopping center at night in downtown Portland with the Fox Tower in the background. The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places under its historic name of Olds, Wortman and King Department Store.

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George L. Woods
A great system of internal improvement is being inaugurated in our midst, which fostered and encouraged, as it should be, will make Oregon, in the not distant future, one of the finest and most prosperous States in the Republic.
George L. Woods, 1870, Governor's Message

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Snake River near Oxbow, Oregon
Snake River near Oxbow, Oregon
Credit: Adumbvoget
The Snake River is a major tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The river's length is 1,040 miles (1,674 km), its watershed drains 108,000 square miles (280,000 km2), and the average discharge at its mouth is 56,900 cubic feet per second (1,610 m³/s). The river flows from its source in Yellowstone National Park through a series of mountain ranges, canyons, and plains.

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Lighthouse of Cape Meares, Oregon

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American beaver
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This month's Collaboration of the Month projects: Women's History Month: Create or improve articles for women listed at Oregon Women of Achievement (modern) or Women of the West, Oregon chapter (historical)
Portland, Oregon, in 1898 (Featured picture candidate)

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