Towns and Cities in Oregon, USA

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the USA; it is bordered by Washington in the north, Idaho in the east, Nevada and California in the south, and the Pacific Ocean in the west. With a population of 4,217,737 inhabitants, Oregon was the nation's "Top Moving Destination" in 2014, with two families moving into the state for every one moving out. Its capital is Salem, but its largest city is Portland. Its governor is Kate Brown.

Oregon’s climates range from equable, mild, marine conditions on the coast to continental conditions of dryness and extreme temperature in the interior. Oregon’s animal life is related to its climatic zones. Deer and elk flourish in less-populated parts, antelope are found in the eastern high plateau, and bear and fox in the mountain foothills. Oregon’s coastal waters are home to sea lions and sea otters.

Tourism is a major part of Oregon’s overall economy; it experienced notable growth in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. One of the state’s principal tourist destinations is Mount Hood National Forest, notable for its scenic views and Timberline Lodge (built on the mountain in 1937). Other attractions include Crater Lake, a spectacularly blue lake within a huge volcanic caldera, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, with its many waterfalls, notably the 620-foot- (189-metre-) high Multnomah Falls.

A small, prehistoric stone knife found here in 2012 has convinced some archaeologists that people have lived in what’s now Oregon; much later Native American tribes lived on the land. Europeans are thought to have arrived in the 1500s. In 1803, the United States bought a huge swath of land as part of the Louisiana Purchase, and in 1859 Oregon became the 33rd state.