Also see Specific Destinations, Travel and Location Humor.

Page Toppers

• Hills of Oregon
• I'd Rather Be in Oregon
• Oregon Bound
• Oregon Mountains
• Oregon Rain
• Things Look Different Here

Quotes

• Given the choice between a bed and a sleeping bag, the average Eugene resident will choose the sleeping bag every time. (Philip Hamburger)
• The nice thing about Portland is that it rises into hills, and they're the most livable hills you ever saw. Thousands of people live up there in fine houses, among trees, looking hundreds of feet down onto the city. (Ernie Pyle)
• Oregon is blessed with a coastline of scenic beauty and variety unmatched on this continent. It's a delightful place, where the Pacific surge washes and sometimes pounds the western edge of our continent. It's a land of storms and sunburns, of wharves and lighthouses, of salt air and fading paint. It's a perfect place for the human psyche to unwind, for workaday tensions to be washed away by the rhythmic cadence of the surf. (William L. Mainwaring)
• People have a great need to know there are still places on this earth that can be called wilderness...Among the privileged regions of our world where we can still find these hideaways is...the place called 'Oregon'...Here the theater of the wilderness is...a living presence. (Paul M. Lewis)

Symbols

• Nicknames: The Beaver State; The Sunset State; The Web-foot state
• Slogan: Things Look Different Here
• Motto: She Flies With Her Own Wings
• Colors: Navy Blue and Gold
• Song: Oregon, My Oregon (words by J. A. Buchanan, music by Henry Murtagh)
• Dance: Square Dance
• Animal: American Beaver
• Bird: Western Meadowlark
• Fish: Chinook Salmon
• Insect: Oregon Swallowtail
• Tree: Douglas Fir
• Flower: Oregon Grape
• Shell: Oregon Hairy Triton
• Gemstone: Oregon Sunstone
• Rock: Thunderegg
• Beverage: Milk
• Mushroom: Pacific Golden Chanterelle
• Nut: Hazelnut (aka filbert)
• Fruit: Pear
• Pro Sports Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (Men's Basketball)

Facts About Oregon

• Capital: Salem
• Residents: Oregonians
• State Name Origin: a French word meaning "storm" (or) a Spanish word meaning "wild sage"
• Admitted to Statehood: 14 Feb 1859
• Order of Admission: 33rd state
• Coastline/Shoreline: 296/1,140 miles
• Length: 360 miles
• Width: 261 miles
• Area: 98,381 square miles
• Size Rank: 9
• Number of Counties: 36
• Streams and Rivers: 114,823 miles
• The Columbia River forms most of the state's northern border. The Snake River forms over half of the eastern boundary.
• Geographic Center: 25 miles SSE of Prineville in Crook Co.
• Mean Elevation: 3,300 feet
• Highest Point: Mount Hood, 11,239 feet
• Lowest Point: Pacific coast, sea level
• Agricultural Products: peppermint, cover seed crops, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, black raspberries, hazelnuts, vegetables, hay, cattle, Christmas trees
• Commercial Products: lumber and wood products, paper products, transportation equipment, electronics and semiconductors
• Average Winter High Temperature: 32 degrees
• Record Low Temperature: -54 degrees (10 Feb 1933 Seneca)
• Average Summer High Temperature: 83 degrees
• Record High Temperature: 119 degrees (10 Aug 1898 Pendleton)
• Official Language: English
• More information about Oregon

Oregon, My Oregon

(Words by J.A. Buchanan
Music by Henry B. Murtagh)

Land of the Empire Builders, Land of the Golden West;
Conquered and held by free men, Fairest and the best.
Onward and upward ever, Forward and on, and on;
Hail to thee, Land of the Heroes, My Oregon.

Land of the rose and sunshine, Land of the summer's breeze;
Laden with health and vigor, Fresh from the western seas.
Blest by the blood of martyrs, Land of the setting sun;
Hail to thee, Land of Promise, My Oregon.

Items of Interest

• Oregon has the only nickel smelter in the United States.
• Two mammals are unique to Oregon--the Camas pocket gopher and the Ashland shrew.
• Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.
• The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.
• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.
• Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.
• Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.
• At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
• Sea Lion Caves, near Florence is the largest sea cave in the world.
• The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Lane County.
• The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is one of the largest long-term ecological research sites in the United States.
• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was formed more than 6,500 years ago.
• The world's largest rosary collection is exhibited at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center.
• The Carousel Museum contains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of carousel horses.
• In 1905 the largest long cabin in the world was built in Portland to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.
• The Seaside Aquarium was the first facility in the world to successfully breed harbor seals in captivity.

Notable Natives

Some of these were born here, others just lived a while in the state.

• Cecil D. Andrus - secretary of the interior (Hood River)
• James Beard - food expert (Portland)
• Raymond Carver - writer, poet (Clatskanie)
• Beverly Cleary (1916- ) - children's author (McMinnville)
• Homer Davenport - political cartoonist (Silverton)
• Abigail Scott Duniway (1834-1915) - journalist, woman-suffrage leader (lived in Lafayette)
• Dick Fosbury (1947- ) - Olympic high jumper (Portland)
• Matt Groening (1954- ) - cartoonist (Portland)
• Mark Hatfield - senator (Dallas)
• Joni Huntley - track athlete (McMinnville)
• David Kennerly - photographer (Roseburg)
• Dave Kingman - baseball player (Pendleton)
• Ursula LeGuin (1929- ) - author (lives in Portland)
• Edwin Markham (1852-1940) - poet (Oregon City)
• Phyllis McGinley - author (Ontario)
• John McLoughlin (1784-1857) - built Fort Vancouver, known as the "Father of Oregon"
• Linus Carl Pauling - chemist (Portland)
• Jane Powell - actress, singer (Portland)
• Steve Prefontaine - track athlete (Coos Bay)
• Ahmad Rashad - football player, sportscaster (Portland)
• John Reed - journalist, poet (Portland)
• Pat Schroeder - politician (Portland)
• Doc Severinsen (1927- ) - band leader, jazz trumpet player (Arlington)
• Norton Simon - business executive (Portland)
• Sally Stanford - politician (Baker City)
• Picabo Street - Olympic athlete
• Sally Struthers - actress (Portland)
• Lindsay Wagner (1949- ) - actress (Portland)

The Oregon State Flag
Oregon has the only state flag that is different on each side. The background is navy blue. The back has a gold beaver (state animal). The front has a gold heart-shaped shield with an eagle on top, surrounded by 33 stars (number of states in 1859). The shield shows the sun setting over the ocean, mountains, forests and a covered wagon. A plow, wheat and pick ax represent farming and mining. Ships represent trade. The words "The Union" represent support for the US. "State of Oregon" is above the picture and the date of statehood below.

You might be from Oregon if...

• Every day is casual Friday.
• Glasses come standard with windshield wipers.
• Someone runs your car off the highway, and you nearly drown.
• You know that the storm will soon pass--to make way for the next storm.
• In the winter, you go to work in the dark, come home in the dark, and only have an 8-hour day.
• Brides register at REI.(sport supply store)
• No one buys flood insurance, because everyone lives in houseboats.
• Rustoleum is the number one selling suntan oil.
• When the comet Hale Bopp first flew by at night, you thought you had seen the sun for the first time.
• You are amazed at an accurate weather forecast.
• You are used to rain but a half inch of snow closes the schools.
• You believe the weather man.
• You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid
• You consider "etiquette" a foreign word.
• You consider something a hill rather than a mountain if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted.
• You consider swimming an indoor sport.
• You don't tan, you rust.
• You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a really nice restaurant.
• You find a wallet with $500 and give it back to the owner.
• You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
• You know more than ten words to describe a cup of coffee.
• You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.
• You never go camping without water-proof matches and ponchos.
• You obey all traffic laws except keep right and left passing.
• You only honk your horn if collision is imminent and never for anything else.
• You picnic in the rain. You just open the sunroof on the umbrella if the sun comes out.
• You resent being called a weirdo.
• You throw an aluminum can in the trash and feel guilty.
• You use the words 'sun breaks' and know what it means.
• You used to live somewhere else but won't admit it publicly.
• You'd be miffed if the store was out of your favorite brand of water.
• You've ever ordered a half caff/decaf, nonfat mocha grande with sugar-free cranberry whip.
• You've ever tasted Pace extra mild picante sauce.

Songs about Oregon

• Hills of Oregon - Doug McArthur and Jeffra Cook (1997)
• I Must Be in Oregon - Greg Brown (1999)
• I'd Rather Be in Oregon - Jon Ten Broek (1994)
• Katherine of Oregon - Al Stewart (2005)
• Neath the Big Golden Oregon Moon - Jinx Davis (1984)
• Oregon Bound - The Trail Band (2000)
• Oregon Country - Jinx Davis (1984)
• Oregon Mountains - Woody Simmons (1977)
• Oregon, My Oregon - Michael Allen Harrison (2009)
• Oregon Rain - T.R. Kelley (2008)
• Oregon Trail - Woody Guthrie (1962)
• Oregon Waltz - Robin Flower (1979)
• Roll on, Columbia - Michael Allen Harrison (2009)