The beautiful state of Oregon sits in the Pacific Northwest
area of the USA and lies next to the Pacific Ocean. The state
capital is Salem, while Portland is the most populated city.
Other major centers include Eugene, Bend, Gresham, Beaverton,
Medford, Springfield, Albany, and Hillsboro. Oregon is the ninth
largest state in size and the 27th when it comes to population
as it’s home to about four million residents. It became the 33rd
state to join the Union back in 1859.
The climate is influenced pretty heavily by the Pacific
Ocean, especially in the western region. It’s generally a pretty
mild place but it can get quite hot and cold at times.
The state serves up some wonderful scenery due to the ocean,
beaches, rugged volcanoes, high desert, dense evergreen forests,
prairies, semi-arid scrublands, vineyards, valleys, and meadows.
The Snake and Columbia Rivers also wind their way through
Oregon, and Crater Lake National Park offers some excellent
sights and activities as does the Newberry National Volcanic
Monument.
Other sites that are well worth checking out are the John Day
Fossil Beds Monument, the Cascade–Siskiyou Monument, the Oregon
Caves National Monument, the California Trail, Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site, the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail and
Parks, Nez Perce National Park, the Oregon Trail, Rogue Valley,
Cascade Mountains, Klamath Mountains, the Alvord Desert, the
Columbia River Plateau, and the Oregon Outback.
The Columbia Gorge-Mount Hood area is home to the spectacular
Multnomah Falls, which are the second largest in the country.
There’s also about 400 miles of Pacific coastline to enjoy and
the Willamette Valley is home to Salem and Eugene.
There are several Native American tribes still in the area
and you’ll notice their influence on the culture somewhat.
Portland is generally considered to be the hot spot when it
comes to city life as it features an excellent variety of
interesting parks and museums, along with a professional sports
franchise. The nightlife is also hopping and you’ll find some
top-notch restaurants and accommodations there.
If you’d like to soak in the local history and culture, one
of the best places to visit is the Oregon Historical society,
which was founded in 1898 and is located in Portland. As for
events and festivals, there are quite a few, with some of the
best of them being the Farm City Pro Rodeo, the Klamath County
Fair and Carnival, the Mount Hood Jazz Festival, the Muddy
Frogwater Country Classic Festival, the Portland Century Bike
Tour, the Eugene Celebration, and the Sublimity Harvest
Festival.
When it comes to sports, Oregon has a basketball team in the
NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers, and is also home to several
minor-league pro teams in sports such as baseball, football, and
soccer. College sports are also very popular in the state along
with its junior hockey team in Portland.
Places to stay are easy to find in Oregon as there are all
types of accommodations in all price ranges. There are also some
excellent restaurants for local and international dishes.
It’s a great state to drive around in to view the fantastic
scenery and sites and if you want to fly in, there’s a major
airport in Portland and decent sized ones in Eugene and Medford.
Amtrak has a few train stations, including Eugene and Portland
and there is a pretty good bus service throughout the state.
Oregon offers quite a lot of wonderful historic sites and
natural beauty to visitors and there’s plenty to do and see to
keep people of all ages happy.
About Oregon