Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, Washington on the north, Idaho on the east, and California and Nevada on the south. The Columbia and Snake Rivers form, respectively, much of its northern and eastern borders. Between two north-south mountain ranges in western Oregon—the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Mountain Range—lies the Willamette Valley, the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region of the state.
Oregon has one of the most diverse landscapes of any state in the U.S. It is well known for its tall, dense forests; its accessible and scenic Pacific coastline; and its rugged, glaciated Cascade volcanoes. Other areas include semiarid scrublands, prairies, and deserts that cover approximately half the state in eastern and north-central Oregon.
Oregon's population in 2000 was about 3.5 million, a 20.3% increase over 1990. It is estimated to have reached 3.7 million by 2006. Oregon's population is largely concentrated in the Willamette Valley, which stretches from Eugene through Salem and Corvallis to Portland, Oregon's largest city.
The origin of the name Oregon is unknown. One account, advanced by George R. Stewart in a 1944 article in American Speech, was endorsed as the "most plausible explanation" in the book Oregon Geographic Names. According to Stewart, the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 1700s, on which the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin) River was spelled "Ouaricon-sint", broken on two lines with the -sint below, so that there appeared to be a river flowing to the west named "Ouaricon".
Tom McCall (1913–1983) was an American politician, and member of the Republican Party. He served two terms as the 30th governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. He was known for his environmental policies, passing the country's first " bottle bill" and working to clean the polluted Willamette River.
McCall was born in Massachusetts, the the grandson of copper-king Thomas Lawson and Massachusetts governor and congressman Samuel W. McCall. He graduated from Redmond High School, and enrolled at the University of Oregon, graduating in 1936. McCall moved to Idaho to write for the local paper where he met his future wife, Audrey Owen.
He moved to Portland in 1942, where he worked for The Oregonian. He moved to the paper's radio station until 1949, when he became an assistant to Oregon Governor Douglas McKay. He was elected Oregon Secretary of State in 1964, then governor in 1966 and 1970. McCall later returned to journalism, and was a commentator for a Portland TV station. He made an unsuccessful bid to return to the governorship in 1978, losing in the primary to State Senator Victor G. Atiyeh, who went on to defeat incumbent Robert W. Straub. McCall died of prostate cancer in 1983, and after his death Portland dedicated a park along the Willamette River as Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
The New Carissa was a freighter that ran aground on a beach near Coos Bay, Oregon, United States, during a storm in February 1999 and subsequently broke apart. An attempt to tow the bow section of the ship out to sea failed when the tow line broke, and the bow was grounded again. Eventually, the bow was successfully towed out to sea and sunk. The stern section remains on the beach near Coos Bay. Fuel on board the ship was burned off in situ, but a significant amount was also spilled from the wreckage, causing ecological damage to the coastline. The United States Coast Guard performed an investigation and found that captain's error was the main cause of the wreck; however, no criminal liability was established and the captain and crew were not charged. There were significant legal and financial consequences for the ship's owners and insurer. There are plans in place to dismantle the stern section at its current site and remove it from the beach.
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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.
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Oregon-related lists
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Culture
Education
Economy
Geography
Government
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History
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People
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- Current Featured Article candidates:Image:TriMet MAX Light Rail Map.svg (featured picture candidate)
- To Improve to Featured standard: Oregon, Portland, Oregon State University, List of Oregon State University alumni, List of Oregon State University faculty and staff, Governor of Oregon, Columbia River
- Current Good Article nominees:
- To Improve and nominate at WP:GOOD: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel), Reed College, Mount Mazama, Mount Hood
- To Expand: History of Oregon, Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, Samuel Hill, Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Victor G. Atiyeh, Oregon Ballot Measure 37 (2004) (add info about Measure 49 of 2007), A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon State Fair, History of Portland, Government of Oregon,
- To Clean up: List of Portlanders, Eugene, University of Oregon, List of counties in Oregon, Oregon Health & Science University, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Oregon Bottle Bill, Hells Canyon, Transportation in Portland, Oregon, Oregon State Hospital, Oregon term limits legislation, Maywood Park, Oregon – interesting article, needs sources, Gary Snyder (needs inline sources), Tom Potter
- Review recent changes:
- To Merge: See: Wikipedia:WikiProject Deletion sorting/Oregon#Merge proposals
- To Split: Oregon Health & Science University (split off hospital from school)
- To Destub: Oregon Republican Party, Oregon Centennial, Scotts Mills earthquake, Politics of Oregon, Mount Hood Jazz Festival, Oregon Health Plan, Siuslaw National Forest, OGA Golf Course, Hatfield Marine Science Center
- To Deorphan:
- To Create: Land use planning in Oregon (draft), Geography of Oregon, Economy of Oregon, Climate of Oregon, Loren Parks, Dan Gardner, Wascopam Mission, Delta Park, High priority list, Oregon Sesquicentennial
- To De-redlink: Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
- Lists to de-redlink: List of Registered Historic Places in Oregon, List of high schools in Oregon, List of Oregon State Parks, List of highway route numbers in Oregon, List of named state highways in Oregon
- Lists to complete: List of cities and unincorporated communities in Oregon
- Wanted Pics/Graphics: Mount Hood Meadows, Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum (interior), Fort Rock Cave (the Fort Rock sandals)
- Wanted New Pics: Mt. Tabor (statue, view from top), Siskiyou Mountains, Pilot Butte, Oregon hairy triton, Gill Coliseum, Portland Rose Festival (Grand Floral Parade, CHAMP car race), Portland Saturday Market, Portland International Raceway
Coordinates: 44° N 120.5° W
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