About Oregon
The origin of the name Oregon is one of the great mysteries of American place names. No one has definitively established where it comes from. The most popular theory holds that it derives from a 1715 French map that showed a river labeled "Ouaricon-sint" or "Ouaricon," which may have been an early name for the Columbia River. Other theories suggest it comes from a Spanish word, a Native American language, or even a misreading of the Wisconsin River from an old French map. The name "Oregon" appeared in print in 1778 when Major Robert Rogers petitioned the British government for an expedition to find a river he called the "Ouragon." However it originated, the name stuck and Oregon became a state in 1859.
Oregon is a state of extremes and contradictions. It is the 9th largest state by area but holds less than 1.5% of the national population, most of it concentrated in a narrow green valley between two mountain ranges. The same state that gave the world Nike, pioneered vote-by-mail, and legalized physician-assisted death also contains hundreds of ghost towns, the most isolated cattle ranches in the Lower 48, and communities that have more in common with rural Idaho than with Portland.
The Cascades divide Oregon into two worlds. West of the mountains: rain-soaked forests, world-class wine country, a tech-driven urban economy, and one of the most politically progressive populations in the country. East of the mountains: high desert, volcanic rock, enormous ranches, and one of the most conservative rural electorates in the West. This tension between Oregon's two halves shapes everything about its politics, economy, and culture.
Oregon has been a pioneer in environmental and social policy for over half a century, land-use planning laws, bottle deposits, the spotted owl controversy, death with dignity, and drug decriminalization all began here. The state's motto, "She Flies With Her Own Wings," captures something real about Oregon's self-image: independent, unconventional, and not particularly interested in what the rest of the country thinks.
Geography, Four Distinct Regions
Oregon spans from Pacific beaches in the west to high desert plateaus in the east, one of the most geographically diverse states in the nation, divided sharply by the Cascade Range.
Economy
Oregon's economy has transformed from a timber-and-agriculture base into a diversified mix of technology, manufacturing, wine, and outdoor recreation, with Intel and Nike anchoring the corporate landscape.
