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".
Dr. John McLoughlin ( October 19, 1784 – September 3, 1857) was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. In 1798, he began 4½ years of medical training and was granted a license to practice medicine in 1803. He was hired as a physician at Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay, Ontario), a fur-gathering post of the North West Company on Lake Superior. In 1814, he became a partner in the company, and in 1816 he was arrested for the murder of Robert Semple, the governor of the Red River Colony, after the Battle of Seven Oaks (1816). McLoughlin was tried on October 301818, and the charges were dismissed. McLoughlin was instrumental in the negotiations leading to the North West Company's 1821 merger with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), and became Chief Factor of the Columbia District in 1824. McLoughlin was involved with the debate over the future of the Oregon Country. After retiring from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1846, McLoughlin moved his family back south to Oregon City in the Willamette Valley. In 1847, McLoughlin was given the Knighthood of St. Gregory, bestowed on him by Pope Gregory XVI. He became a U.S. citizen in 1849. He served as mayor of Oregon City in 1851, and died of natural causes in 1857. His grave is on a bluff above Willamette Falls. In 1953, the state of Oregon donated a statue of McLoughlin to the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. The title "Father of Oregon" was officially bestowed on him by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1957.
Portland State University (PSU) is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon. It has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state. Part of the Oregon University System, it is also the state's only public university that is located in a major metropolitan city. PSU was established as the Vanport Extension Center in 1946 to satisfy the demand for higher education in Portland for returning World War II veterans. In 1952 the Center moved to downtown Portland and occupied the vacated buildings of Lincoln High School. In 1955, the Center changed its name to Portland State College, with graduate programs added in 1961 and doctoral programs added in 1968. The Oregon State System of Higher Education allowed the school to change its name in 1969 to Portland State University. In 1994 PSU did away with the traditional undergraduate distribution system and adopted a new interdisciplinary general education program known as University Studies. The Daily Vanguard, the student-run newspaper, was established in 1946. The student-run radio station is KPSU. "The Portland Review" is a literary magazine published by PSU's Student Publications Board. Additional student newspapers at PSU are The Rearguard, an alternative-monthly newspaper, and The Spectator.
The Willamette River as it passes through downtown Portland, Oregon. The bridges, from right to left, are the Sellwood, Ross Island, Marquam, Hawthorne, Morrision, Burnside, Steel (the black bridge that is partially obscured), Fremont (the arch bridge at far left). The mountains, from right to left, are Mount Hood, Mount Adams (only the tip is visible) and Mount Saint Helens.
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As long as the sun rises over Ontario and sets over the Pacific, I will dedicate myself to bringing the people of Oregon what they want and need most - an era of hope, change, and economic renewal.
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Oregon-related lists
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- Current Featured Article (or other Featured content) candidates: Little Butte Creek (Rogue River)
- Undergoing Peer review:
- 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
- Current Good Article Nominees:
- To Improve and Nominate at WP:GOOD: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel), Reed College, Mount Mazama
- 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, Land use in Oregon, Portland Hempstalk Festival
- To Clean Up: WikiProject Oregon Cleanup listing, List of Portlanders, Eugene, University of Oregon, List of counties in Oregon, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Hells Canyon, Transportation in Portland, Oregon, Oregon State Hospital, Maywood Park, Oregon – interesting article, needs sources, Tom Potter
- Review Recent Changes: See WikiProject Oregon recent changes list
- 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, Politics of Oregon, OGA Golf Course, Hatfield Marine Science Center
- To Deorphan:
- To Create: Geography of Oregon, Climate of Oregon, Wascopam Mission, High priority list, Oregon Sesquicentennial, Gladys McCoy [1]
- To Create from Redirects: See Category:Redirect-Class Oregon articles
- To De-Redlink: Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
- Lists to De-Redlink: List of Registered Historic Places in Oregon, List of highway route numbers in Oregon, List of named state highways in Oregon, List of canals in Oregon, Eagle Creek (Oregon), Lost Lake (Oregon)
- Lists to Complete: List of cities and unincorporated communities in Oregon
- Wanted Pics/Graphics: Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum (interior), Fort Rock Cave (the Fort Rock sandals), regional image requests, other requests
- Wanted New Pics: Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon hairy triton, Gill Coliseum, Portland Rose Festival (Grand Floral Parade, CHAMP car race), Portland Saturday Market
Coordinates: 44°00′N 120°30′W / 44°N 120.5°W / 44; -120.5
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