Oregon
Oregon State Information
Area (sq mi):: 98380.64 (land 95996.79; water 2383.85) Population per square mile: 37.90
Population 2005: 3,641,056 State rank: 0 Population change: 2000-20005 6.40%; 1990-2000 20.40% Population 2000: 3,421,399 (White 83.50%; Black or African American 1.60%; Hispanic or Latino 8.00%; Asian 3.00%; Other 8.80%). Foreign born: 8.50%. Median age: 36.30
Income 2000: per capita $20,940; median household $40,916; Population below poverty level: 11.60% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $28,097-$28,734
Unemployment (2004): 7.30% Unemployment change (from 2000): 2.20% Median travel time to work: 22.20 minutes Working outside county of residence: 22.50%
List of Oregon counties:
Oregon Parks
- US National Parks
- Urban Parks
- State Parks
- Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US
- National Wildlife Refuges
- National Scenic Byways
- National Grasslands
- National Forests
Oregon
Thirty-third state; admitted on February 14, 1859
While Admission Day is often commemorated by programs in schools, it is not a legal holiday in Oregon.
State capital: Salem Nicknames: Beaver State; Pacific Wonderland; Webfoot State
State motto: Alis volat propiis (Latin “She flies with her own wings”; motto since 1987); The Union (motto from 1859 to 1987)
State animal: Beaver (Castor canadensis) State beverage: Milk State bird: Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) State colors: Navy blue and gold State dance: Square dance State father: Dr. John McLoughlin (October 19, 1784 – Sep
tember 3, 1857) State fish: Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) State flower: Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) State fossil: Metasequoia (dawn redwood) State fruit: Pear (Pyrus communis) State gemstone: Oregon sunstone State insect: Oregon swallowtail butterfly (Papilio
oregonius)
State mother: Tabitha Moffatt Brown (May 1, 1780 – May 4, 1858) State mushroom: Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus
formosus) State nut: Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) State rock: Thunderegg (geode) State seashell: Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis) State song: “Oregon, My Oregon” State tree: Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
More about state symbols at:
bluebook.state.or.us/kids/
SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 142
AnnivHol-2000, p. 27
STATE OFFICES:
State web site:
www.oregon.gov
Office of the Governor
900 Court St NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-3111
fax: 503-378-6827
www.governor.state.or.us
Secretary of State
900 Court St NE
Rm 136
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1500
fax: 503-986-1616
www.sos.state.or.us
Oregon State Library
250 Winter NE State Library Bldg
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4243
fax: 503-588-7119
oregon.gov/OSL
Oregon
a state on the Pacific coast of the USA. Area, 251,200 sq km. Population, 2,100,000 (1970), of which 67 percent is urban. Salem is the state capital, and Portland is the major port and economic center.
In the west are the Cascade and Oregon Coast ranges. Mount Hood volcano in the Cascades rises to an elevation of 3,427 m. Most of the state’s interior is occupied by the Columbia Plateau, in the north, and the edge of the Great Basin, in the south. The coastal climate is moderate and humid, and the inland regions have a dry continental climate. The mountain slopes are covered with forests of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and other valuable trees. Oregon leads the country in timber reserves and lumber production.
Industry employed 174,000 people in 1970. The major industries are lumbering and woodworking. The pulp-and-paper industry is being developed. Oregon’s food-processing enterprises handle fish, fruit, berries, and milk products. Other industries are metalworking and machine building, including production of electrical equipment, and smelting of aluminum and nickel. In 1970 more than 30 billion kW-hr of electric power were produced in Oregon, primarily at hydrolectric power plants on the Columbia River and its tributaries the Willamette and Deschutes. There is intensive agriculture and dairy farming in the valleys and extensive stock raising on the dry plateaus, which also have some crop farming on irrigated land. Oregon’s chief cash crops are fodder grasses, wheat, potatoes, and barley. The state is the principal US grower of pears and sweet cherries. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are raised; in 1972 there were 1,593,000 head of cattle, including 103,000 milk cows, and 517,000 sheep. The coastal fisheries catch salmon and Pacific halibut.
M. E. POLOVITSKAIA