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Portal:Oregon

Coordinates: 44°00′N 120°30′W / 44°N 120.5°W / 44; -120.5
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The Oregon Portal

Oregon
State of Oregon
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted
Map of the United States with Oregon highlighted

Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡən, -ɡɒn/ ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. As early as 1564, the Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. Oregon became the 33rd state of the U.S. on February 14, 1859.

Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km2), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital, Salem, is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents. Portland, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The Portland metropolitan area, which includes neighboring counties in Washington, is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood is the state's highest point. Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the U.S. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of the Malheur National Forest. (Full article...)

Neon rose at the Visitors Information Center in Portland
The city of Portland, Oregon is ideal for growing roses outdoors due to its location within the marine west coast climate region, its warm, dry summers and rainy but mild winters, and its heavy clay soils. Portland has been known as the "City of Roses", or "Rose City", since 1888, after Madame Caroline Testout, a large pink variety of hybrid tea rose bred in France, was introduced to the city. Thousands of rose bushes were planted, eventually lining 20 miles (32 km) of Portland's streets in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905. The Rose City Park neighborhood in northeast Portland was formed in 1907, the same year of the first annual Portland Rose Festival. During World War I, nursery owners in Portland began planning a large rose garden to protect European rose species from the war. The garden was established in Washington Park as the International Rose Test Garden in 1917. Today, the Portland Rose Festival occurs each June with a carnival, parades, and navy ships docked along the Tom McCall Waterfront Park to promote the city. The International Rose Test Garden is currently one of the oldest public rose test gardens in the United States, covering 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) with over 8,000 rose plants and more than 550 different species. In 2003, Portland adopted the "City of Roses" as its official nickname.

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Charles L. McNary by Henrique Medina (1946)
Charles McNary (1874–1944) was a Republican politician, best known for serving as Oregon's U.S. Senator from 1917–1944, and as Senate Minority Leader from 1933–1944. Before serving in the Senate, he served on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1913 to 1915 and was dean of Willamette University College of Law from 1908 to 1913 in his hometown of Salem, Oregon. In 1917, he was briefly appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy, but lost the subsequent election to Frederick W. Mulkey, who took office on November 6, 1918. Mulkey resigned after taking office, and McNary was re-appointed to the Senate on December 12, 1918. He was re-elected in '24, '30, '36, and '42. McNary served in Washington, D.C. until his death in 1944. In 1933, he introduced legislation that led to the building of Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. In 1940, he was the Republican vice presidential nominee, as a western conservative to balance the eastern liberalism of presidential nominee Wendell Willkie. The Willkie-McNary ticket lost the Electoral College to incumbent Democrat Roosevelt, 449 to 82.

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The following are images from various Oregon-related articles on Wikipedia.

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Yaquina Head Light
Yaquina Head Light
Credit: Mary Beth Seibert, color corrected by Howcheng

The Yaquina Head Light, also known early in its existence as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse, is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. It is located in Lincoln County, near the mouth of the Yaquina River near Newport at Yaquina Head. Built from 1871 to 1873, it was automated in 1966 and is currently an active aid to navigation.

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Ocian [sic] in view! O! the joy.
William Clark, journal entry upon sighting the Pacific Ocean at the Oregon Coast

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Pillars of Rome
Pillars of Rome
Credit: Cacophony
Pillars of Rome, a unique feature in the southeast corner of Oregon.

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Lighthouse of Cape Meares, Oregon

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American beaver
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This month's Collaboration of the Month projects: Women's History Month: Create or improve articles for women listed at Oregon Women of Achievement (modern) or Women of the West, Oregon chapter (historical)
Portland, Oregon, in 1898 (Featured picture candidate)

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44°00′N 120°30′W / 44°N 120.5°W / 44; -120.5