After exploration by the Spanish and French in the 17th and 18th centuries, Oregon was mapped by the Lewis and Clark expedition in their search for the Northwest Passage.
Beginning in the 1830s, many groups of pioneers traveled to the state on the famous Oregon Trail, and the US began to settle the area along with the UK. In 1846, the border between the American and British territories was formally established at the 49th parallel – the part of the territory given to Great Britain would eventually become part of Canada.
Oregon was officially admitted to the union as a state on February 14, 1859. Today Portland, Oregon’s largest city, is considered one of the top cities in the nation in terms of quality of life, and the state is also known as one of the the best wine producers in the country, with more than 300 wineries.
Geography
Oregon is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and is bordered by Washington to the north, Idaho to the east, California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Oregon covers an area of 98,381 square miles, making it slightly larger than England. It is one of only three U.S. states that have a coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (the other two being Florida and Hawaii).
Oregon’s landscape is dominated by rugged mountains and dense forests which cover nearly half of its area. The Cascade Range runs through western Oregon from north-to-south, with Mt Hood standing as its highest peak at 11,239 feet. To the east of this mountain range lies a large high desert region known as The Great Basin which makes up much of eastern Oregon’s landscape. This area includes Steens Mountain (9,733 feet) and Hart Mountain (8,150 feet).
The Columbia River forms much of Oregon’s northern border with Washington State while also providing an important waterway for commerce and recreation throughout much of western Oregon. Other major rivers in Oregon include the Willamette River which flows through Portland in western Oregon; The Snake River which forms part of eastern Oregon’s border with Idaho; And The Deschutes River which flows through central Oregon’s high desert region.
Oregon has several major lakes including Crater Lake (which was created around 7700 years ago when a volcano erupted), Odell Lake in central Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, Waldo Lake in eastern Oregon’s Willamette National Forest and Lost Creek Lake near Medford in southwest Oregon.
Much of northern and central parts of western Oregon are covered by temperate rainforests where annual rainfall averages between 40 – 80 inches per year while southern parts are marked by dry sagebrush steppes or grasslands characterized by hot summers and cold winters with little precipitation throughout most months. Eastern parts are generally dryer than western regions due to their location within the Great Basin Desert where average annual rainfall is less than 10 inches per year.
Overall, despite its relatively small size compared to other U.S states such as California or Texas; The geography of Oregon is incredibly varied ranging from temperate rainforests to dry deserts making it an ideal place for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping or fishing while also providing stunning views across some of America’s most beautiful.
Cities in Oregon
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Oregon. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Oregon cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 647,176 |
| 2 | Salem | 174,193 |
| 3 | Eugene | 173,278 |
| 4 | Gresham | 114,164 |
| 5 | Hillsboro | 105,909 |
| 6 | Beaverton | 97,466 |
| 7 | Bend | 97,042 |
| 8 | Medford | 84,894 |
| 9 | Springfield | 62,138 |
| 10 | Corvallis | 59,407 |
| 11 | Albany | 55,776 |
| 12 | Tigard | 54,750 |
| 13 | Aloha | 52,704 |
| 14 | Lake Oswego | 40,390 |
| 15 | Keizer | 39,119 |
Counties in Oregon
The State of Oregon consists of 36 counties. They are:
- Baker County, Oregon
- Benton County, Oregon
- Clackamas County, Oregon
- Clatsop County, Oregon
- Columbia County, Oregon
- Coos County, Oregon
- Crook County, Oregon
- Curry County, Oregon
- Deschutes County, Oregon
- Douglas County, Oregon
- Gilliam County, Oregon
- Grant County, Oregon
- Harney County, Oregon
- Hood River County, Oregon
- Jackson County, Oregon
- Jefferson County, Oregon
- Josephine County, Oregon
- Klamath County, Oregon
- Lake County, Oregon
- Lane County, Oregon
- Lincoln County, Oregon
- Linn County, Oregon
- Malheur County, Oregon
- Marion County, Oregon
- Morrow County, Oregon
- Multnomah County, Oregon
- Polk County, Oregon
- Sherman County, Oregon
- Tillamook County, Oregon
- Umatilla County, Oregon
- Union County, Oregon
- Wallowa County, Oregon
- Wasco County, Oregon
- Washington County, Oregon
- Wheeler County, Oregon
- Yamhill County, Oregon
